This Cookie Recipe Is So Good, It Has a Permanent Spot on My Fridge

Chocolate chip cookie recipes are everywhere, but truly great ones are rare finds. While most people get their treasured recipe from a cookbook or a loved one, mine came from an unexpected place: the front of my refrigerator.

The recipe isn’t even mine, actually. I had seen the hand-written recipe taped there for months. One day, I asked my roommate, Ted, “Hey, whose recipe is this?” That’s when I learned it was a family recipe passed down from an old friend and coworker who used to live in my apartment.

“I think it’s his aunt’s recipe,” Ted says, adding that he’s made the recipe and it is delicious. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, so I got in contact with Natalie Affleck, the creator of the cookiesto learn more.

Meet the Recipe Creator

Natalie Affleck started baking when she was just 11 years old. By her 20s, she had perfected this chocolate chip cookie recipe—a sweet treat that’s now a family favorite and guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Her inspiration comes from the Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies that she used to get fresh from a bakery. “Her cookies had what I felt was the perfect consistency,” says Affleck. “When they come out of the oven, they’re not too flat, they’re not too puffy, they’re not cakey, they’re just chewy and the chocolate melts everywhere.”

In her search for the best texture and flavor, Affleck started with the classic Mrs. Fields formula, then made it her own. Her version uses both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips for perfectly balanced sweetness, and she pays close attention to the brown sugar and vanilla that go into the recipe.

What Makes This Cookie Recipe So Good?

There are two ingredients that make this cookie something special: brown sugar and double fold vanilla extract.

If there’s one quality that makes the difference, it’s the double fold vanilla extract, which contains twice the amount of vanilla beans as the common single-fold. Affleck’s  preferred variety is Cook’s Pure Double Fold Vanilla Extract. She says it makes the final product richer and sweeter than artificial or single fold vanilla.

“What actually makes it really good, even if you didn’t have the [double fold] vanilla, is the extra brown sugar,” says Affleck. Brown sugar makes cookies more moist and chewy than white sugar, and they will turn out a little taller, too. Affleck’s recipe includes both types of sugar, but more brown than white.

How To Make Natalie’s Cookies

The steps follow the same path as many cookie recipes. Cream the sugar and butter, then follow with the eggs, vanilla, dry ingredients, and chocolate chips. Creamed butter results in a lighter and firmer cookie than melted butter does when mixed with sugar. As for the type of butter, Affleck uses organic, salted varieties in her cookies, but unsalted works well, too, if you want to control how much sodium goes in your cookies.

After adding the eggs and vanilla into the creamed sugar and butter, the mixture will look and feel quite runny. Just whip the mixture with a whisk or spatula until it becomes light and fluffy again, then follow with the flour and chocolate. The dough will feel pillowy and soft at this point, which is what you want.

If you don’t own a stand mixer, there are a few techniques to cream butter and sugar by hand. A spatula is a great way to start off, fold and mashing the sugar and butter over itself. Once all the butter is incorporated and the mixture is fluffier, switch to a whisk and beat the ingredients.

Letting the cookie dough chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour helps produce a much better cookie, says Affleck. You can let the cookie dough chill for longer, though. Store overnight to allow the flavors to meld even more.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until soft and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until the fluffy and soft texture returns.
4. Add the remaining dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat until the flour is fully incorporated.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, and portion the dough into small balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
6. Bake in a preheated oven until cookies are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Rest the cookies for about five minutes, then enjoy!