The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blaise Doubman

If you Google “Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies” you will uncover something extraordinary! A Minnesota woman, Martha, sells cookies for 14 days at her local State Fair and makes somewhere around $3 million dollars in those 14 days. No, this is not a joke! People come far and wide for her cookies and they are even so popular that you can buy them frozen and shipped to your house. All you have to do is bake them off. It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Minnesota State Fair and eat some of these delicious looking cookies and perhaps interview the one and only Sweet Martha while I am there but that will have to wait. Until then, I wanted to develop a recipe of my own that came close to her famous cookies. After a lot of online research and a few dozen frozen cookies, baked and sampled, I think I have come pretty close! Are they identical to the famous cookies? Close. Are they delicious, yes!

What is her secret? Sweet Martha appears to use cake flour in her recipe, along with regular white all-purpose flour. Online there is speculation about which cake flour she uses and a majority of expert taste testers, myself included, have concluded that she uses the brand of cake flour called “Soft A Silk”. Cake flour ensures that the cookies will not only have a unique taste but also ensure they are of a superior texture, giving the cookie a unique flavor and chew. Another secret is the addition of the extra egg yolks. Adding extra egg yolk to a cookie recipe, ensures that the cookies are going to be rich and flavorful. The semi-sweet chocolate chips here are mini size, which is especially important in the ratio of cookie to chocolate since these are small cookies. I am so excited to share my newest recipe with all of you! Try it and let me know what you think! Leftovers can be kept covered, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Plan ahead with this recipe because the dough needs to chill for several days before baking.

2 cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups white all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup white granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine the cake flour, white all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a wire whisk to “sift” together the ingredients.

In a separate large bowl combine the soft unsalted butter, light brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the egg and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in the pure vanilla extract.

Next, add in the dry ingredients a little at a time being careful not to overmix the dough.

Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Wrap bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line several large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the dough in teaspoon size amount balls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Lightly press down on each cookie.

Bake one sheet at a time, in preheated oven, for exactly 10 minutes. Do not over bake! These will appear “underdone”, but they are not! Allow them to cool slightly before enjoying.

Ask and Answer: Had several people wondering about something I posted on my social media several days ago. I posted a picture of my frosted Snickerdoodle cookies and people went wild! It seemed like most people had never heard of this combination before and were surprised. Let me tell you, they are delicious! The recipe for both the cookie and the cookie frosting can be found on my website. If you are curious, try them! The cookie frosting really pairs well with Snickerdoodles but can also be used on your favorite type of cookie! They are fabulous!