I got started on learning to make great chocolate chip cookies this weekend. And, woah, the difference a recipe makes! I decided to try this recipe for simple reasons: 1) recipe makes a smaller batch; so, I didn’t have to do any halving and 2)the blogger’s picture and enthusiasm inspired me. This recipe is a definite keeper!!! Though, I may need to perfect my technique.
I followed the recipe pretty well, only I used room temperature butter instead of cold butter. I’ve read that the butter will dissolve sugar better if it is not cold. I also refrigerated the dough longer than one hour. Otherwise, I followed it. I even went out and bought a cookie dropper for this recipe attempt. How did they work out?
I can’t say that I really knew how to use the cookie scooper. The tiny amount that went inside seemed like a really small cookie. For the first batch, 4 hours after preparing the dough, we tried 6 cookies. The dough was stacked too high and the amount of dough per cookie was inconsistent. I came out with 3 done cookies and 3 not done cookies. They were all wonderful cookies, but the less done ones had a bit of an aftertaste which Taste Tester #2 called “butter.”
Batch #2 I saved for the following afternoon. I read here that letting the dough rest in the refrigerator for 36 hours will help the dry ingredients soak up the wet ingredients creating a drier, firmer dough which will lend best for the desired outcome. Well, 36 hours is a lot of patience. And, since pregnant I probably shouldn’t eat a lot of raw cookie dough, regardless of how good it is, Batch #2 was baked at approximately 24 hours. These were significantly better. I used smaller drops of dough and squished them down a tiny bit. They were all the perfect crispiness, though a few could have been more doughy inside. I baked this batch for 10 minutes and put a few back in for one minute.
My size and form consistency from cookie to cookie was still not great. Any tips for consistency on size and form? Would it be silly to use the cookie dropper for size only? Then squash and form each? My guess is that they didn’t spread out like crazy because the dough was so cold and hard.
So, we actually broke up this recipe into 3 separate batches. The third tiny batch we enjoyed last night–still very good, though a bit small and crispy. I liked breaking the dough into batches so that I could do experiments but also because I have little self-control in not finishing a warm batch of cookies! We’ll blame it on the baby. 😉 I’m also thinking of learning how the dough can be kept for a time: fridge or frozen, how stored and how long?
Thanks for your comments. Keep ’em coming. I appreciate them! Until next time and next batch…
Filed under: cooking, recipes | Tagged: baking, chocolate chip cookies, cooking |
My Life as Narrative 
From experience I have found the non refrigerated cookies come out best. I also add 1/3 cup of caramel topping and increase the flour by a 1/4 cup. I found that helps make them softer and slightly chewy.
You will have problems scooping the dough if it is cold. I use a medium ice cream scoop but I like a good size cookie. If I want to freeze mine I freeze it in scoops so all you have to do is put the scoops on the tray frozen and cook them a little longer. See how it works for you.
Keep up the experiments Im interested to see how you go.
Hi there, I’m the creator of the recipe you used–always exciting to read about others’ experiences with it!
Two things: 1. the cold butter is specific and intentional–I don’t completely understand the science behind it myself, but apparently it holds the flour differently if it starts out (and remains) cold. So you might want to give it a shot next time. Plus it’s easier! (Of course you may be looking for a different effect than I was–I wanted a thicker, chewier center with crispy edges.)
And 2. To make uniform cookies with a scoop, try leveling off the bottom of the cookie ball before turning it out of the scoop onto the pan. Not sure if I’m explaining that right, but if you scrape the exposed side of the dough against the edge of your bowl, it should flatten the bottom of the cookie ball. Then you’ll know you’ve got the same amount each time–if you just mound it up without leveling you could have a teaspoon or more extra in each one. (And I don’t flatten them out, since I’m looking for a thicker, chewier inside with a crispy edge. Both the melted/room temp butter and the flattening will make the cookies spread more and they’ll be crispier all the way through.)
These freeze really well, too. Portion them out on a parchment or Silpat-lined cookie sheet (it’s ok to crowd them, since they won’t spread in the freezer) and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zipper bag. Use as needed, and bake for the same amount of time. They’ll hold for at least a month that way, but they never seem to last that long around here 😉
Hope that helps!