Algeria doesn't have chocolate chip cookies. Wait, let me rephrase...Algeria doesn't have REAL chocolate chip cookies. They have a package with a picture of what looks like chocolate chip cookies on the outside, and there's something written in French...something about the cookies being avec chocolat. In all honesty, I did not buy the package or taste these cookies...and I think I was better off that way because I've tasted Algerian "chips", "cereal" and "gum drops"..and ...no, just no.
Don't get me wrong, Algeria is mad good at making their OWN cookies. Like Bimo? They need to sell that in America. And Tango, which is the chocolate version of Bimo (kind of like Keebler Fudge Shoppe) is amazing. But once Algerians start trying to make western products, they fail on so many levels.
Even if I attempted to make chocolate chip cookies on my own in Algeria, they just wouldn't come out the same. For starters, the butter over there is different...actually, it's not even butter. It's margarine. And you can taste the difference, even when it's mixed in with all the other ingredients. Also, their chocolate...not the same. You just can't have a chocolate chip cookie without the right chocolate.
My only solution was waiting until I got back to the states to finally sink my teeth into a freshly baked, straight out of the oven, warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. And I knew I could count on Tessa from Handle the Heat to have the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. I know, I know...this isn't the first time I've used some synonym of ultimate to describe a chocolate chip cookie I've made. I can't help it. Every time I try a new recipe, it blows me away and has me ranting on and on about it. That is, until it's 5 minutes of fame are over and I find another amazing recipe. I guess I can't really say that there's one perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe; they're all perfect in their own ways. But taste aside, this recipe is definitely best described as the recipe for a classic chocolate chip cookie.
Recipes that include pudding, or applesauce, or egg yolk, or some other ingredient to give a chocolate chip cookie the perfect consistency kind of take away from it's originality. Not to mention, they won't retain it's authentic taste. When I took a bite out of these cookies, it reminded me of the original chocolate chip cookies my mother used to make for us way back when....before I invaded her kitchen and took control of her KitchenAid.
Overall, I sure am glad to be back on American soil, where I can enjoy a nice tall glass of cold pasteurized milk with my classic non-margarine chocolate chip cookies.
Here come the pounds.
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened1 cup organic sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand-held electric mixer, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water then add to batter along with salt. Mix in flour until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.Using a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, drop even and large spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.
Adapted from Handle the Heat
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