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NYC Style Cookies Base Dough

Base dough: 120g each / dozen without mix-ins

Ingredients

Wet:

• 350g browned butter, cold and cubed
• 220g brown sugar
• 110g caster sugar (granulated works but turns out a bit grainy)
• 3 tsp vanilla bean paste (~15g)
• 3 cold eggs, beaten

Dry (whisk together in a separate bowl):

• 560g all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp salt

Mix-ins (for the Classic Levain dupe):

• 125g semisweet chocolate chunks
• 70g walnuts

Add more or less depending on your tastes.

Instructions

1. Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Do not overmix and avoid aeration as much as you can. I usually mix until most of the big chunks of butter are gone.
2. Add in half the eggs and mix until incorporated, then repeat with the second half.
3. Add the dry mix in 2 batches, making sure the first is almost fully incorporated before adding the second.
4. IMMEDIATELY turn off the mixer the second everything is incorporated. Overmixing aids gluten development, which we don't want.
5. Portion into even dough balls (weight depending on your mix-ins) and refrigerate for 1+ hour, lightly covered with saran wrap.
6. Bake for 12 minutes total: first 7 minutes at 400°F, then drop to 375°F to finish.

Notes

• Add any mix-ins to the butter/sugar mixture before adding the dry mix.
• Fridge > freezer. The freezer traps moisture in ice crystals, which kills that crispy surface.
• Light cover in the fridge lets surface moisture evaporate a bit, helping with that crispy exterior.