Listen. I need you to understand something. For nearly a decade, Sarah and I have been making the same chocolate chip cookie recipe. Not because we’re boring. Not because we lack culinary ambition. But because we found the one and there’s no going back.
The Recipe
Here it is. The whole thing. No scrolling past my life story.
**Ingredients:**
- 12.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 oz whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 oz butter, softened
- 4 oz Crisco (yes, Crisco, trust the process)
- 6.5 oz brown sugar
- 6.5 oz white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
**Method:**
1. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
2. Cream butter and Crisco with whisk for at least 3 minutes
3. Add both Sugars and whisk for ~ 2 minutes
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined
4. Add chocolate chips and mix briefly with paddle attachment
5. Add flour mixture and mix until *just* combined.
you should see just the smallest amount of flour not absorbed
6. Scoop dough into balls and place on baking sheet
7. Place baking sheet in freeze for at least 30 minutes
8. Put frozen dough balls in freezer bag
**Preparing**
1. Preheat oven to 350F =
2. Place frozen dough ball(s) on cookie sheet for ~ten minutes
3. Bake for ~11 minutes
4. Let sit for ~2 minutes
5. Eat!!
That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
The Website That Changed Everything
Sarah found The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie probably eight or ten years ago now, and I genuinely believe this website is one of the internet’s hidden treasures.
Here’s what makes it unhinged in the best way: it has a troubleshooting section. Your cookies came out flat? There’s a photo and an explanation. Too cakey? Addressed. Weird texture? They’ve got you covered. It’s like a diagnostic manual for baked goods and I am obsessed with it.
Most recipes just give you ingredients and steps and wish you luck. This website looks at you and says “I know you’re going to mess this up somehow, and I’m going to help you figure out why.” That’s love. That’s what love looks like in recipe form.
The Real Secret: Frozen Dough Balls
Here’s the thing that elevates this from “we have a good cookie recipe” to “we have achieved cookie enlightenment.”
We scoop the dough into balls. We put them on a sheet pan. We freeze them. Then we transfer the frozen balls to a freezer bag.
And then? Fresh cookies whenever we want. Two cookies after dinner? Done. Four cookies because it’s been a day? Absolutely. The dough goes straight from freezer to oven (add a minute or two to the bake time) and you have warm, fresh cookies in under fifteen minutes.
We have not purchased store-bought cookies in years kind of true. Why would we? We have a freezer full of potential.
Variations for the Adventurous
Sometimes we swap the chocolate chips for M&Ms. This is good. This is correct.
And if someoneharper gives you fancy dark chocolate—the kind that comes in a bar and makes you feel sophisticated—chop that up and throw it in there instead of chips. The cookies become transcendent. Little pockets of expensive chocolate melting into buttery perfection. It’s absurd. It’s wonderful.
Go Forth and Bake
I’m not saying this recipe will change your life. But I’m also not not saying that. We’ve been making these cookies for nearly a decade because they’re perfect. Not “pretty good.” Not “solid.” Perfect.
And if something goes wrong? The website has your back. That’s more than most recipes can say.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some frozen dough balls calling my name.