Chocolate Chip Cookies . . . on Canvas!

A few weeks ago, the folks at Easy Canvas Prints contacted me to ask if I would be interested in receiving a free print of one of my pictures, in exchange for a review. Hmmm, let’s see . . . do I want something cool for free, and the opportunity to give my opinion on it? Yes, yes I do.

Printing on canvas is new to me, but it’s a neat idea! I was also impressed by how simple it was to use their site (I guess they weren’t kidding about the Easy part), and how many different options they offer. Various canvas sizes, a variety of wrap options for the edges, image retouching, etc. Pretty cool! I knew the image would not print as sharp as the original, so I decided to go with something a little bit softer that still had decent contrast to it. And as luck would have it, I still had these cookies kicking around in the queue. All in all, I was very pleased with the end result! The black is nice and rich. The cookies looked as yummy as the day the picture was taken. Good work, ECP.

And now, onto the cookies! How could anyone possibly resist trying a chocolate-chip cookie recipe that the New York Times declared to be the best, ever? Usually, I am drawn to—but ultimately skeptical of—recipes declared to be “THE best.” But this one was different, because it required an extra step for the dough that I hadn’t seen before: letting it sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours before baking. Intrigued by all the science-y things happening to that dough while it waited for a right and proper baking, I immediately ran out and bought everything to make it.

To be honest, if I wasn’t afraid of salmonella, this dough would not have made it 24 hours. It probably wouldn’t have even made it into the fridge. Seriously, SO good. So good that I probably ate enough to get salmonella anyway. So good that I actually brought a spoonful of it to my boyfriend to make him try it. (I actually scooped out a spoonful and wrapped it, spoon and all, in a plastic bag, since bringing just a blob of raw cookie dough seemed infinitely weirder.) Unfortunately, I think something may have gone awry in the actual baking process, as these cookies came out rather thin. Don’t get me wrong, they were still great! But I was really hoping for a big, chewy cookie. Next time, I would probably make them a little larger, and possibly play around with the oven temperature. But I will make them again, for sure.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from My Baking Addiction)

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 ½ oz) of cake flour
• 1 ⅔ cups (8 ½ oz) of bread flour
• 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp coarse salt
• 2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) of butter
• 1 ¼ cups (10 oz) of light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 oz) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ pounds of bittersweet chocolate chips
• sea salt, for sprinkling (I forgot to use this for this batch of cookies, but I would definitely try it the next time)

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

Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy—about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add chocolate pieces and mix with a fork until well-distributed. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours (or up to 72).

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

For very large cookies: Scoop 6 3 ½-ounce spoonfuls of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto your baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft—around 18–20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then move cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.

For normal-sized cookies: Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto your baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until cookies just begin to brown—around 12 minutes. Let cookies rest on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.