Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!

I have made at least 50 chocolate chip cookie recipes and these are simply the best! It is supposedly a knock off version of the famous Levain Bakery in NYC. http://www.levainbakery.com/ 

They sell 4 of these suckers for $27! 

The key to this recipe is to use the finest organic ingredients. The butter is actually a European cultured style that you can find at Whole Foods, but if you want a higher quality cultured butter you will need to go to a specialty food store. The specialty store quality really does produce a better tasting cookie. The other key is to shread the very cold butter like cheese!

~Recipe~

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted European butter, (cold & shredded like cheese)

3/4 cup organic granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed organic light brown sugar
~

2 large organic eggs
1 ts vanilla extract
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3 cups organic all purpose flour (13 ½ oz)
3/4 ts sea salt
1 and ¼ ts aluminum free baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
~

12 ounces (2 cups) Dark 60% Ghirardelli Chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)

If using dough right away, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (It’s best to chill, though; I chilled overnight)
(note: keep in mind this is a very dry dough, and will be hard to mix once you put the chips and nuts in; I used my hands)
Take the butter and using a cheese grater, shred the butter into a bowl, put it back in the freezer until ready to use.
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars just until just combined. Don’t overbeat. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Divide dough into 12 big 4 oz lumps. Mold into giant golfballs; do not press flat! Keep them as balls on the cookie sheets. Chill 1 hour or overnight. Just before baking, sprinkle(with your finger) a tiny bit of sea salt on tops of the cookie balls. Bake 4-6 balls on a cookie sheet.

Put the cookies in a 375 degree oven and set timer for 8 minutes. When timer rings, without opening oven or removing cookies, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear set.
OR I did mine at 365 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until done. (Mine were done in 18 minutes)
Makes 12 

I recommend using a scale to divide the dough. I bought this one on Amazon by Escali. I use my scale all the time. They come in really handy when baking because you can get precise measurements.

Here is what they should look like out of the oven! 

I packaged mine up with Brown parchment from Whole Foods & candy stripe bakers twine. They sell the twine at Sur Le Table, but you can find it for way cheaper online if you want a spool. The stickers were easy to create using Avery brand stickers from Office Depot. You just design them online & print. I brought my cookies to a local food swap, but I often make them for birthdays and Christmas gifts.