This delicious recipe for Jacques Torres's secret chocolate chip cookies is one of Martha's all-time favorites.

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

unsalted butter

sugar

light-brown sugar

eggs

pastry flour

bread flour

salt

baking powder

baking soda

vanilla extract

Jacques Torres House (60 percent cocoa) Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.

Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

has anyone tried this recipe with WHOLE WHEAT PASTRY FLOUR!??? I just did last night and haven't baked yet since I'm leaving them to refrigerate for 24 hours. Just curious :)

I have to say that these were the absolute WORST cookies I have ever eaten! I decided to make this recipe with a friend (who owns her own bakery) because the pictures looked so delicious, but these cookies were a complete let down. We followed each step exactly how it is outlined here, but the cookies tasted overwhelmingly like gluey flour and were not sweet at all, despite all the sugar. Save yourself the time, money, and effort and find an easier recipe!

I have to say that these were the absolute WORST cookies I have ever eaten! I decided to make this recipe with a friend (who owns her own bakery) because the pictures looked so delicious, but these cookies were a complete let down. We followed each step exactly how it is outlined here, but the cookies tasted overwhelmingly like gluey flour and were not sweet at all, despite all the sugar. We followed the recipe exactly with no errors or substitutions, and they were still just awful. Those cheap

ATTENTION!!!
Please rest the dough for at least 24 hours before baking these cookies. 72 hours is the best. You need it to rest the gluten and achieve the best possible results for this recipe. 
You can make pastry/cake flour by measuring X cups of bread flour, removing 2 tablespoons of flour from each of the X cups, replacing with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. 
You HAVE TO sift all flour used, at least 5 times, along with all the leavening agents used. 
Enjoy :)

I wasn't very impressed with the recipe. I found the cookies kind of dry the next morning. I personally like Martha's other chocolate chip cookie recipes better.

I made these cookies 3 different times, one for the holidays and gave out in a cookie box everybody loved them! two for New Years Eve they did not last! they were gone in 30 minutes! third time last week they were all gone within two days! I have mix the cocoa with semi sweet chocolate chips half and half, and yes it is not easy chopping away at the chocolate chips but its worth it! This chocolate chip cookie recipe will be in my recipe box for EVER!

tried it with jacques' chocolate chips, $14 for 2 lbs.  totally worth it!  chopping them is no picnic though...

I halved the recipe, rested in fridge for 24 hours and then baked 1oz scooped cookies for 13 minutes.  HARD AS ROCKS !!  Not happy at all.

I've made these and you will get more compliments with these than any other cookie.  If you want to see what I did, take a look... http://wp.me/p2myDm-16.
I wish I had some right now actually...

This recipe is good, but not the best. My husband prefers my old recipe better too. The Magnolia Bakery recipe is better and simpler. They cookies would be good for a crowd or if I wanted to use chocolate chunks instead of chips, but otherwise, I think I'll stick with the one I've made for years.

Fantastic, but please revise to show when to add the salt.  It is in the ingredients, but not in the directions.

seriously the best recipe out there for choc. chip cookies - and i've tried many (i can't find a decent cookie here in austria so i have to make my own). i even halved the recipe since it called for enormous amounts of butter and flour - it worked perfectly! caution - the dough is addictive, so use free range eggs!

I love this recipe.  Really yummy.  I did not have pastry flour, I used 1 cup cake flour, plus 1T cake flour and 2 cups AP flour, plus 1T.  I also used the 3cups of bread flour.

I used my muffin-sized scoop and cooked the cookies 18-19 minutes.  I got more cookies than the recipe indicates, 31 total.  I really love these.

I did use 1T kosher salt and did not find the cookies salty.  I made my first batch one day and another batch the next, I saw no difference in performance or taste.

These are my go-to cookie recipe.  Not sure how they can be a secret since it was published in the NY Times 3 years ago!

wow its a really amazing recipe, I love It, I didnt find the flour so I use all 6 cups bread flour and works really good, the cookies was crunchy and chewy and the flavor yummy, i substitute some chocolate for m$ms A++++ =)

Awesome recipe,unable tp find pastry flour, I googled for a substitue. I used cake flour and all purpose flour. I also used 1 lb. of semi-sweet chocolate chips.   Loved making the big cookies.  Added pecans to the second batch.  They are a hit with the family.  I had to bake mine for 25 minutes.

I did look online and the recipe looks exactly like this one. Where did you look?

I always substitute homemade cake flour for pastry flour and have good results. Just replace 2 T all purpose flour with corn starch for every cup of cake/pastry flour the recipe calls for.

This six cups is regarding pastry flour, so keep that in mind.  These are supposed to be this way and I have made them for some years.  They have a bake shop texture, but you must use the correct flours.  Do give it a try at different suggestions, but this one has always served me well and is supposed to be quite easy for scooping.

Oh yes, no whole pound of better is needed!!! Mykele

I did indeed go on line and got Jacque's recipe that takes only a total  of
less than 4 cups of flour and does require chilling for at least an hour.
Adapted or not, it makes much more sense and the result is very good.
Mykeke

I just got a better look at this recipe and saw that it calls for 6 cups of flour?!?!  That can't be right. I usually use 7 cups of flour when making 2 loaves of bread. And this is for a batch of cookies?  I think someone mis-typed something.

"Bread Flour" is flour with a high protein content. High protein flour makes more gluten and is good for breads. "Pastry flour" has a low protein content, which makes less gluten and is better for delicate cakes and pastries. You can go to a professional bakery and ask them what the names are for each of these flours.

SINCE I DO NOT LIVE IN THE UNITED STATRS, HOW CAN I SUBSITUTE BREAD AND PASTRY FLOUR?

The NYT Jacques Torres recipe says right at the top that it's an "adapted" recipe, so this is likely to be the original.

This is NOT Jacques Torres's chocolate chip cookie recipe!  Just google his name and look for it in the NY Times and you'll see this is completely different.  She also left out two very important steps which can be seen there.  No wonder so many commenters hated it!  I don't think there's any way to hate his recipe.    Sheesh, why completely ruin it and then call it his recipe!

Thank you for the answer!!
 So for this recipe instead of using 3 cups of bread flour, I'll add 3 cups of white flour - but replace 3 tablespoons with gluten flour?
I just found out that you can get gluten flour at Health Food stores :)
Can't wait to try this!

To make your own bread flour, add one tablespoon of wheat gluten for every cup of white flour. You can get the wheat gluten in the flour aisle of a grocery store.

Anyone from Scandinavia who knows what to use instead of bread flour? I've never heard of that, but would love to try this!

i thought this recipe was amazing!
you have to use really good chocolate to have the cookies turn out well

all these  chocolate chip cookie recipes seem to be very bad. or is it just me?

Vegan alternative! http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/desserts-a-goodies-/vegan-dessert-chunky-peanut-chocolate-chip-blondies

Hands down THE WORST cookie recipe ever. I baked a one batch of these for the kids at Rosie's Place I'm working with today and I am going to have to buy store-bought replacement cookies! These cookies are HARD AS ROCKS. Also, this recipe was a pain in the neck- so much batter, it wouldn't even fit in my trusty kitchenaid.  And the chips don't stick in the batter, they sort of separate. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. I love Martha's recipes, but this one is a cruel joke.

and baking soda
1 tsp of vanilla
1/4 to 1/2 pound of semi sweet chocolate chips

and 1/2 cup of brown sugar)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.
1 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp each of baking powder

I made these last night, I divided the quantities in 4. It was really YUMMY! I used all purpose flour in place of bread flour and pastry flour, but still it tasted great! It took about 20 mins to bake even though Martha states 15 for 1 ounce scoop cookies. It made about 16 cookies. Heres the quantities i used;
1/4 pounds butter (1 stick)
1 cup of sugar (1/2 cup of granulated sugar

claudiapas:I thought that there was too much number of completion in the original recipe. The quantity that you taught was just good. Delicious! Thank you!

Never dip and scoop flour unless you are scaling it. When using cups to measure flour, always spoon it lightly and level it off. Four cups of spooned and levelled flour is about 1 pound, but I would suggest using the cup method, weighing the results, and noting it for the next time you make the recipe.
Also, the recipe never tells you when to add the salt! Mix it in with the dry ingredients. Who tested and proofread this recipe?

Excellent recipe. The kids wanted a chocolate chip cookie and I made it with normal four and I reduced the recipe to 1/3 ( I used 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp b powder and 1tsp vanilla ). I added 200 grams of chocolate (8 oz) and the result was great. It holds perfectly and don't spread and flattens. I made small ones and it was perfect size and time (15 minutes)  Made exactly 36 cookies. Never mind the pastry flour!

Ops, I forgot to mention below that I used 150g butter which is around 1/3 of a pound...
Definitely don't mind the flours, I used dark brown sugar and I bet the brown sugar is more fundamental for good results.

Cheers!

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This cookie is great. We gave away hundreds as Christmas gifts. When using semi sweet chips we cut down on the sugar a bit. Using dark 60% chocolate the recipe is perfect as is. Thank you Jacques and Martha.

where do u get the bread flour from? where can i find it?

I'm not sure why some comments were so negative.  These cookies are truly outstanding.  If the recipe is followed exactly as written with quality chocolate chunks (I used Guittard chunks that I purchased from The Bakers Catalog), they are a spectacular cookie!  I recommend the larger size.  I used a 1/4 measure cup since I did not have a 4 oz scoop.   Delish.

I made these cookies for a potluck at work and they raved how wonderful they tasted.  Plus, the size of the cookies alone was a topic of discussion.   I definitely make these again.  Pasty flour can be found at specialty stores such as whole foods btw.

I am willing to try this recipe (such a delicious cookies), but It's so difficult to find pastry flour in my country. Can I replace this flour? wil it be a problem for the taste of the cookies if I don't use pastry flour ??

I am sitting here enjoying a batch from the NYT article right now, they are outstanding, the best i ever made!  i refrigerated the dough 36 hrs, so easy for such excellent results!

knester:  Thanks for the Sunset cookie recipe -- I appreciate it and will try the recipe soon.  With all these great tips, I'm on my way to finding the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie!

Sistercoo:  Thanks so much for the info from the NY Times re: Jacques Torres cookies - I appreciate it!   I will try the refrigeration method next time.

There was a great related article in the NYTimes this week - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html. In Torres' bakery (and top bakeries all over NYC), he lets the dough refrigerate for a few days; the article which features a similar recipe to the one above recommends refrigeration of 36-72 hrs. This allows for the liquids (eggs) to be fully absorbed in the dough - which makes it firmer and bake more consistently. I would highly recommend trying it - it makes a huge difference!

Schmooter-I have an excellent Ch. Chip cookie recipe I think you would really like. Thock, soft, and chewy. Hold their shape very well and works every time. Go to http://www.sunset.com/sunset/food/article/0,20633,1590752,00.html and click on the "thick and chewy" link.

emily_m_owen:  Thanks for your comments - I appreciate it!  I do combine all the dry ingredients first and I use a small ice cream scoop for the dough -- I will try your freezer tip next time and see how that works - thanks!

Also, forgot to mention that I only bake my for about 12 or 13 mintues until the edges just start to brown slightly. I prefer a chewier cookie. This makes them last longer too, though they rarely do.

I do several things to make the cookies hold their shape.  I mix all the dry ingredients together before adding it to the butter and sugar. Also, I roll the dough into balls, usually fairly large (full recipe yields 3 dozen), and I put the rolled dough into the freezer for about 20 minutes then straight to the oven. This keeps the insides chewy but lets the outsides brown. It also gives it the loftiness. I also add toasted walnuts to mine and a mix of milk and semisweet chocolate. Amazing!

This recipe is excellent .  The taste and texture is very good; however, my cookies did not look like the photo (as I hoped they would).  Mine were flatter.
I prefer a thick chocolate chip cookie that holds it's shape and have been trying many different recipes - but they all seem to turn out too flat.  I've tried all the usual remedies without success.  Does anyone have any recipes and/or suggestions that might help me?

im not really great about making cookies but, this recipe is so easy.  it's look great with the taste even my first time doing it.  im enjoyed very much.  all my families love it too.  thanx ..

Well I bought much less chocolate than I was supposed to, only 6 ounces and also added 6 ounces of walnuts, and they had a good amount of chocolate, so I bet it's tasty but would think 2 pounds of chocolate makes a very, very rich cookie. Anyway, the family loved the cookies (I did as well) and I can report that they keep well in the open air, it took about three days for them to work through all the cookies and they kept beautifully.

LUV EM'!  These cookies didn't spread like the Toll House recipe which was wonderful.  Crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.  I baked them a couple minutes less.  I made the small 2" cookies with my cookie scoop.

I had to substitute bread flour for All purpose and Pastry flour for 1 1/3 cup All purpose plus 2/3 cake flour to equal 2 cups.

i cant watch this video. i can only watch sponsor message

I can not watch the video. I just watch the sponsor message.

Not a secret anymore Jacques Torres!! Yummy...

Using quality ingredients make a big difference with this recipe.  The best combination I've found (given the limits of what's available in my local supermarket) is 2/3 Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, 1/3 Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate and King Arthur flour.  Made with these ingredients, the cookies are absolutely delicious and come out thicker and richer than with Nestle chocolate chips.

For those who need help with the measurements, you can visit http://www.onlineconversion.com/. Hope this helps.

grammalynn - thank you so much for your help ..... cookies here we come!

1 pound or 1 ounce equal to how many grams?
hehe sorry for asking this
please email me i'm from malaysia 
rie_supawoman@yahoo.com.my

Yesterday I made couple of cookies from Martha's cookie book. Recipe says "coarse salt" , so I found Sea Salt which says "coarse salt" . So my baking item taste salty now.   
2. If I decide to bake in the evening, how soon I have to thaw the eggs( room temperature). Will results will be the same , if I take out the eggs from the fridge and bake my items right away, without any planning?
 
3. If recipes says, toasted nuts would you use 'bake 'feature or 'broil ' feature on the oven?

OK that didn't make too much sense and the link didn't come up! Go to wiki.answers.com and put in how many grams are in one cup and the answer should come up.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_are_in_one_cup          This link will take you for a conversion of cups of baking stuff to grams. If it doesn't come up go to google and put in 1 cup equals grams at wiki.answers.com

I wonder whether anybody could offer some advice, please .... I am from England and am new to this site and I wonder whether anybody could kindly tell me what measurement a 'cup' is.  I would really love to try some of these cookies, but the measurements leave me at a loss!  Forgive me if I have asked in the wrong place, but thanks for any help you can give me!

Wow, unfortunately I have to agree with all of you who have tried this recipe... it is not in any way "mind-blowing".  I have been to the Jacques Torres shops and had these cookies made by them and I am sure there is something missing in this recipe bcs they are not in any way the same.  I consider myself a fabulous cook (I have gone to culinary school and I work in professional kitchens) and I was really disappointed with how my cookies came out.  Hmmm.. anyone have any other recipes? Thanks :)

Since I live in a country where you can't find chocolate chips, let me pass on a good tip for making them. Put the baking chocolate in a zip-lock plastic bag and bash it up with a hammer! More suggestions: choose the flattest brand of baking chocolate, and protect the bag with the wrapper from the chocolate so the hammer doesn't make holes in the bag.

This is a nice chocolate chip cookie, but it's not mind-blowing. I noticed the dough is lighter than cookies made with all-purpose flour, but we didn't taste a difference.  I'd make them again (mainly to use the rest of the bread and pastry flour I bought for these cookies), but I am still searching for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.

Adaptations: 2 pounds of chocolate is a lot even for this amount of dough.  I stopped at about 24 ounces and they were very rich.

i tried this out but used homemade butter, half bittersweet and half semisweet chocolate chips. i also doubled the baking powder to add body to it. it came out a little pale but tasted just right. i live in a tropical country though so i needed the extra baking powder to counteract the humidity.

My girlfriend and I make a recipe called, "Awesome Soft-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies" and we use three sticks of softened butter and three teaspoons of vanilla extract.  We make around 50 cookies for each recipe and the cookies are soft and we like to heat them in the microwave, from the refrigerator, for 27 seconds and they're great warm.

These are dense, bakery style cookies.  For medium sized cookies - 15 minutes is the best.  Yummy warm from the oven, changes a bit the next day, but still really yummy either way.

This is a very good cookie. It turn out fine for me. The batter is stiff and I scoop it onto the cookie sheet. It spreads a lot and puffs up when cooking then flattens when cooled but it looks just like the photo not too flat. Beautiful and delicious cookies. Thanks for the recipe.

The reason for the different flours is because of the gluten formed by the proteins in the flour.  Gluten is what imparts a chewy, elastic crumb - desirable in bread, which is why bread flour is higher in protein.  Pastry flour is much lower in gluten-forming protein, which is why we use it for cakes and cookies and things we want to be tender.  I haven't made cookies with bread flour before - I'm curious to see what difference it makes!

I have made these cookies 4 times and only once could I get them to turn out delicious.  They taste good but are too thin even when I bake them for less time.
Unless someone lets me know what's wrong I will not make these again.

My sister and I are foodies living in New York City. Our LOVE for chocolate chip cookies has put us all over the city in search of the best. If doughy and chewy is what you're after: Levain Bakery it is, crispy and crunchy: try City Bakery.  But we always find ourselves going back to the Jacques Torres' shops for theirs. Crisp exterior, moist, tender inside and the chocolate is what sets it apart from the others. I can't believe the recipe has been here all along, can't wait to try it...

I have made this and love it, but would love to know why the different flours.  The difference between flours is in the percentage of protein, pastry flour being 8-10% (low), and bread flour being 12-14% (high).  This recipe is half and half (almost), producing 10-12% protein, which is exactly what all purpose flour is. Any ideas on a good reason for the different flours?

These cookies are awesome. It seems like there is no way you are going to get all that chocolate in the dough, but just keep adding it.

We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED these!  I've made them twice already and they were gone so fast.  The second time, because they made so much, I gave them as Christmas gifts and they loved them as well.  I will definitely make this my number one Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

I loved these cookies.  However, I couldn't get them to look like the photograph, all chunky looking and full.  How do you do that?  I followed the recipe exactly.

Indeed this is a huge amount so I suggest you make half at first. They are delicious though and were eaten up at work where I took them right away. I definitely will make them again.

These cookies were delicious.   They did make a huge amount but they were enjoyed by everybody.  I just got pastry flour (made from soft winter wheat) and bread flour (made from hard winter wheat) at my local grocery store (Whole Foods) in the bulk section.  I think those special flours added to the perfect texture of the cookies.  I would definetly make again!

I made these and they were great.  My son said they were the best cookies he has ever had!  I did not find mine  to be bland,  they were buttery and soft.

Huge disappointment.  I have a high bar for choc. chip cookies--my favorite recipe always gets raves and it never fails.  This recipe required special flours (which I may never use again) and the hassle/mess of chopping dark chocolate, all for a cookie that is too chewy and bland--more like eating a chunk of melted choclate. If I wanted that, I'd make a chocolate cookie or a good Valrhona brownie.

Call wedding cake shops to find pastry flour. If you can't find pastry flour, you can mix you own by combining cake flour and all-purpose flour. Combine in a ratio somewhere between two parts cake flour to one part all-purpose and one part cake flour to one part all-purpose. If you can't decide go half and half.

does any body know if i can hand mixer instead of electric one (in baking recipe)

I made these using partial whole wheat / unbleached white.  Have to sift the wheat and then add it to the white flour.  They ROCKED!  Made them much chewier....

These are the greatest chocolate chip cookies ever. I was curious to how they would taste with the different types of flours and much to my suprise the texture is wonderful. These will be the official  chocolate chip cookie in my house.

Actor Greg Grunberg joins Martha to make Jacques Torres's secret chocolate chip cookies. Part 1.

jacques torres's secret chocolate chip cookies

Servings: 15.5

Cost: $2.41 /serving

Author : Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Instructions

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