Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

[merstar]

I wanted to resurrect this thread.

I made these cookies several times, and they were fantastic. I did some tweaks, ie, used instant espresso (half the amount), instead of instant coffee, plus added some salt, omitted the nuts, etc., and baked at 350 F (didn't like the results with the listed 325 F):

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COFFEE COOKIES

http://sweetmary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/chocolate-chunk-coffee-cookies.html

Edited February 12, 2010 by merstar (log)

[agray]

While we're resurrecting, I want to put in a vote for Thomas Keller's chocolate chip cookies from Ad Hoc At Home. I discuss them and post a photo on page 2:

They're quite good indeed. The recipe is online here: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/cookbooks/thomas-keller-ad-hoc-at-home-c/

[merstar]

While we're resurrecting, I want to put in a vote for Thomas Keller's chocolate chip cookies from Ad Hoc At Home. I discuss them and post a photo on page 2:

They're quite good indeed. The recipe is online here: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/cookbooks/thomas-keller-ad-hoc-at-home-c/

I agree - the cookies are excellent. However, I didn't like the 70% cacao in there, which surprised me, since I prefer chocolate at 70% - 75%. But somehow, I didn't like that high a percentage in contrast to the sweet cookie. When I made them a second time, I used a lower cacao percentage, and loved them.

[Chris Hennes]

I finally got around to making paulraphael's recipe (I used the one in RecipeGullet). Unfortunately it turns out I had purchased the dark brown Muscovado so I just forged ahead with that instead. Overall, the cookies were a big hit with my wife's co-workers, whose verdict is probably the most important in terms of making the recipe again. While a little finicky, I don't think the recipe was so much extra work that I'd worry about it next time I wanted chocolate chip cookies. I did use the milk powder with the butter, but I don't have a basis for comparison so I can't say how much difference it made to my palate (or those of my "test subjects").

[paulraphael]

Oh snap! I've recently rejiggered the recipe for dark muscovado. i did it to economize ... dark costs the same but has gobs more molasses in it, so you only need to use a fraction as much as you do with light.

Your cookies were just much darker and heavier on the molasses flavors than the normal recipe. Who knows .. you might like your version better. For me, too much molasses overwhelms the butter and nut and vanilla flavors.

Here's the update.

[Chris Hennes]

Great, thanks for the update. Do you have a preference for one recipe versus the other (e.g. the dark versus the light)? Or is it pure economics?

[paulraphael]

I haven't gone as far as tasting them side-by-side, but I tweaked the dark muscovado version until it tasted the same as my memory of the light muscovado version. All of this will depend on the actual molasses content of the light and dark sugars you're using ... expect some variation. I don't even know how consistent any given brand of sugar is over time. I'm guessing that exotic sugars like the muscovados could have more inconsistencies than the more industrial products.

What surprised me is that in the brands I tried (inda tree and billingtons) the dark muscovado seems to have way, way more molasses than the light. I wasn't expecting to have to change the proportions as much as I did.

[Matthew.Taylor]

Normally, i'm severely against resurrecting old threads, but I found this and felt I had to add something. My current go-to chocolate chip cookie is this one.

I got it from this website.

http://www.thecrepesofwrath.com/2011/06/29/infamous-jacques-torres-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

TORRES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.

INGREDIENTS

1.       2 Cups Minus 2 Tablespoons Cake flour

2.       1 2/3 cups Bread flour

3.       1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder

4.       1 ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda.

5.       1 ½ teaspoons Coarse salt

6.       2 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

7.       1 ¼ cups Light Brown Sugar, packed

8.       1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Granulated (white) sugar

9.       2 Large Eggs, room temperature.

10.   2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract

11.   1 ½ pounds bittersweet chocolate discs or feves, at least 60% cacao content. Or substitute a bag and a half (or 2 bags) 60% Cacao chocolate chips, or type of your choice.)

12.   Sea Salt or Fleur De sel, for sprinkling

STEPS.

1.       Sift together the Flours, Baking powder and Soda, and Salt in a medium size bowl, and set aside.

2.       In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the Butter and Sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes

3.       Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well blended, scraping down the sides as needed.

4.       Add in the Vanilla and mix until combined.

5.       Gradually add in the dry ingredients, until just moistened.

6.       Fold in your chocolate until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough.

7.       Take a piece of plastic wrap, and cover the bowl, pressing it against the dough, and making sure it is completely covered.

8.       Refrigerate dough for at least 24 hours, to 72 hours.

9.       When ready to bake, set dough out to get to room temperature, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

10.   Line with parchment, or grease your cookie sheets.

11.   Scoop out dough at size you want, but do not press the dough balls down.

12.   Place dough balls on cookie sheets, and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel, or sea salt.

13.   For smaller cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes. For larger cookies bake for 18-20 minutes.

14.   Allow them to cool slightly on the sheet, before moving them to a cooling rack.

15.   Let cool till edible (or warm), and serve. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for 2 months.

 

As I said, this is the infamous Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe attributed to Jacques Torres.

 

I got it off of a website that said it was the Jacques Torres recipe, I don't know how accurate that is, as I haven't seen the original, but it is the best chocolate chip cookie I've tasted. I use normal chips, as I don't know where to get those chocolate disks, and something in me is just against the use of those coverture discs. I'm currently trying to merge this Recipe with the idea behind those extra large cookies you get from Levain bakery in New York. (Cornstarch and baking after freezing seem to be the answer, just need to fins a good ratio).

 

edit: Added the website I got it from. Hope that helps with any rules I may have broken. I am very sorry about that.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Matthew.Taylor (log)