Cook by the Book: Chocolate Chip Cookies from Magnolia Table

I know just about everyone has their own favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. There are a million versions out there, right? So, when I saw the chocolate chip cookie recipe in Joanna Gaines’s Magnolia Table cookbook, I have to admit I passed it by, assuming it wouldn’t be anything new or special and focused on her other recipes that were new to me. But then my friend Missy mentioned that another friend had brought her some amazing chocolate chip cookies after a surgery, and they were the very best she’d ever tasted! So, she asked her friend for the recipe and her friend told her they came from this very cookbook! When Missy shared this with me, I knew I needed to revisit the recipe which I’d so quickly discounted and give it a try for myself.

The verdict? They were delicious! Chewy in the middle, crunchy along the edges, sweet, chocolatey, and just all around perfect! I’m going to give you the recipe exactly how it’s presented in the cookbook, but at the end of this post, I’ll tell you the one thing I’ll do differently next time.

Magnolia Table Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 heaping tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

*1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

*Joanna notes that you can go 1/2 cup more or less depending on your mood. A 1/2 cup more always suites my mood so I used 2 cups chocolate chips. Also, I personally like to add more chips on top of each cookie dough ball before placing in the oven, but I forgot this time and dumped them all in the bowl and mixed them up before thinking about it.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until blended.

Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix on medium just until the flour in mixed in, then turn the mixture to high speed for a few seconds to pull the dough together; it will be chunky.

Add the chocolate chips and beat on high for about 5 seconds to thoroughly and quickly mix in the chips.

Drop by large spoonfuls on the lined baking sheet; don’t flatten them. Bake until lightly browned on top, 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on the pan on a rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Store the cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes about 40 cookies.

Ok, so what would I change next time? I would chill the dough before baking. The first batch came out nice and thick but with each batch they spread more and more, and I know chilling helps to prevent that. But since the recipe didn’t call for chilling, and more so because I was so anxious to get these cookies in my mouth, I went ahead and baked them. They were still some of the yummiest cookies we’ve eaten as evidenced by how quickly we polished them off, but I’ll definitely chill the dough next time.