The Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie: A 72-Hour Recipe Worth the Wait

Jacques Torres is a French-trained pastry chef and chocolatier who developed what many consider the gold standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. The key innovation is time: the dough rests in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours before baking. This recipe was later adapted for the New York Times, where the long rest was validated by food science, and it remains one of the highest-rated recipes on the NYT Cooking app.

Who Is Jacques Torres

Torres trained under some of Europe's finest pastry chefs in the south of France and became the youngest recipient of a prestigious French award for best craftsman in pastry at age 26. After moving to the United States, he worked as pastry chef at the Ritz-Carlton and then spent 11 years as executive pastry chef at Le Cirque. In 2000, he opened Jacques Torres Chocolate in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The chocolate chip cookie was developed to serve alongside chocolate in his shop.

The Dry Ingredients

The recipe calls for a specific combination of two flours: two cups minus two tablespoons (8.5 ounces) of cake flour and one and two-thirds cups (8.5 ounces) of bread flour. Add one and a quarter teaspoons of baking soda, one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, and one and a half teaspoons of salt. Sift everything together through a mesh sieve.

Mixing the Dough

Cream two and a half cups of softened butter with one and a quarter cups (10 ounces) of light brown sugar and one cup plus two tablespoons (8 ounces) of granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to low and slowly incorporate the dry ingredients.

The Chocolate

The recipe calls for one and a quarter pounds of chocolate discs. If you cannot find discs at the store, cut up chocolate bars instead. Fold the chocolate into the dough. You will have what looks like an extreme amount of chocolate. That is correct.

The Rest and the Bake

Put the dough in the fridge for 24 to 72 hours. This is the step that sets the recipe apart. The long rest allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to develop.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop three-and-a-half-ounce portions, roughly the size of a hockey puck. Sprinkle salt on top before baking. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

The finished cookies have crispy, almost caramel-like edges with a soft, gooey, chocolatey center.

Key Takeaways

• The 24-to-72-hour fridge rest is the defining technique that separates this from a standard chocolate chip cookie
• Using both cake flour and bread flour creates a specific texture: crisp edges, soft center
• Three-and-a-half-ounce portions yield large cookies; do not undersize them
• This recipe has maintained a near-perfect five-star rating on NYT Cooking

Resources

• NYT Cooking - Chocolate Chip Cookies -- The adapted Jacques Torres recipe on the New York Times
• Jacques Torres Chocolate -- Torres's chocolate shop in Brooklyn