The Sweetest Contribution in the World

I love this little cutting board in spalted maple, by grayworksdesign. This is fall personified.

Several topics hovered in the radar for tonight's In Print discussion. There's the woman who gave birth after running a marathon, for instance, and the question on Today about whether or not single women can be happy. (Really?! So many answers, so little time.)

But then I found something that instantly and definitely stole my attention.

I stumbled on an article from 2008 with the following title:

Perfection? Hint: It’s Warm and Has a Secret

In short, The New York Times took a look at one of the sweetest contributions in the world: the chocolate chip cookie.

And in their quest to discover the perfect recipe, they came up with this:

Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.


Now, off to the kitchen ...