Alice Medrich's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are classic chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges, chewy centers, and lots of chocolate. They are best baked as specified on an ungreased cookie sheet rather than on parchment or a synthetic baking sheet.

EQUIPMENT

• 2 cookie sheets, ungreased

INGREDIENTS

• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cubes unsalted butter, melted
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar, lump free
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups chocolate chips

PREPARATION

1. Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.
2. Melt butter and stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt.
3. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
4. Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Let the mixture cool. 5. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to soften. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and place them 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
8. Bake for about 9 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown at the edges and no longer look wet on top. Rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.
9. Remove from the oven and let cookies firm up on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Use a metal pancake turner to transfer them to rack to cool completely before storing or stacking. May be stored in a tightly sealed container for several days.

Makes about 10 dozen cookies

Ginger Snaps

Makes 96 2-1/2 inch cookies or 192 1-3/4 inch cookies

4 cups of all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoons ground ginger

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 Tablespoons unsalted butter (two sticks), melted

1/2 cup dark molasses

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar, lump free

2 large egg

1 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (2 2/3 ounces)

1/2 cup coarse raw sugar crystals for rolling the cookies

---2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, or in the center if you will bake only 1 sheet at a time.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork.

3. Combine the warm (not hot) butter, molasses, granulated sugar, brown sugar and the egg in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and crystallized ginger, sugars, and eggs in mixer. Add the flour mixture and crystallized ginger and stir until incorporated.

4. Form the dough into 1-1/4 inch balls (slightly more than 1 level Tablespoon of dough to make cookies 2-1/2 inch cookies or use 1/2 Tablespoon of dough to make 1-3/4 inch cookies. Roll dough balls in sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes for large cookies 8 to 10 minutes for small cookies or until they puff up, crack on the surface, and then deflate in the oven. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake a minute or so longer. Rotate the sheets from back to front and top to bottom about halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

5. Slide the parchment liners onto racks or use a metal pancake turner to transfer the cookies from the pan. Cool completely before stacking or storing. Cookies served on the day they are baked will be chewy with crunchy edges. Ginger Snaps will become completely chewy stored in an airtight container. They are best eaten within 3 days.

From Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies