Definitely worth the fuss. Try it once without shortcuts and you will see. I only make the cookies using 1 and 1/2 inch in size balls of dough. 48 hours rest in the fridge is the sweet spot for me. 24 hours is good if you are in a rush. 4 hours if you can’t wait to bake a few (leave the remaining dough to rest for the next day). 72 hours was even more caramelized but I didn’t like it better than 48 hours. I also tried both with AP flour and with the recommended mix of cake flour and bread flour. Definitely worth using the two flours.
Moist tender inside but caramelized and slightly crispy outer layer. I chop up baking bars or Trader joe chocolate bars. But regular chips work fine too. I like adding flakey salt right out of the oven for some of the cookies (my family doesnt like the salt). 8 minutes at 350 then rotate and bake another 6 minutes. I also freeze the cookie dough balls to make individual servings for rainy days.
Only con to this recipe is that the cookies are spectacular if eaten within the first day. After that, they are harder. So better to freeze dough balls and bake fresh whenever needed.
