Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton's Favorite Bakery for Home-Style Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads
As the heat wave has continued on with but a brief respite, Gothamist has maintained its no-cooking policy for the most part. But there is one exception: baking. Cookies and cakes can't be made without an oven, unfortunately, so this past weekend we cranked up the A/C to make some chocolate chip cookies.
But not just any chocolate chip cookies--these are Kathleen King's well-respected recipe, one that she doles out at Tate's Bake Shop, which is out in Southampton. For those of us who don't use summer as a verb and haven't spent any time in the Hamptons this year (for better or worse), we can make our own cookies from her recipe.
As a chocolate-chip-cookie expert, we must advise you that this recipe falls into the thin-and-crispy style cookie, as opposed to the thick-and-softly-chewy style. With a higher butter-to-flour ratio, a dough like this one spreads quickly on the cookie sheet under the 350-degree heat, leaving a sugary, buttery crispness that seems leavened only by the big chocolate chips (although it is in fact leavened in the traditional manner of salt and baking soda).
And while Gothamist has always been partial to the chunkier style of cookie, we will give credit where credit is due: these crispy cookies are addictively good. Hearkening back to the Toll House cookies of our childhood memories, they're simply yummy.
TATE'S BAKE SHOP'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup salted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with Silpat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the water and vanilla extract. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. Add the eggs and mix them lightly. Stir in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Don't overmix the flour.
Drop the cookies 2" apart onto the prepared cookie sheets using 2 tablespoons or an ice cream scoop.
Bake them in batches for 12 minutes or until the edges and centers are brown. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 4 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies
