Behold, the infamous Jaques Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe, as adapted from the New York Times. The cookie that needs more than a pound of Valrhona feves, chocolates shaped into little disks (priced at a whopping $24.99 per pound!!!). The cookie that doesn’t even provide any instant gratification, because, after mixing the batter together, you need to allow the dough to rest and chill in the refrigerator for 24 FREAKING HOURS. Do you know how long that is to wait for a cookie?! This is officially the world’s fussiest chocolate chip cookie recipe, I kid you not.
So why even bother?
In my defense, it appears that I’m not the only one who’s all hot and bothered by this cookie recipe. The Kitchn, a highly reliable and much trusted food blog, once devoted an entire series of articles around the recipe. Because along with the instructions on how to make the cookie, the New York Times published a lengthy, three-page-long article gushing on about what makes a chocolate chip cookie so perfect, concluding that Jaques Torres’ version is one of the most perfect around. Why? It adheres to the ideal chocolate to dough ratio (40:60 is the golden ratio, according to the article). Each cookie is huge, weighing in at 3 1/2 ounces and roughly the size of your palm. Due to its larger size, the cookie actually encompasses three different textures: crispy on the outsides, chewier as it gets closer to the middle and a magical center that manages to be soft, chewy AND crispy all at once. And finally, that long resting period that I keep bitching about is apparently the cookie’s ultimate secret weapon: 24 hours allows the flours in the recipe to absorb all the oils and fats from the other ingredients, melding together to create a more intense, richer cookie flavor complete with toffee and caramel notes. This is a legendary, mythical cookie.
So it’s no surprised that somebody who’s even somewhat invested in baking has heard of the recipe. I myself even have a weird history around it. The recipe was first published in the summer of 2008, right at the start of my senior year of college. As a way to procrastinate on my terribly boring and dry economics thesis (seriously — I wrote about ways to apply a taxation model to reduce airport congestion, what in the hell was wrong with me, could I pick a more boring topic?!!!), I decided I wanted to bake some chocolate chip cookies. Of course, the New York Times recipe came up pretty quickly in my Google searches. A quick browse through the ingredients list — which required two types of flour, and those damn chocolate disks — literally had me going “NOPE.” I’m pretty sure I ended up eating cookies from premade Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough that night.
Fast forward another few years later to the fall of 2011, when I was just getting this blog up and running. I’d just moved to Denver, Colorado, and had a hankering for chocolate chip cookies. I did my usual Googling of recipes, and of course, stumbled back into the New York Times recipe. This time, I actually went out and found the damn disks but made one fatal error — I hadn’t read the recipe beforehand and therefore hadn’t realized that the dough needed 24 hours to rest. When I did find out, I believe I swore loudly, cursing the recipe and making these guys instead (check out that link for vintage Hummingbird High, complete with cell phone pictures and now-expired Instagram filters). I wanted my cookies NOW, you see. I suppose I could have just ignored the instructions and made them without the rest period, but honestly, that’s just not the kind of person I am. I usually follow recipes to a TEE, unless I’ve purposefully decided to deviate from its instructions beforehand.
So, now it’s 2015. I’ve been wanting to make that recipe for almost seven years, ever since I first found out about the recipe back in 2008. And this time, I did everything absolutely by the book, following the ingredients and instructions perfectly. I weighed everything out and used the best ingredients I could possibly find — cake and bread flour from Bob’s Red Mill, cultured butters from Organic Valley, real chocolate feves from Valrhona, and flaky gourmet sea salt. I chilled the dough overnight, waiting a full 24 hours before scooping out dough balls and actually weighed each one to make sure they matched the suggested 3 1/2 ounces.
And how were the cookies?
Worth every article, hour, and dollar.
Every step and ingredient that gave me additional hassle had its purpose after all. The cake and bread flours in the recipe combined to create the perfect texture, giving the cookie a hearty crunch but a tender crunch. The chocolate feves melted just enough to ensure that every bite contained a generous dollop of chocolate. The overnight rest brought out the promised toffee and caramel flavors, as well as notes of brown butter and butterscotch. This really, truly is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
If only they weren’t such a damn hassle to make.
Some baker’s notes:
- Please, please — no substitutions or exchanges on this one. Follow the listed ingredients and recipe to a tee, or you won’t be getting the full experience. The whole point of this cookie is that it’s a bit of a pain to make. If you can’t be bothered to use the different flours, source the chocolate feves (which are available online or at Whole Foods), or wait overnight, I seriously suggest finding another chocolate chip recipe. There are plenty of other great ones out there. I don’t mean that snottily — usually I’m all about making things as pain-free as possible, but again, that’s just not the point of this recipe.
24 Hour, 24 Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 Tablespoons (8.5 ounces or 241 grams) cake flour
- 1 ⅔ cups (8.5 ounces or 241 grams) bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces or 284 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (10 ounces or 284 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (8 ounces or 241 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 20 ounces (567 grams) bittersweet chocolate feves, at least 60 percent cacao
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour, 1 2/3 cups bread flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Cream on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 eggs, one at a time, only adding the next egg when the previous one is fully incorporated. Reduce speed to its lowest setting and add the dry ingredients (from the 1st step) and mix until just combined — do not mix for more than 1 minute. At this point, it's okay to have a couple flour streaks left in the dough. Turn off the mixer and scatter 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate feves into the bowl, and use a rubber spatula to incorporate them throughout the batter. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate overnight, at least 24 hours.
- Once the dough has been chilled for 24 hours and you’re ready to bake the cookies, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 (F). Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
- Working in batches, use a cookie dough scoop or an ice cream scoop to measure out four 3.5 ounce mounds of dough, making sure to turn any chocolate pieces that are poking up horizontally to make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, around 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to carefully transfer the cookies onto another rack to cool for another 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, baking in batches of 4 cookies. Eat warm.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
DO IT.
Johanna says
Hahah i feel the exact same way about these cookies. I've made them multiple times, following the recipe exactly and even sometimes deviating from the recipe and subbing in alternate flour combinations, rest periods, etc. But it's just so much better and so worth it to go through all the trouble and money to do as the recipes says… I was actually just talking about these cookies with a friend who said she prefers soft, chewy cookies over crunchy cookies. I mentioned that I have a recipe that creates the perfect combination of the two – perfect crispy outer layer, delightfully chewy center… I'll be making these this weekend again 🙂 It's definitely my go-to (takes a lot of time but is totally worth it) chocolate chip cookie. Beautiful photos, by the way! 🙂
Jade Sheldon says
And now it's my turn to tackle these beasts! I too have been meaning to make them for ages and now that I see how delicious they look here, there is no stopping me…
Lisa Edward says
Excellent post..Thanks for sharing the recipe and it is really useful
Kathryn says
Although I've eaten one of these, I've always resisted the temptation to make them at home because I fear it would mean that I could never make any other chocolate chip cookie again (and because I'm all about the instant gratification). That said, I've not been able to stop thinking about these since you posted them so I may have to give in to temptation…
Kim says
Okay,so I'm a huge Kentucky Bourbon fan and my hubby has been cracking the black walnuts that we harvested last fall. I was fixing my awesome black walnut cake and found this recipe which is VERY similar and OMG….the best of all worlds. I know there are folks that don't care for bourbon and those that don't care for black walnuts. That's okay. All the more cake for those of us that do. BTW I used Buffalo Trace Bourbon and one cup of black walnuts. Mmmm Thanks!
[email protected] says
I've bookmarked his recipe a while back but never got to making them. I'm glad you posted this because now I can try it out. Your version looks fantastic 🙂
Sherry says
I am a ccc fanatic!! I love my tecipe, which I use 3 different chocolate chops and heavy on the vanilla. I am COMPELLED to go get these ingredients and make them!! I had a gastric bypass and still (12 years later) eat VERY little which means what I do eat, I make sure is quality and worth it!!! I will make these cookies mostly in the size required, but will make a few smaller so I can enjoy them!!! Thank you, a million times for this recipe! Thank you Jacques Torres, wherever you are!!!!
Tonya Smith says
OMG cookies with salt. I want, I want, I want!
Beautiful photos as always!
Alana says
These look incredibly yummy! My husband would love these.
ihjaz ahmad says
My sister's favorite was the Devil's Food Cake Recipe that she got from one of her friends. She always talks about it whenever we meet! I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing!
simo lhwari says
great work, thank you. i always follow web sites. thanks for sharing
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Traci says
For the chocolate buttercream, is it 3 or 6 oz of cream cheese? Looks beautiful!
kitchen chemist says
To take the sting out of the 24 hr waiting period and the $24 pricetag, I usually make the dough on a Thursday or Friday night after work, then bake on Saturday or Sunday. As for the chocolate feves, they can be purchased from Jacques Torres himself at Mrchocolate.com for $14/2lb bag.
bakernberner says
Hi – I made the dough tonight and saw the vanilla in the ingredient list but not in instructions. I think you may have left it off by accident? I forgot to add it with eggs. I didn't remember until I put dough in fridge. So I then sprinkled on dough log and rubbed it in. Hope.it works!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Oh noo! I'm sure it will be fine. Thanks for letting me know, I edited the recipe above to include the vanilla in the instructions.
lpa says
Is this recipe adjusted for high altitude? I've read and re-read but can't tell for sure. I'd like to make this for my son's first birthday party we are having in Denver. Thank you!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
No, it's not. All my recipes have been at sea-level since 2012, when I moved away from Denver. Sorry!
smarrell says
The printed version of the recipe doesn't include adding the vanilla extract! Which I realized after I put the dough in the fridge. So now I have over $24 worth of ingredients and I'm missing the vanilla! Odd there anything I can do to fix this?!
smarrell says
The printed version of the recipe doesn't include adding the vanilla extract! Which I realized after I put the dough in the fridge. So now I have over $24 worth of ingredients and I'm missing the vanilla! Is there anything I can do to fix this?! I'm just in tears. I even weighed the sugar. And since I ordered a 2 lb bag of the chocolate I can't even start over.
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Oh no! I'm editing that now. Sorry about this! I talked to bakernberner (the person who let me know the vanilla was missing initially), and her sprinkling over the dough log and smearing it in worked fine. Hope that helps!
smarrell says
My tears were unnecessary. Even without the vanilla, they were amazing. So beautiful and delicious. A success. I think next time I'll shape the dough into logs before it goes in the fridge up make it easier to portion out. Thanks!
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
Yay! So glad that it worked out, even without the vanilla. This cookie recipe really is magical. I've updated both the blog and print version, so hopefully this won't happen again in the future! Thanks for letting me know!
Katie says
I want to try my hand at these but I don't live with my Mom anymore who has the kitchenaid my Dad bought years ago before he passed. He loved baking cookies. Anyway, all I have is myself and a hand mixer. Should I do anything differently or do I really need the stand-up mixer?
Michelle | Hummingbird High says
No, a hand mixer should work fine! You might have to beat the sugar and butter together for a longer time though — do it until they're really fully combined and turn into a uniform, light and fluffy mixture. It helps if you cream it in a deep bowl.
Katie says
Thank you! 🙂
Sarah says
Hi! Is there any way to store this cake? If so, for how long? Thanks! Looks amaze-balls!
Mary Roe says
Wow, thats such a wonderful recipe you have shared over here and a big thanks for that. I always love to prepare something new for kids . You are maintaining such a wonderful blog with good list of recipes.
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Narda says
I would suggest metric measurements for your recipes (!)
Michelle says
The ounce measures in the recipe can be easily converted into grams. xo