Gold Medal's Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies, also known as Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookies, is one of my favorite recipes. The cookies are medium thickness, chewy rather than cakey, dense and soft. They always bake up with a nice shape, and can be made small, medium size or large. The original recipe makes quite a large yield, but it has an even number of eggs and is easy to halve, which I almost always do.
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Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookies
I originally found the recipe on the back of a Gold Medal brand flour bag and have been making it for years. One thing I learned along the way is that in some circles, the recipe goes by Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookies, named after a Betty Crocker test kitchen employee who helped develop the recipe. I'm guessing she made these cookies hundreds of times with little changes, so thank you Mary for all the testing. This is one recipe that is hard to screw up.
Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies Butter Type
Instead of salted butter, I use unsalted butter and increase the salt. And rather than use plain butter, I sometimes opt for the European style, pasture or organic butter. It makes a difference in these cookies in terms of taste and texture because these butters have slightly more fat and less moisture which makes for a dryer dough and a thicker cookie. But you don't have to use the special butter because the cookies are really good with just about any brand.
Weigh the Flour
Four cups is a lot of flour, so if your cups are packed too heavily with flour you'll be using too much. For best results, weigh out about 510 grams of flour (for thinner cookies) or 550 grams for slightly thicker cookies. I usually go somewhere in between. If you don't have a scale, make sure to stir the flour very well before measuring.
Use Good Chocolate Chips or Chunks
The cookies in the photo below were made with Scharffen Berger chunks. The chunks were awesome, but I usually Guittard or Ghirardelli bittersweet or semisweet chips.
Mixing Large Amount of Cookie Dough
This recipe makes a lot of dough and sometimes it's difficult to get all of the flour mixture incorporated without over-mixing. One thing you can do is when the dough is almost fully blended, add the chips, then dump it onto a big pastry mat or clean flat surface and mix by hand by gently kneading it all together. I sometimes smash it all into a big rectangle and cut the dough into chunks.
Half Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
I've added the half batch version to the "Notes" section at the bottom. Here are the gram measurements for the half batch: 175 grams butter 12.5T 120 grams granulated sugar ½ cup plus 2 T. 120 grams brown sugar ½ cup plus 2 T. 7 grams vanilla (1 ½ teaspoons) 50 grams beaten egg (1 egg) 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ to ¾ teaspoon of salt depending on whether your butter is salted 255 to 275 grams flour (2 cups), depending on how thick and soft you like your cookies.
Recipe
Gold Medal's Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 sticks butter softened (350 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (240 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar (240 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt increase to 1 ½ if using unsalted butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (510 to 550 grams)
- 24 oz semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready two rimmed baking sheets (ungreased).
- In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in baking soda and salt until thoroughly mixed, then add flour and stir until thick. Stir in chocolate chips. Makes about 74 ounces of dough
- On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough with a medium cookie scoop or rounded tablespoons.
- Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
Notes
Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies from Gold Medal Half Batch
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (175 grams), softened
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (120 grams)
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (120 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, decrease to ¼ teaspoon)
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Anna says
Hi Carol,
I think next time she needs to use less flour. The refrigeration only improves the cookies. If they are not baking right, she could bring the dough balls back to room temperature and bake from room temp. I don't always do this, but if you have time to bring to room temp they might bake more evenly. But overall, I think the issue is she just used too much flour OR whatever flour she used was too dry. That happens. The recipe says 510 to 550, so maybe go with 510 grams next time. Or have her try a half batch. This is a great recipe. The dough is rather dry, but the cookies bake up nicely. Also, your suggestion of just baking them right away is a good one too. You don't absolutely have to chill dough, it just improves overall texture. What it come down to is she used an ingredient that made the dough too dry. So there was probably too much flour. Maybe the eggs were on the small side. Her brown sugar could have been dry as well. Email me at anna at cookie madness dot net if you want more recipe suggestions or to troubleshoot. Have your daughter try a half batch and use less flour.
Carol Scott says
Daughter made this recipe and for some reason the dough turned out clumpy.
she placed the dough balls in the refrigerator and they solified and did not cook well
I suggested no refrigeration and to bake without refrigeration. any thoughts on this.
Thankyou, Carol Scott
Angela says
I make these all the time. If yours turned out flatter, it may be due to size. I made mine very large - the dough is walnut sized. I use Ghiardelli chips, too. Oddly enough, although the recipe was on the back of Gold Medal flour, I found they turned out much better with King Arthur unbleached flour. I'm very particular about my ingredients. 🙂
connie feliciello says
The first time i saw this recipe for extraordinary chocolate chip cookies, I made them!!! Oh my god they are just soooo good...do you have a similar recipe for oatmeal cookies????
Sara says
This is by far the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! I always use this recipe and everyone loves the cookies I bake!
Katherine says
Yes, these are extraordinary chocolate chip cookies! I made half a batch yesterday, and now wish I made the whole batch. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Bakerista says
Wow, your site is A M A Z I N G!! I will definitely be coming back! And congrats on your win! That's so awesome! 🙂
danielle says
Great pic. of the cookies. Did u chill the dough first? Enjoy NYC!!!!!!! R u going to Levain??
Anna says
Priscilla,
That's interesting! I didn't know the recipe was that old. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Also, I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips.
Priscilla says
Anna- I really like this recipe and have made it many times. Years ago, when I clipped the recipe off the GM flour bag, it was called "Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookies". The headnote said "Mary Bartz, resident cookie expert in the Betty Crocker Kitchens, is famous for these cookies. On special days when she brings them to the office, her cookie jar empties within minutes. They are everyone's favorite!" The only difference is that the old recipe made only 3 1/2 dozen and baked them for 12 to 15 minutes. It used "rounded measuring tablespoonfuls" of dough.
Congratulations on your great win in Domino. The cookies sound delicious and I hope to try them as soon as I can get some tangerines.
cookienurse says
Congratulations, on winning the contest, Anna!
You really have incredible talent!! I was wondering, your chocolate chips look fantastic in the photo. What brand of chips did you use? Ghiradelli's?
Anna says
Thanks Jen!
Jen says
Hi Anna,
The link to the recipe is currently not working. I think the problem may be that the "h" for the http part of the address is missing. I think adding the "h" should take care of the problem.
Jen
Sara says
These look really delicious. Have a great trip!
Alexandra Bruskoff says
Hi Anna,
Have great trip to my hometown of NYC. If you have time, check out the banana cream with Nilla wafers from Magnolia Bakeshop- It's ridiculously delicious (I think I just read that they just opened another shop in midtown?). When I go, I bring an extra bag of Nilla wafers with me so I can add more into my pudding- sad but true! Enjoy!
Alexandra
Therese B. says
Anna!
Congrats on your winning!! YAHOO...the recipe looks mmmm...mmm...good! Tangerine peel...very interesting/very cool! I will be trying that out for sure!
ENJOY NYC...! Think...Levain..THINK...LEVAIN.
This is my e-mail hypnosis!!! tee hee! I hope you get to check out some great bakeries!
Regardless..enjoy.
Sue says
Mmmmmm! Chocolate and tangerine, with a little white chocolate! I just looked at the winning recipe and it sounds wonderful. Great job Anna!
Sue says
Thanks Katrina! I'll go take a look.
Katrina says
The winning Domino Sugar cookie contest recipe is already on their site.
http://www.dominosugar.com/recipes/recipe_detail.asp?ID=785
Yeah, Anna!
Sue says
Those are really attractive cookies, and they must be good, because it seems that you don't usually have a problem tasting and then moving them on.
Congratulations on your win! I don't think Domino sugar is distributed here. When it appears on the bags give a heads up and I'll see if they post it on their website, assuming of course that they have one.
bakingblonde says
Those look perfect, if they were in my house I would gain 80lbs!!
Katrina says
I was thinking that maybe Levain's in on 81st St., but it's on about 74th, I think, so it can't be that. Hmmm, there's got to be something to that! Maybe you should check out 81st while you're in NY. Have a great time! Can't wait to hear!
VeggieGirl says
Ooooh, yum.
Anna says
Hi Judy,
Yes! I won that contest. I always feel braggy when I post that stuff, but I did win and was extremely happy. The cookie recipe should appear on Domino Sugar bags very soon. It's a spin on double chocolate cookies.
Katrina, I thought of that today too. Why 81 and not just 80?
Katrina says
And we probably haven't had enough cookies lately! 😉 Wow, 81 pounds, interesting that it was 8-1, not just 80. Every pounds counts! These do look yummy!
judi0044 says
I'm traveling again and I saw your name while I was reading a magazine on the plane. Did I miss a post that you had won the Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar Recipe Contest. Congrats! It was the Great American Bake Sale - No Kid Hungry which I seem to recall reading about somewhere.
Amy says
I bought a bag of Gold Medal flour this weekend and saw that recipe and thought of making them. Maybe I will this weekend.
clumbsycookie says
81 pounds in one night! Scary! I don't think we can never have too much ccc, so keep'em coming! I virtualy ate a couple, so how many pounds would that be?
snookydoodle says
this look so so good. Cookies how can you resist these delicious cookies. I don t blame you for wanting to eat ten more 🙂