NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

From http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 ½ ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 ½ ounces) bread flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt

2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 ½-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 ½ dozen 5-inch cookies.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

American buttercream is too dense to be spread onto these cupcakes.

From Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans

Makes enough for 18 regular cupcakes, 12 big-top cupcakes, 12 extra-large cupcakes, or 60 mini-cupcakes

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup sour cream

½ cup water

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double-broiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of a double boiler). Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the side of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture looks creamy and the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. The batter is ready to bake, or for additions such as nuts, fruit, chocolate chips, or other flavorings.


Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Adapted from 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/quick-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe/index.html 

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Mix butter and sugar on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla bean paste and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

From View from the Bay, which also has a video about Sprinkles, comes this recipe for Sprinkles' strawberry cupcakes:


Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 1 dozen


1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ cup whole milk, at room temperature
¼ cup pureed strawberries (use all-natural frozen that have been thawed)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Fill a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners


Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside


Add vanilla and strawberry puree to milk and set aside


In standing mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy


Slowly add egg and egg whites and mix on medium speed until blended


With mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture until just blended


Add milk mixture and mix just until blended


Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until blended. Scrape down bowl to make sure entire mixture is smooth.


Divide batter between 12 cupcake cups and bake for approx 22 minutes or until tops are just dry to the touch


Sprinkles Strawberry Frosting
Frosts 1 dozen


2 sticks (½ lb) unsalted butter, firm but not cold
1/8 tsp kosher salt
3 ½ cups confectioners sugar, sifted
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp pureed strawberries (use all-natural frozen that have been thawed)


Beat butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy


Reduce speed and gradually add confectioner's sugar and beat until incorporated


Add vanilla and strawberry puree and mix until blended. Do not overmix, or the frosting will incorporate too much air. The consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice-cream.

Strawberry cake with strawberry frosting, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, yellow cake with strawberry frosting, and yellow cake with vanilla bean buttercream

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/


4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken


Preheat oven to 350°F.


Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.


Pour batter into each well of the muffin tin until it is about 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 14 minutes. Cool in muffin tin on a rack for two minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the tin to cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

From http://annies-eats.com/2010/10/12/yellow-butter-cake-with-chocolate-frosting/

1 lb. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder
6 tbsp. boiling water
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt

To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 25-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl; stir until the cocoa is dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the cocoa mixture until well blended. Cool frosting slightly before using if it is too runny.