These Chocolate Chip Cookies Helped Me Survive as a Brand-New Mom

I’m a hopeless chocolate chip cookie romantic. And in my early and mid-20s, I spent a lot of time searching for “the one.” A recipe, to be clear.

I baked my way through dozens upon dozens of batches, all with promises by bloggers, magazines, and food sites to be the best. Some were really, really good (at one point, I thought the viral pan-banging cookies were it); others were fun, but not what I was looking for. And while I don’t remember any horrific flops, I was never fully satisfied. So I gave up. I still made chocolate chip cookies, but I never let myself get hopeful. 

Fast forward to October 2019. I had recently given birth to my first child and thought I’d never sleep again. My husband and I were in survival mode. And, for perhaps the first time as an adult, I didn’t think about food. I ate to live, as they say, subsisting on frozen meals prepared by the kindness of others and good ‘ole Trader Joe’s. But then my friend brought me Smitten Kitchen’s Consummate Cookies, and everything changed. 

When I least expected it, I found my perfect chocolate chip cookie. It was crispy around the edges and simultaneously chewy and fudgy in the center. And big. At 2 a.m., when my angelic but ruthless newborn wanted to eat, this five-inch cookie helped bring me back to life. When I started feeling more like myself in the kitchen, it was one of the first things I made. Now it’s my go-to dessert. 

Get the recipe: The Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you’re thinking that they look kinda fancy, it’s because they have highbrow roots. Deb Perelman (the writer and creator behind Smitten Kitchen) adapted the adaptation of Jacques Torres’ famously fussy and delicious chocolate chip cookies from the New York Times. (The one that calls for cake and bread flour). I promise this simplified version is way less annoying to make — it only calls for all-purpose flour! And although each cookie is quite decadent and extra chocolatey, at it’s core it’s really just a good chocolate chip cookie.

• Weigh your ingredients. It makes the process easier, minimizes cleanup, and ensures you don’t add too much (or too little) flour.
• Use chocolate chips in a pinch. The baking disks (or fèves) create pools of chocolate, which factor into the cookies’ delightful texture. Deb recommends other recipes for people who aren’t as fanatic about chocolate. But in my opinion, if you throw in chocolate chips, no one will really care. This dough is good, people.
• Don’t skimp on the size. Again, it’s a texture thing. For crispy, chewy harmony, throw caution to the wind and form 3 1/2-ounce (skee)balls of dough.