twist77

Had some great success over the weaken tweaking temp & times using Elizabeth11's great recipe. In addition, instead of keeping the batter in the freezer during each baking session, I preformed each 1/2 cup "puck" and then placed in freezer - I think this really helped to maintain the shape and height. Now that I'm zeroing in on the recipe & baking, I'd love to hear some great suggestions for ingredients... Perhaps you have some interesting combos? Gourmet additions? Or just general tips on ingredient choices (ie: chocolate recomendations, vanilla extract recomendations et) Thanks again for all the help

thanks Claire - ...have you tried any from http://www.ginsberg.com/anna/blogchart.htm ?

what other board are you referring to?

First test completed last night... I tried Elizabeth_11's recipe - truly AWESOME! Instead of 1/4 cup "pucks" I used 1/2 cup size and baked for 17 minutes. In addition, I doubled up (parchment lined) baking sheets and kept the dough in the freezer between batches. After each batch, I returned the trays to the freezer until they were cold. I also used bittersweet block chocolate and bulk english toffee instead of chips (probably won't do the toffee again though). Total yield was 8, huge delicious cookies! :) While this was certainly a success, I'm still trying to get the height (ok, maybe I'm a little obsessed). The pre cooked 1/2 cup "puck" is about the height I'm looking for. Obviously there will be spread, but I've seen cookies (see my original post) that not only have the diameter, but also the height. Don't get me wrong, by no means were these cookies thin... I think I might try claire797's recipe next. The extra dough and corn syrup might make the difference (?) BTW, where did you (claire797) get this recipe? Thanks again for all the help - I'll keep you posted!

...how long should I freeze for if I want to bake immediately and not store? 1hr? Overnight?

RE: Mixer It's the pro 6qt price: $369 free shipping http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...lance&s=kitchen (I just missed someone locally selling a brand new 6qt pro - unopened, not refurbished - for $230! Damn!#@!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Any suggestions on the best type of trays to bake cookies on?

Thanks for all the great responses! ...trying to decide which recipe to try first, Elizabeth_11 or Nielsen Massey Chocolate Chip Cookies! I'll let you know how it goes. Any details on freezing the dough (after mixing)? For example, Elizabeth_11's recipe calls for "1/4 cup sized puck-shaped mounds." Should I shape these first, place them on a parchment lined tray (wrapped tight) and freeze the whole thing OR just keep the bowl in the freezer and shape when ready? I would think that placing the frozen tray directly in the oven would help in preventing spread...? Also, I have been using Ghirardelli blocks (white and semi-sweet) roughly chopped with a chef's knife. I prerfer the large, random size pieces than chips, though I'm not overly impressed with the quality of this chocolate. Any rercomendations for block chocolate to use in cookies? Thanks again! ps: any good on-line sites for a kitchen Aid 6qt mixer (so far amazon seems to have the best price and no shipping cost).

Hi - New member here... Great forum! I need help in making large/thick cookies (ie: chocolate chunk). I have read tips such as freezing the dough, using parchment paper, using room temp trays and so forth. As a good example, if you are familiar with Selma's cookies (http://www.selmas.com/ -- won outstanding cookie award at the International Fancy Food Show in New York) or specialtys( http://www.specialtys.com/ - CA) you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm looking to make big (3.5" 1/4lb each) cookies.... Perhaps a solid base recipe that would be flexible to try different "cookie add-ins" What about dough, sugar, eggs, butter and especially chocolate.... Can I use store bought ingredients or for the real deal do I need to order high end ingredients? I assume great chocolate is worth the extra $ -- what's the best type for cookies? Got some great tips? Killer recipes? Thanks in advance!