Helena's favourite chocolate chip cookies

This recipe is by Helena Busiakiewicz

My penchant for sodium chloride (salt) is famed throughout the test kitchen and these cookies are a testament to that. Don’t skimp on the salt or the salted butter, and you will be rewarded with divine cookies. As the title of this Substack suggests, I have tested this recipe many times. This is MY perfect cookie.

Perfection

Helena (not a cookie)

Things you might want to change, if you must:

1. Chocolate: I sway from caring to not caring about the quality of chocolate in cookies. These cookies use both dark and milk chocolate. A Valrhona chocolate pellet is a beautiful thing, but is usually only worth the price, for me, if we’re nearer payday. Luckily, I could expense these, so Valhrona it is. For milk chocolate, I like ethical brand Islands’ 55% milk chocolate. Use what you like. For the record, I chop chocolate and buttons as I prefer less regular looking chunks.

2. Butter: Like chocolate, butter isn’t cheap, so if I’m feeling flush, then I like President. If not, own-brand it is. You may have another butter brand allegiance.

3. Overnight resting: Let me be clear, these cookies need an overnight rest. Now that you have this info, you can plan your baking accordingly and won’t moan that I didn’t warn you. You could also get up early, make your dough, then bake at the end of the day.

4. Size: I use a cookie (ice cream) scoop. This is my perfect size. You do yours, but adjust the cooking time to suit the size.

5. Extra salt: Always in my case. But you may have health concerns, in which case adjust accordingly.

Go forth to the kitchen with these tips (and the recipe below) and try to save at least a few cookies for your friends and family. Happy baking!

My favourite chocolate chip cookies

Prep: 40 mins plus overnight chilling

Cook: 15 mins

Makes 15

250g salted butter, cubed

100g golden caster sugar

175g light brown soft sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

300g plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250g chopped chocolate (I used half Valhrona 74% Guanaja and half Islands 55% milk chocolate buttons)

salt flakes to sprinkle

1 Put the butter in a large saucepan. (Truly, please make sure it is large. I ignored my own instructions once and used a small pan, and then we nearly had a huge butter spillage and a trip to A&E on our hands.) Find two heatproof bowls, one larger, one slightly smaller. Fill the large one with ice and a cup of water. Put the smaller one next to you near the hob.

This is your starting butter colour

2 Melt the butter on medium heat. Once foaming, keep stirring with a plastic spatula – you want to keep the milk solids moving throughout the pan. This will take about 5-6 mins. Be brave – don’t take it off when it is just golden; you’re looking for more of an amber colour. At this stage, and when it smells a lot like digestive biscuits, pour it into the smaller bowl. Immediately put the smaller bowl on top of the ice in the larger bowl.

This is what I mean by amber

3 Whisk the butter over ice slightly to help it cool. This will take about 3-4 mins. You’re looking for it to turn into the texture of a slightly loose cream cheese icing. Once creamy, but not fully solid, scrape it into the bowl of a stand mixer with both sugars. You can use an electric whisk, if you prefer, but if you have a stand mixer, use it. Once creamy, whisk in the eggs and vanilla, leaving it to whip for a good 8 mins, until it’s thick and creamy. Yes, I said 8 minutes, and I meant it, okay?!

Eight minutes looks like this

4 Pour in the plain flour, salt and bicarb. Gently fold the dough together with a spatula, then fold through the chocolate. You don’t want to overmix the dough. Cover with baking paper and chill in the fridge overnight. Good night! Sweet dreams!

6 Rise and shine! Time to bake. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Use a cookie scoop to scoop craggy balls of dough onto two lined baking sheets. Don’t try and form them into smooth balls – a rough ball is what you’re going for. Texture means they have a better appearance at the end. You should get roughly 15.

7 Bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden. When they come out of the oven, give the tray a good whack on your kitchen counter. This will help create a crispy edge and a rippled appearance that is quite attractive. While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle generously with sea salt flakes. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glorious specimens

Watch my lovely video here