There are plenty of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, and, to be fair, this particular treat can, indeed, be interpreted across a fairly wide spectrum as far as flavor and texture. Personally, I like them paper-thin and crispy. The recipe below is the result of my food science research and countless experimental batches. Note: they are incredibly fragile and don’t travel well, so if you intend to bring them to someone, make sure you pack them up carefully!
Preheat oven to 350.
In standing mixer, cream:
2 sticks (1/2 pound) room temperature butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Add & combine:
1 1/8 cups flour
1/4 finely ground pecan meal
2/3 cup oats
1 cup (not packed) sweetened, shredded coconut
2 t vanilla extract
1 t coffee extract (really affects the flavor)
Add and gently combine:
1 1/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Using about 2 teaspoons (not tablespoons!) of dough per cookie (really, don’t use more), smash the cookies as flat as you can with the heel of your hand onto the cookie sheet (the chocolate chips should dig into and hurt your hand if you’re doing it right!). It’s fine if some of the metal of the pan shows all the way through the dough of the cookie. Don’t put the cookies too close together or they will melt into each other.
Bake about 9 minutes.
Let cookies rest no more than 3 minutes before removing them (or they will break!) with a thin spatula to cookie racks to cool.
For some resources on troubleshooting cookies, try:
Crafty Baking Problems and Solutions
Fine Cooking Troubleshooting Cookies
Ulitmate Cookie Troubleshooting Guide
