Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups minus 2 TBSP cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt (I used the grinder attached to my sea salt spice container to grind salt to the perfect texture)
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 c) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 bags (18 oz) semisweet chocolate chunks
sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. (I didn't have the patience to cool the dough overnight and it was still AMAZING!)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Scoop generous-sized mounds of dough (about the size of golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (I used the remaining coarse salt that I used in the dough itself) and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Comments from the cook: My mission in life has been to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Just a tiny bit of crisp, and a LOT of chewiness. I've tried quite a few, but they never seem to quite do it for me. And then these cookies came along! I'm not kidding you, folks. They are phenomenal. For some reason, I thought that $2 or $3 worth of ingredients would magically transform into the perfect cookie. Well, it turns out that a few dollars more may be required.

This recipe calls for cake flour AND bread flour...neither of which I had on hand. I'm the stingy type with grocery money, but these are worth every penny. I also used Nestle Chocolate Chunks instead of chips. I like the size and shape of them a little better. The next time I make these, I will likely add a little less chocolate (maybe just one bag). I also had sea salt on hand (weird, I know) and the grinder on top was perfect for the texture called for in this recipe. Check out the link below to find other alternatives if you don't have sea salt.

My first batch was slightly overcooked, and my 2nd attempt (after the dough had cooled overnight) was perfect. A friend told me once that you should cook cookies until the shiny dough in the center goes away. Well, my take-away is that you should take these out right before that shininess disappears completely.

Originally found here (and attributed to Jacques Torres)