Front Porch Food Critic: How the cookie crumbles

Leyna Lie, Staff Writer 

   Looking for a cookie recipe that's easy to make and tastes just as good as a bakery cookie?

This chocolate chip cookie recipe is sure to impress your friends and family. It has simple ingredients and easy to follow steps. In fact, most of the ingredients are things you most likely already have in your kitchen cabinets. If you’re a new baker, this is the recipe for you!

   The little-known secret to making a good cookie is browning your butter. It's a super simple step that makes a huge difference between a regular cookie and a good cookie. 

    To brown your butter, you bring it to a boil in your saucepan, don't freak out when it starts to foam because that means you're doing it right. Let it boil until it starts to turn brown and has a nutty aroma. 

   Once your butter has cooled a little, mix it with your sugars until fully combined. Add in your egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Set that aside, and in a separate bowl mix your flour, salt, and baking soda. Then slowly add in the wet ingredients to the dry. 

   When it forms into a dough, you can fold in your chocolate chips. I’ve learned that they bake better if you refrigerate them for half an hour or even overnight. 

   When you’re ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 9-11 minutes. The goal is to bake them until the edges are golden brown, so they are still chewy in the middle. I recommend trying them warm with a scoop of ice cream, but they are just as good when they are completely cooled. Enjoy!

   One thing that I love is a good cookie. However, it is so hard to find a good cookie, especially one as easy to make like this one. This cookie’s texture is not too crumbly, nor is it too soft. It is just right.

   Also, the cookies had a sweet and savory taste to them. I know that there are many cookie recipes that sound good but end up leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Why this is, I don’t know. It could be the recipe, or it could be you, the baker. It probably is you.

   Either way, this recipe is so easy to make that it would be near impossible for one to screw it up, and it’s so good that everyone will think you are a professional baker. While I did not have the chance to try these cookies fresh out of the oven, they were still very good, and I mean it. I would love to have these cookies again.

Jesse Phipps, Staff Writer

   Ingredients you need for this recipe: 1 ½ stick unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 ¾ cup flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 ½ cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips.