Chewy, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies (to Ease the Pain)

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And, the circle continues....For those of us who live in North America, today marks the beginning of another round of Daylight Saving Time. Every spring we move our clocks one hour ahead and "lose" an hour during the night and each fall we move our clocks back one hour and "gain" an extra hour. Except, it isn't even #%*&@!*% Spring yet! But, here we are, barely into March, and we've already lost that precious hour of sleep. Another lovely gift from the Bush administration!

Originally the brainchild of none other than Benjamin Franklin, the main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer Time" in many places in the world) is to make better use of daylight. The rationale for this theory was that energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting homes is directly related to the times when people go to bed at night and rise in the morning. In the average home, 25 percent of electricity is used for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, computers and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurred in the evening when families were home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, the amount of electricity consumed each day decreased. Plus, the extra daylight hours allowed many to indulge more in outdoor activities. When people are not at home, they don't turn on the appliances and lights.

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Daylight Saving Time was originally instituted in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. During World War II the federal government again required the states to observe the time change. Between the wars and after World War II, states and communities chose whether or not to observe Daylight Saving Time. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time. Thanks to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005, Daylight Saving Time was extended by four weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. To me, that translates into a thirty hour sleep deficit, which I am never happy about!

However, there is quite a lot of controversy as to whether DST actually does conserve a significant enough amount of energy to justify the disruption in our lives. There is also evidence to show that DST can actually be a harmful thing. Here is an interesting article in U.S. News & World Report about this.

ist2_4114538_curly_haired_woman_wearing_pajamas

(Not a pretty sight, huh?)

Whichever side of the fence you may sit on regarding this issue, let me just say that in my opinion, Daylight Saving Time SUCKS! It is going to be sheer torture for my family and I to get up at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, knowing it is really only 5:00 a.m.! The fact that we will have to do this for an extra four weeks each year sucks even more!

Another issue fraught with controversy is the great chocolate chip cookie debate. If you asked one hundred people to name their idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, you'd probably get one hundred different answers. Chewy, crispy or cakey. Milk chocolate or dark. Nuts or no nuts. Ever since Ruth Wakefield accidentally invented the chocolate chip cookie, there have been literally thousands of different incarnations of them, all in the quest for the "perfect" cookie. Several food bloggers have entered the debate. Even the New York Times has weighed in on the subject.

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For me, the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookies is one that strikes that perfect balance between crispy and chewy. You know what I mean. The one with the crunchy, crackly perimeter that kind of shatters when you bite into it, hinting of butter and caramel, and giving way to a ooey, gooey chocolaty center. The apparent key to this ultimate combination is the resting and chilling of the cookie dough from anywhere to a few hours to a few days.

One of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes is one I have adapted from Alton Brown. For my money, his "chewy" version is pretty close to "as good as it gets". Alton uses melted butter and bread flour in this recipe. I found this a little unusual, but it works. I chill the dough anywhere from a few hours to overnight and I'm always rewarded with incredible sticky, gooey, creamy and chewy cookies. I always add toasted, chopped pecans to them. Sometimes, I put some toasted coconut in them too as I did here.

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The Chewy isn't the only chocolate chip cookie recipe that I like. I'm also very fond of David Lebovitz's version from The Great Book of Chocolate. The only quibble I have with that one is that my cookies always tend to turn out really flat. I'm not sure why that is, but it is. I haven't tried the New York Times recipe yet, although I'm sure that, at some point, I will.

Anyway, If you're as bummed out about the reappearance of Daylight Saving Time as I am, make some of these cookies. You'll still be just as tired in the morning, but at least you'll have something wonderful to look forward to. I promise, they will help to ease the pain!

The Chewy (My Way)
adapted from Alton Brown on The Food Network
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups good quality semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat or in the microwave. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans and coconut.

Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, approximately 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Comments

Mom24 said…
I think this is the fourth blog I've seen recently with this recipe...I think somebody's telling me something. :-) I'll have to try this recipe soon.

Ah, the Bush administration, the gift that keeps on giving.
Anonymous said…
oh those look thick and chewy and delicious. leftovers?

cheers,

*heather*
Anonymous said…
I'm with you... I want my hour back! :(

I love Alton's chewy recipe and these look amazing! Pass one or three my way!
thecoffeesnob said…
I totally hear you about daylight savings! I love it when daylight savings end though- I hop out of bed, set the clock back an hour and head right back to sleep :)
Donna said…
I, too hate DST. But just the thought of your cookies made me smile!
Elyse said…
Haha, these cookies look like they could ease the pain of many things, including DST. Wow, they look perfectly thick and chewy with that hint of crunch in the edges. I am IN love with chocolate chip cookies--way beyond just merely loving them. I can't wait to try your version of Alton's recipe. Your cookies look just fabulous!
Deeba PAB said…
Your cookies make life worth the extra hour SGCC...they're lovely!What were they thinking...DST? Nothing of the sort here, & am happy to keep time as it is. India would be thrown into disarray if that ever happened...LOL!!
Anonymous said…
Your cookies look great!

I love DST once I get used to getting up early. I love the extra-light at night. :)
Anonymous said…
Your cookies look great!

I love DST once I get used to getting up early. I love the extra-light at night. :)
Anonymous said…
Thanks for this. My whole day has been screwed up by this. Right now it's 7 and nothing that is normally done at this time is done becuase my day is totally screwed up! I need a cookie.
Anonymous said…
I'm with you sister! I will be cranky until I get my HOUR BACK! Until then, might I join you in eating a cookie?! :D
Joie de vivre said…
I feel how your little drawing looks. It is 7:30 and I am about ready to crash...I must go do the dishes before that happens. Then I'll snuggle into bed at the late hour of 8:30pm!
I'm with you Susan, too far and with the same issue about changing hours in my country also!

Speaking about the adorable cookies they can make very happy independently of the hour of the day…crispy-chewy-yummylicious :)

Cheers!
Gera
I love gooey - a lot! They look really good.
Lisa said…
Yes, they would make a breakfast worth getting up for! (Can I say that....)
Anonymous said…
Oh, definitely make the NY Times cookies! They're the only ones I ever make anymore and definitely have all the qualities you are looking for in a chocolate chip cookie! Plus, the CRUNCHY SALT on top, soooo good.
What pretty and perfect cookies! They look irresistible!

Cheers,

Rosa
Anonymous said…
Mmmm yummy! Lovely styling with the ribbon.
Ciao Chow Linda said…
When you said ease the pain, I thought you were going to talk about income taxes. But we'll need a boatload of desserts to ease that pain. I love the cookies and the pretty brown and white polka dot dish and ribbon.
Anonymous said…
What's not to love about this time...the extra hours of daylight are wonderful for grilling, having company for dinner, kids playing outside, gardening after work!?! To not have to change clocks & have this all year long would be great.
Anonymous said…
I am SO glad I am not the only one who greeted this morning with pain ... I know I will be happier when I go home tonight and it's still daylight at 7/8pm but this morning was painful.
Now that the clocks have changed, I'm exhausted (as if I don't sleep poorly enough already).

As for the cookies, as long as I get to eat many cookies, I will support all sides of the debate, lol. These look awesome!
Maria said…
I HATE DST. I am all messed up now!!
The cookies look amazing!! Oh how I wish I had one right now!
Peter M said…
You slay me with these cookies...I'll grab a glass of milk...a dunking we'll will go!
Katrina said…
Hey, that's me in the "debate" link to Anna's Cookie Madness! ;)

I totally agree about daylight savings! Sigh! Maybe that's why I also baked three different kinds of cookies yesterday, including David Lebovitz's yummy ccc!
Katrina said…
By the way, your cookie looks great, too! Love the addition of pecans and coconut!
Ingrid_3Bs said…
Tell us how you really feel? LOL! Today was tough but each day for the next few it will get easier. What was tough for us was getting the kids to go to bed. Grrr but again they'll get into their routine and be okay.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!
~ingrid
Debbie said…
Your cookies look great. I love the idea of using flaked coconut...I have to give them a try sometime. I like DST since it seems to end the gloominess of winter with having daylight longer....can't wait for spring!
Anonymous said…
I am definitely in trouble because of that lost hour of sleep! Love the cookies! Yum!
I was really tired with the clock change yesterday. I baked CCC also yesterday. Those look really yummy.
I don't like this early DST because it really doesn't do anything but move the daylight around. It's not making the days "longer". It doesn't make sense to me to turn the clocks forward until after the official beginning of spring, which is the Vernal Equinox. Once we pass the equinox, the days are longer than the nights. But right now, the nights are still shorter than the days.

The nice thing about DST though is that I don't drive home in the dark. Once it's dark outside, I feel as if my day is over.

I'm not terribly picky about my cc cookies. I like nuts. I like a lot of other stuff (like coconut). I prefer a soft cookie to a crispy one (although a crispy edge is fine). I like a nice chocolate explosion, but I like to have plenty of cookie in there too. I just prefer not to eat commercial store brand cookies. They're never as good as homemade or bakery cookies.
NĂºria said…
I love it when day is larger than night and the change of the hour in Springs helps :D. Gosh, how can you get up so early in the morning? What do I say morning?... that is still night!!!!! If you get up at 7:00 then you get to see the sun rising darling! I must confess I get up at 7:45 so the sun has been up there for a while :D

Your cookies must be the number 1 cookies Susan... they just look perfect and those pink ribbons make them even more cute!
Lucy said…
Wow I never knew anything about DST - I only knew I lost an hour! Luckily, we don't change our clocks here until the end of March. Those cookies look really addictive and I love the pretty ribbon!
CookiePie said…
Beautiful cookies!! I'd change the clocks forward and backward as many times as you like for a plate of those :)
Even with eyes half shut, drooling and bed head I'll be there to have some of these special treats:D
J.L. Danger said…
oh hour of lost sleep, how I miss you so. But these cookies will sure help!
sunita said…
Those of us in the UK will be springing(??) forward on the last Sunday of this month. DST sucks!!!

There! Now to more important matters, Susan, like those gorgeous cookies of yours. incidently, I too posted something similar today, but yours are so much better looking :-)
The Food Hunter said…
They look like the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Amy said…
I'm so confused by the amount of anger towards DST...yes, yesterday morning and this morning were a little rough, but by like, Thursday, most everyone's body clocks will be back to normal.
I've been counting the weeks to DST since January- I work till 6 PM, so I don't get to see the sun much, and having it still be light out on my commute home contributes greatly to my overall happiness.
With that said...I don't think we need any reason to make those yummy cookies!
Jessy said…
Ahh, i wrote a novel earlier..swallowed by the internet!!! Dang!
Anyway, This make me want cookies very much so, and as you can't seem to buy good ones here, I'll just have to make some..grrr!! ;)
hmills96 said…
I definitely understand your frustrations with DST. Imagine growing up NEVER having to deal with it, then all of the sudden having to remember to change your clocks. I'm from Indiana, and trust me, we all survived just fine without it.
Anonymous said…
There's no bad chocolate chip recipe. Anywhere. It's not possible. We love them flat, fat, chewy, crispy, undercooked, burnt. All good!
amycaseycooks said…
I have enlisted my son to be the cookie baker at our house. Thanks for another recipe for him.
Unknown said…
These look so good! I haven't made cookies in over two weeks...so these are tempting. I think I'm not going to make any to stay around here until after Easter but I know I'll have to make some soon b/c the pediatric interest group is have a fund raiser in two weeks, so I'll have to make some...maybe these will go in the rotation!
Brilynn said…
The perfect chocolate chip cookie is impossible to find!
And losing an hour of sleep always kills me at first, but I love having more light at the end of the day.
RecipeGirl said…
Those look pretty darn good. I still like to try new versions every time I make Ch. Chip cookies... hoping to find one that is just *that* much better than the last one that I tried. Haven't tried Alton's recipe. Yours looks wonderful.

For some reason, since the time changed, I've been waking up at 5. I used to wake up at 5 before, so now it's like I'm up at 4. I don't get it!!!
Oh, darling! We have just finished DST here (2 weeks ago or so) and I must confess I quite like it - it's wonderful to arrive home with the sun still shining. But waking up with no sun at all sucks big time, I'll agree with you.
These cookies look like the perfect way of lighting up the day - sun or no sun!
Tangled Noodle said…
I've had a couple of days to adjust now but the hardest part is waking up - it was starting to become lighter, earlier and then DST happened. Now it's back to opening your eyes to darkness. Yay.

As for chocolate chip cookies, these, as always, look magnificent! My favorite kind of CCC? All of them. 8-D
Emily Rose said…
we have the same views on the perfect chocolate chip cookie! So I will definitely be trying this recipe out (I've been meaning to for awhile...). Good luck adjusting to the time change!
Unknown said…
i have one simple question...eggs...your cookies always come out flat? are you letting your eggs warm to room temperature before adding them to the dough? if not, give it a shot, it seems stupid, but it can often have a really big effect on your end result, especially with cakes, never use cold eggs in a cake unless the recipe specifically calls for them, same with butter, if the recipe calls for room temp butter, it may not only be because its easier to cream that way...well, thats all i got, if this helps, im glad, if not, sorry for giving useless advice
Anonymous said…
What does Bush have to do with DST? Gees you are cranky. Eat the ccokies and get over it.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Thank you all for your nice comments! I'm so glad that you liked these cookies. They really were all kinds of fabulous!

Noble Pig- I feel your pain. I've been walking around in a fog for 2 days!

Anna- The NYT cookies are the next on my list to try. I just hope the Cookie Dough Monsters in my house don't eat all the dough before I get to bake them!

Ciao Chow Linda- Taxes! Ugh! Don't remind me!

Brunette Baker & Kitchen Vixen- I have a sleep disorder called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, which which causes me to have a much later than normal timing of sleep onset and offset, and a period of peak alertness in the middle of the night. This means that my sleep patterns are messed up. That early morning hour of sleep is crucial for me. Without it, I am totally exhausted the rest of the day. But then by midnight, I am wide awake again and the cycle continues. Sadly, even cookies don't help! ;)

RecipeGirl- That is just a cruel trick of fate!

Echo- No advice is ever useless (unless it's from my MIL)! ;)

The cookies that always turn out flat call for chilled butter. I really don't understand why they do. Most of the other CCC recipes I've tried usually turn out fine. I usually do leave my eggs out for a half hour or so to warm up a little.

Anonymous- If I'm cranky, it's from lack of sleep. The extra month of DST is Bush's fault because HE signed the Energy Policy Act into law in 2005, which provided for the date changes.
AmyRuth said…
Oh...My....Goodness. Love your plates and ribbon. I'm a ribbon freak. What a great treat to boost the sleepy time.
AmyRuth
Unknown said…
there is one other suggestion i can offer, preheating your oven is obvious, though some people think it doesnt make a difference (my grandmother...shes wrong, ahem) so i dont think thats it...

i have noticed the following to be true, when i use to drop cookies by spoon and fingertip or knife, they always came out flat...but when i started using a cookie scoop, you know, the one that looks like a mini icecream scoop, they started puffing, i think the basis for this is that they have more dough actually pressed and formed into the shape, this likely decreases number of batches but may be whats making them stay puffy and pretty...though in all honesty, it doesnt matter if they are tall or puffy or flat or runny, a cookie is sweet and will always be yummy
Anonymous said…
These are some great looking cookies! Love the huge chocolate chunks and large size :)
Wendy said…
I'll have to try the cookies - chewy are the best... E.V.E.R.!!

And as far as DST - LOVE the extra light in the evening. Getting dark at 5pm just isn't right!! I do agree that we shouldn't go back and forth, "losing" and "gaining" an hour. It should just be DST all the time. They did this in 1978, and a LOT of energy was conserved. It only makes sense with the global energy crisis.
Manggy said…
Wow, that is a LOT of controversy! The Philippines did away with DST a long time ago, because the time the sun sets is nearly consistent at 6PM anyway and we didn't want to be tied to a remnant of American colonialism in pre-WW2 times. Here in California? I slept the same amount. It's great when you don't have a job, lol :)
Nicole said…
Oh I love have the extra day time! I don't ever feel the issue less sleep... I guess because if I can't sleep until at least 9 am, I feel tired and so it is the same as any other day, I am tired. But the late hours of sun make me happier. Early dark days bring on a certain sadness. But who doesn't love a great chocolate chip cookie!!!!
Anonymous said…
Just the perfect recipe for your blog. Love that Alton Brown recipe :)
Just Kids said…
Yummy...I am going to make them tonight. :)
Bakergirl said…
I hear you about daylight savings, I STILL have not caught up, I need that hour back! Those chocolate chip cookies look absolutely delish, if I can't sleep, then a cookie is a perfect substitution!
Unknown said…
Hi there! No criticism of your recipe, which I haven't tried although I plan on it tonight. Just a thought - should step 1 be "preheat" if step 4 is "chill 2 hours or overnight?" ;)
Unknown said…
I couldn't follow the recipe after all - had only one stick of butter and no bread flour. I replaced the missing butter with 1/2 cup peanut butter and used regular all-purpose flour, and they were still delicious, and best of all, CHEWY! I look forward to preparing the recipe as written another time, too. Thanks :)

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