DAVID LEBOVITZ'S GREAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These cookies are very interesting and very good. I found the recipe on a food blog, 101cookbooks.com, and it's originally from David Lebovitz's "The Great Book of Chocolate." (And, PS, DL is recognized as a top pastry chef from the San Francisco area and has authored several cookbooks.) What's different is the baking temperature: 300F. I had my doubts, but it does something to the texture of the cookie, making it sugary-crispy-crunchy and slightly chewy, all at the same time. They don't brown much, which kind of bothers me, but once I sank my teeth in, I didn't care. They're substantial cookies, too, not flimsy or delicate. Instead of chocolate chips, I used a combo of chopped Hershey's Bliss Signatures Milk Chocolate with meltaway centers and rich and creamy dark chocolate. I had to unwrap them but they were oh, so worth it.

I made a half-batch, but I'm giving you the recipe for a full batch. The full batch is supposed to make 20 cookies, but I only got 8 from the half batch, so, naturally, it's going to depend on how big you make the cookie dough balls.

David Lebovitz's Great Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rating: 7 out of 10
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, in chunks
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour lightly spooned and leveled (add 1 Tbsp. if you live in the South)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups of your favorite chocolate chips
1 cup of your favorite nuts, toasted and chopped

Set the oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Preheat oven to 300F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In large mixing bowl, beat sugars and butter till smooth and creamy on low speed of electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat again till smooth. Stir in baking soda, flour and salt, mixing only till combined. Fold in chips and nuts. Place balls of dough, about 2 Tbsp. each, 4" apart on baking sheets. Bake 18 -20 minutes, or till pale golden brown.
Makes 20 cookies.