My favorite cookie dough, ever! {recipe}

This is one of the recipes I made while completing The 25 list. The recipe itself is my personal favorite cookie dough of all time but adding those savory buttery heath bar chunks made it all the better! I have loved baking for as long as I remember especially the science behind orchestrating all the precise ingredients into something tasty. 

This recipe is taken from America’s Test Kitchen which if you haven’t watched their show or Cooks Country you’re missing out—nothing like testing out a recipe until perfection! I would link the recipe but you have to sign up now to access it on their site so I went ahead and shared it so you could avoid that hurdle!

I follow the recipe pretty much verbatim but wanted to add some personal notes.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter (unsalted—always use unsalted when baking!)  
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I’ve used light and results are very similar)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups broken Heath Bars

 

*Heath Bar: for this recipe I used the individual bars which are thicker than normal bars but either will work. Roughly chop or smash as long as the pieces are not too thick you can’t mess this up!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.

Melt 1 1/4 sticks butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Keep swirling until butter has a dark golden brown color and a nutty aroma, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the remaining butter until melted. Note: do not let this part scare you! Best to try in a stainless steel pan to see the color change easier but never take your eye off of it and let your nose be your guide. I’ve never had it ready within 60 seconds so don’t be scared if it takes you closer to 3 or 4 minutes. If you see little flakes at the bottom that’s a good thing and try to pour those into the bowl as well because they are full of buttery flavor.

Add the sugars, salt, and vanilla to the butter and mix well. Add the egg and the extra yolk; whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for about 30 seconds, before letting it rest again. You’ll want to whisk this about 4 times, until you have a thick, glossy, and smooth mixture. Note: don’t be lazy and don’t skip this step! If you’re short on time switch the laundry into the dryer or go wipe off a counter while you wait those 3 minutes each time…trust me!

Gently stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined. Stir in the heath bar.

Form dough balls about 3 tablespoons in size, and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes, then put the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets. Note: I personally think these should be made into large cookies…something about the way the dough flattens out and gets crisp around the outside with a soft chewy inside is only achieved when they are big. I use my ice cream scooper for even measurements and honestly I’m not sure if it’s 2 or 3 tablespoons but I do know it’s bigger than a spoon (which would give you place N bake size cookies). Last time I made these I took them out around 9-10 minutes and after cooled there were so gooey and wonderful on the inside. It’s okay if the outside rim is browning; it has to do with the browned butter!

Variations:  Add chocolate chips or chunks and nuts as the original recipe suggest. Get crazy and thrown some Nutella into the mix.

I’m sorry I have no pictures to show you—I fully intended to take a picture but they were gone before I remembered again J