Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

Rose&Thorn · July 26, 2007

I'll humbly add my chocolate chip recipe (click!), which I've been fiddling with since I was little. The cookies end up chewy with crisp edges, and incredibly rich. I've been approached by quite a few people to make these and sell them, but somehow I never got around to it .
They look like this:
(psst - Kerry, there are now 10 chocolate chip recipes in RecipeGullet)
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Your "humble" chocolate cookie looks great - no humility in them at all. I am going to try it this weekend. Will make a wonderful winter warmer with a cup of hot chocolate. The weather in Cape Town is awful so this is going to be a real treat.

Rose& Thorn :wub:

LittleIsland · July 26, 2007

Maybe Jacques just doesn't keep AP flower in the pantry?
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This is possible. When I was doing my time in the hotel kitchen I found they didn't use AP flour as such. All their recipes which looked like they would require AP flour called for a combination of bread and pastry flour (but in varying proportions).

May - on reducing sugar content in cookie recipes, I normally do it proportionately. I'm with you on sweetness - I find most cookie recipes too sweet. So, I usually cut back on both sugars by 15% (I find this to be a good level for me), and this keeps the proportion of brown to white sugar the same.

miladyinsanity · July 26, 2007

May - on reducing sugar content in cookie recipes, I normally do it proportionately. I'm with you on sweetness - I find most cookie recipes too sweet. So, I usually cut back on both sugars by 15% (I find this to be a good level for me), and this keeps the proportion of brown to white sugar the same.
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I'll try that. Thanks!

LittleIsland · July 28, 2007

May - on reducing sugar content in cookie recipes, I normally do it proportionately. I'm with you on sweetness - I find most cookie recipes too sweet. So, I usually cut back on both sugars by 15% (I find this to be a good level for me), and this keeps the proportion of brown to white sugar the same.
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I'll try that. Thanks!
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Oh I made another batch of these today and realised from my previous notes that I had cut back the sugar by 20% the first time. And it was fine. Today I subbed 30% of the flour for oat flour and it was also good.

Ylee · July 29, 2007

Has anyone tried Sherry Yard's "Secrets of Baking" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe before? I loved the chewy result, but was wondering if there was maybe a typo in the book with regards to the sugar content as they were very sweet. The conversation I had with someone about them was something along the lines of :

Him: These cookies are nice, but they are desperately sweet.

Me: Yes, they are a bit sweet....

Him: No, not a bit sweet, desperately sweet!

One recipe I really love though, is Tartine's Deluxe Double Chocolate Cookies. The chocolate is melted and whisked into the dough. It's not a chocolate chip cookie, but I guess you could probably add chopped chocolate if you wanted to (then they would be Triple Chocolate Cookies!).

Luckylies · July 29, 2007

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the modified tollhouse...everybody I know has a little something they do to make it just...that much better.

I double the vanilla and use dark brown sugar. A also skip the chocolate chips and go with nuts instead.

I call it a no chocolate chip- chocolate chip cookie...

Patrick S · July 29, 2007

Has anyone tried Sherry Yard's "Secrets of Baking" Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe before? I loved the chewy result, but was wondering if there was maybe a typo in the book with regards to the sugar content as they were very sweet. The conversation I had with someone about them was something along the lines of :
Him: These cookies are nice, but they are desperately sweet.
Me: Yes, they are a bit sweet....
Him: No, not a bit sweet, desperately sweet!
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I haven't tried them, but the recipe does look a little sweet. Plus it seems to have very little salt to balance out the sugar -- 1/4t salt to 1.25C of sugars.

sugar plum · July 31, 2007

I've been distracted lately by a few birthday cakes but I'm now back on the chocolate chip cookie bandwagon. Tonight, I baked off claire797's Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pudding:

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r242.html

Here's my results:

This cookie has a wonderful flavour that won rave reviews around here but I found it's texture was a tad too soft. I'm still a huge fan of the Neiman Marcus cookie.

Next up for me is the Cook's Illustrated recipe.

sugar plum · August 2, 2007

I baked off the Cook's Illustrated "Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe last night. For those of you that aren't familiar with it, it calls for some wonky cookie forming prior to putting the dough in the oven. I was curious to see if this made any difference in the cookie's texture, etc. In a nutshell, it doesn't. It's a recipe very similiar to the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe (i.e. ~2 cups flour, ~1 cup butter, ~2 cups white/brown sugar...) but it produces very strangely shaped cookies. I can't say that I'll repeat this ridiculous process again. Basically, the CI cookie recipe tells you to form balls of cookie dough, split them in half and then join the bases together leaving the rough ends exposed. I'm not sure what the logic was for doing this but in my opinion, it's a total waste of time.

Here's what they looked like:

Oh, I almost forgot, the other difference in this recipe was that it called for the butter to be melted first before combining it with the sugars. I didn't notice this making any difference in the cookie either. There's a lot of "tweaks" to this recipe but in the end it tastes pretty similar to the basic Toll House recipe.

Tonight, I made the dough for Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies featured on the Martha Stewart show. I'm a little concerned about what my results will be like because his recipe calls for pastry flour and bread flour--American stylie. I've read in this thread that there are differences between American and Canadian flour. Hopefully, I haven't just wasted a boat-load of ingredients on this recipe! It called for 1 lb of butter and 2 lbs of semi-sweet!!!!

sugar plum · August 3, 2007

Is anyone else still baking along with me?

Here's what will probably be my last attempt at this bake-off. After about 5 recipes, I'm chocolate chipped-out. The Jacques Torres Cookie from the Martha Stewart Show:

Although I prefer the Neiman Marcus cookie, the Jacques Torres cookie is a darn close runner-up. What a fantastic recipe! It makes 26-5" cookies which are massive but taste wonderful. Very chewy on the inside and crispy around the edges. I love the addition of the blended oats to the Neiman Marcus cookie so--in my opinion--that's what missing from Jacques recipe.

Again, you can find Jacques' recipe here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/m...0005b09a00aRCRD

LittleIsland · August 3, 2007

Is anyone else still baking along with me?
Here's what will probably be my last attempt at this bake-off. After about 5 recipes, I'm chocolate chipped-out. The Jacques Torres Cookie from the Martha Stewart Show:
Although I prefer the Neiman Marcus cookie, the Jacques Torres cookie is a darn close runner-up. What a fantastic recipe! It makes 26-5" cookies which are massive but taste wonderful. Very chewy on the inside and crispy around the edges. I love the addition of the blended oats to the Neiman Marcus cookie so--in my opinion--that's what missing from Jacques recipe.
Again, you can find Jacques' recipe here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/m...0005b09a00aRCRD
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Those look deeelicious! I stopped a while back because I have been happy with the Unbelievably Good Chocolate Chunk cookies with 30% of the flour subbed for oat flour instead, and also Dorie Greenspan's recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Would you say the flavour of the Jacque Torres cookie is better than the NM cookie? If so then why not try subbing some oats? I might try the Jacue Torres recipe. I normally stash lots of cookie dough in the freezer anyway because the family inhales cookies and I like to bake off a dozen a time for absolute freshness.

sugar plum · August 3, 2007

[Those look deeelicious! I stopped a while back because I have been happy with the Unbelievably Good Chocolate Chunk cookies with 30% of the flour subbed for oat flour instead, and also Dorie Greenspan's recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours.
Would you say the flavour of the Jacque Torres cookie is better than the NM cookie? If so then why not try subbing some oats? I might try the Jacue Torres recipe. I normally stash lots of cookie dough in the freezer anyway because the family inhales cookies and I like to bake off a dozen a time for absolute freshness.
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I would say that I still prefer the "nuttiness" that the blended oats provide to the Neiman Marcus over Jacques' cookie. Jacques' recipe is a great one if you're looking to make A LOT of dough. It has about 6 cups of flour and a whole 1lb of butter in it!

I'm a little afraid to tinker with Jacques' recipe (i.e. add blended oats to it) as it has different kinds of flour in it than the usual chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Well, it's been fun experimenting and I'm happy to have a "go to" recipe now for my CCC. I suppose that's what these bake-offs are all about?

paulraphael · August 3, 2007

Which NM recipe are you using? I've seen a couple of recipes attributed to them (including the urban legend one) ...

Also, has anyone tried the Jacques Torres recipe with regular AP flour?

I wonder if there's anything special about his cookies at all besides the massive load of top quality chocolate!

Edited August 3, 2007 by paulraphael (log)

sugar plum · August 3, 2007

Which NM recipe are you using? I've seen a couple of recipes attributed to them (including the urban legend one) ...
Also, has anyone tried the Jacques Torres recipe with regular AP flour?
I wonder if there's anything special about his cookies at all besides the massive load of top quality chocolate!
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This is the recipe I used for the Neiman Marcus cookie:

http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp

There is a recipe on the official NM website but it's not the one above which is all over the web. I think I may have halved the recipe when I made it.

annarborfoodie · August 8, 2007

I made four different recipes on Sunday. I am starting a low-sugar diet this week and wanted to get baking out of my system...

Clockwise from top left: Chocolate Espresso Chews, Unbelievably Good, Jacques Torres, and Tejon's.

My favorite: Jacques Torres

Office favorite: tie between Jacques Torres and Espresso Chews

Favorite of the recipients of the twenty pounds of cookies I shipped on Monday: yet to be determined

I liked Tejon's but they were more of an oatmeal cookie to me. I'm tempted to tinker with the recipe though. For the Jacques Torres, I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus Dark chocolate and I think that made a big difference - it was a very adult cookie. I liked the Unbelievably Good, but they were pretty close to the CI Thick and Chewy, which is my go-to recipe, and still will be after all the experimentation.

Editing to add: I used KA AP flour for the Jacques Torres. I can't compare with what they would have been with the prescribed combination of flours, but they turned out fine with regular old AP. I have no idea where I'd get pastry flour in this town...

Edited August 8, 2007 by annarborfoodie (log)

sugar plum · August 9, 2007

I liked Tejon's but they were more of an oatmeal cookie to me. I'm tempted to tinker with the recipe though. For the Jacques Torres, I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus Dark chocolate and I think that made a big difference - it was a very adult cookie. I liked the Unbelievably Good, but they were pretty close to the CI Thick and Chewy, which is my go-to recipe, and still will be after all the experimentation.
Editing to add: I used KA AP flour for the Jacques Torres. I can't compare with what they would have been with the prescribed combination of flours, but they turned out fine with regular old AP. I have no idea where I'd get pastry flour in this town...
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Annarborfoodie,

All your cookies look delish! Good luck with the diet...I'm in awe of anyone who can accomplish such a feat.

I'm curious to try the Jacques Torres recipe with AP flour because I made them with the bread and pastry flours. In the future, I doubt very much that I'll be making this recipe if I have to keep going out to get the aforementioned flours. Other than AP and whole wheat flour, I don't tend to keep any other types in the house. Nonetheless, this recipe was by far the winner in my household/workplace too.

monavano · August 31, 2007

I made a great recipe yesterday. It uses oats (processed into a flour) and nuts (walnuts and pecans). Here's the recipe and some pics!

CanadianBakin' · September 5, 2007

Darcie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, 67-70 degrees F
9.5 ounces (1 1/3 cup) packed light brown sugar
4.7 ounces (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 medium eggs (If using large eggs, reserve 1 white)
1 tablespoon +/- Kahlua
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
10.5 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole rolled oats, ground to coarse flour in food processor or blender
4.5 ounces (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour (I like Pillsbury best)
6 ounces (1 cup) chocolate chips (I usually use 7 ounces but 6 is conveniently sized)
1/2 cup Mini M&Ms (optional but I like 'em)
I don't know if I should include this recipe in Recipe Gullet - I'd like feedback first.
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I tried this recipe yesterday and it didn't work out for me. The flavour and texture are great but they are flat as pancakes with the chocolate chips sticking out. I weighed everything so it was accurate. As I was making them I wondered if there was too much backing powder and baking soda in them. Would this make the difference? I couldn't taste them in the finished product.

junehl · September 7, 2007

I had taken a baking course once, and the instructor said that if you over cream your sugar and butter it will make your cookies spread a lot.

Maybe you can try to cream your butter and sugar less to make them thicker?

Marlene · September 7, 2007

I made chocolate chip cookies ala Blue Smoke for a gathering here a the cottage a while back, and they were a huge hit.

CanadianBakin' · September 7, 2007

I had taken a baking course once, and the instructor said that if you over cream your sugar and butter it will make your cookies spread a lot.
Maybe you can try to cream your butter and sugar less to make them thicker?
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That is a possibility. I'll pay more attention to that next time.

Toliver · September 7, 2007

I made chocolate chip cookies ala Blue Smoke for a gathering here a the cottage a while back, and they were a huge hit.
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Marlene, the recipe doesn't mention what kind of flour to use. Did you use AP?

As for the problem mentioned in another post about cookies spreading too thin, you can also try refrigerating the dough before baking.

monavano · September 8, 2007

Darcie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, 67-70 degrees F
9.5 ounces (1 1/3 cup) packed light brown sugar
4.7 ounces (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 medium eggs (If using large eggs, reserve 1 white)
1 tablespoon +/- Kahlua
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
10.5 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole rolled oats, ground to coarse flour in food processor or blender
4.5 ounces (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour (I like Pillsbury best)
6 ounces (1 cup) chocolate chips (I usually use 7 ounces but 6 is conveniently sized)
1/2 cup Mini M&Ms (optional but I like 'em)
I don't know if I should include this recipe in Recipe Gullet - I'd like feedback first.
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I tried this recipe yesterday and it didn't work out for me. The flavour and texture are great but they are flat as pancakes with the chocolate chips sticking out. I weighed everything so it was accurate. As I was making them I wondered if there was too much backing powder and baking soda in them. Would this make the difference? I couldn't taste them in the finished product.
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I posted my cookies upthread, and the link to the recipe. I baked the cookies in 2 sheet pan batchs. For my first batch, I lined one pan with a silpat, and the other with parchment paper (only have one silpat). I noted that the silpat cookies were spread thin and did not have the rise and texture of the cookies baked on parchment paper. I switched to parchment for both pans after that.

My sense is that in my case, the silpat cookies encounters a far lower coefficient of friciton, leading the them spreading more that the cookies on paper. The parchment was able to be reused until I was done baking.

Hope this helps.

Marlene · September 8, 2007

I made chocolate chip cookies ala Blue Smoke for a gathering here a the cottage a while back, and they were a huge hit.
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Marlene, the recipe doesn't mention what kind of flour to use. Did you use AP?
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I did. Unbleached AP.

merstar · October 4, 2007

I just made these last night and they're really good. They were a little too sweet for me right out of the oven, (I cut the salt in half, so that probably affected it), but after storing overnight, the sweetness mellowed. Out of the oven, they had crispy edges and chewy centers. After being stored in an airtight container overnight, they became chewy all the way through.

(I added about 2-4 extra Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips).

ADDICTIVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

http://bakingbites.com/2005/08/addictive-c...e-chip-cookies/

Edited October 4, 2007 by merstar (log)

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