You guys. YOU GUYS. You guys. I have a hugely important announcement.

I’ve done it. I have found, perfected, and then messed up only to perfect again the best ever chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m not kidding. I believe that at this point, almost all of Newport Beach and San Diego can attest to this. Okay, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration. I will however say this, I have lost count of the amount of times my girlfriends have requested a fresh batch, lost track of how many people have insisted I should sell them, and gained almost fifteen pounds enjoying them. Oops. Kidding. Kind of. Okay, I’m not but seriously bake these cookies, sink your teeth into the buttery, toffee-y, creamy goodness and you’ll be thinking to yourself 15 pounds is a price you’ll gladly pay.

Anyways, if you’ve read some of my earlier posts you know by now that I ate a very limited (note: like two things) diet in preparation for our June wedding – losing almost 30 pounds in the process. Keto plus Soul Cycle equals major results, it turns out. While I felt like I looked great, I wasn’t (obviously?) feeling so great. I missed the art of cooking full meals and baking something fun almost more than actually eating that stuff. ALMOST. It was the most bizarre time because I was showered and spoiled with the most gorgeous cookware available, yet cooking and baking nothing that wasn’t chicken or hard boiled eggs. I think I just gagged.

As you can imagine, I over did it and now never not ever not even for on second want to look at a plain chicken breast or another hard boiled egg again. Anyways, got side tracked. Where was I…oh YEAH THAT’S RIGHT, THE BEST COOKIES EVER. As you’ve probably by now read (or guessed) that following our incredible, magical, amazing, everything-good wedding, Keevin and I were more than ready to enjoy some serious downtime, and some serious carbs. And enjoy we did. Never one to commit half way, I decided that I’d take my carbs in cookie form – but not just any cookie, I wanted the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Four months later, I’ve fallen for a few recipes that definitely did the trick: they satisfied that cookie craving and wowed dinner guests. But I didn’t stop there. I wanted to find the recipe that people would flip out over, I wanted people addicted to these cookies – I wanted to be the cookie pusher. Simply put: I wanted to be known as the girl who makes the BEST. EVER. CHOCOLATE. CHIP. COOKIES. Guess what? I MFING AM. Kidding. Kind of? I am. But I adopted two recipes of two kickass bakers and made..my own. Is that cheating? Maybe. IDGAF HAVE A COOKIE!

I have baked so many batches of these cookies that the other day, when stocking up on the usual suspects (flour, QUALITY butter, and chocolate discs – more on these ingredients later!) my favorite cashier at Bristol Farms asked me if I owned a bakery. I laughed, swiped my card, looked up and to my surprise she wasn’t kidding. So yeah, I’ve done my fair share of baking these past four months which should tell you two things. 1: I have spent a lot of nights covered in flour and creamed sugar and 2: I have the opposite of a commitment problem.

This weekend we attended a dear friend’s 27th birthday party. I asked her what I could bring, how I could help. She looked at me with puppy dog eyes and begged for a box or two of cookies. I was not surprised – these cookies had somehow captured the heart (and bellies) of my beloved friends, coworkers, and neighbors. I happily supplied the birthday party with two dozen cookies, and totting them in I felt I little embarrassed. Most people had brought alcohol – the appropriate thing to bring to a party in our twenties. Someone even brought Sidecar – for those of us in the LA or Orange County area, we know them to be the best donuts on this planet. I was a little embarrassed. I brought cookies?! Sure, I’d given the birthday girl her favorite candle a few days earlier but here I was, a grown, married, 20-something adult trotting in with two specialty hand stamped box of fresh, chocolate chip cookies. I slide them on a plate and told myself to stop overthinking it. Twenty minutes later, I felt a murmur sweep through the party. Hushed tones. I shit you not. They were freaking out about these cookies. I’m serious! It wasn’t long before everyone was asking for the recipe. An hour later, the entire plate of cookies had been demolished while the donuts stood in their glory. What was this?! My cookies had won out over donuts?! Sure, alcohol is great but do you know what’s even better? Cookies. Now, considering that night was filled with cookies AND alcohol, I’d say people were really living their best lives. When my husband and I got home he snatched one of my reject cookies up and on his way to the bedroom called out “Why don’t you blog this recipe already?!” Oh. DUH. I’ve got a blog, I’ve got a winning cookie recipe…what am I doing here people?! Without any further fluff or wordiness, allow me to introduce to you the best chocolate chip cookies, ever. PS. If you’d like to read some of tips and tricks I’v learned throughout this baking obsession (phase? life cycle?) go ahead and read till the very end!

8 oz salted creamed TILLAMOOK BUTTER

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup white sugar (raw turbinado sugar is my recco)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (ghiradelli dark choc is my fav, not being bougie just being honest)

flaky sea salt for the top (picture salt sprinklin’ guy)

Got all your ingredients? Okay good. Now do this.

1. Melt the butter in the microwave. Don’t bother with a saucepan. You are not Ina, nor am I. About 30 to 40 seconds. Enough for it to be melted but not boiling
2. Once you’ve melted butter, let it settle for a sec. Don’t let it get cold, but if you pour super hot butter right onto sugar you’ll have a melty mess! Then in a separate bowl, get your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt going. SET THAT ISH TO THE SIDE. Now you’re ready to add your sugar, vanilla, and melted butter to your mix master or whatever. Whisk that baby up. Then add those eggs! One at a time, mixing in between but careful not to OVER MIX as that will give you the toughest, driest cookies EVER. Then, slowly but surely add in the dry ingredients. *Note, at this point I stop using my mixer and start using a wooden spoon or spatula to gently mix in the dry ingredients. That may be extra AF, but for some reason I feel like it helps keep my cookies super soft*
3. Once your dry and wet ingredients are fully mixed and lookin’ OH SO GOOD, add the chocolate chips/discs/whatever chocolate form you’ve found for today’s use. *Note, I say discs because honestly…the ones that I’ll link to below somehow melt in this gorgeous, big, pool that gives the cookies a little something special in my opinion. Regular chocolate chips are bomb too*
4. At this point, you’re wanting to eat this cookies RIGHT NOW. I get it. I do. So why not get that oven going to 360 degrees, chill your dough until that oven bings, use an ice cream scooper to get those BIG FAT ROUND pillows of goodness and bake a few. But really, I NEED TO BE HONEST HERE. For the best, best BEST results you need to let the dough chill for at least (really, I know, I know, you hate me right now) 24 hours.
5. When you’re ready to bake (maybe you chilled the dough for the full 24 and maybe you waited literally zero seconds) get that oven going to 360 like I said. Scoop that magical dough into perfect rounds on a baking tray. Sprinkle each cookie with a teeny tiny pinch of sea salt (if you’re into the whole sweet/salty thing! Keevin weirdly isn’t so whenever I make these I do half and half.) And BAKE BABY BAKE! I bake mine for 10 minutes, pulling them out when the tops are cracked and lightly golden. THIS IS KEY. Do not, I repeat, AVOID AT ALL COSTS: the dreaded overbaking. You do not want cakey cookies, you do not want crispy cookies – if you did, I believe you’d be this deep in another recipe entirely. Pulling these babies out when they’re puffy, light and ever so slightly golden then letting them cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets (they’ll actually keep baking a bit) turning into these insanely perfect, chewy, rich chocolate chunky beauties. Note: My oven is also realistically the oldest oven to still exist in Orange County, so please adjust accordingly.
6. Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then enjoy! Eat! Celebrate! Share ’em! But beware. Anyone who you make these cookies for will be begging you to make them again, and again and again until next thing you know, someone is asking YOU if you own a bakery. It’s worth it though. If I’m gaining 15 pounds, everyone else is too! Muahahaha…

Kidding. Hope you guys enjoy! Please let me know what you think, if you tried ’em, etc etc. If you happen to make these and post them (which hello, if you didn’t post it on Instagram did it really happen?) tag me, I’d LOVE to see them!

xo,

Liv the Lionheart

 Please note: this recipe is adapted from two recipes I love dearly, one from Pinch of Yum and one from Tara O’brady!