Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

[gfron1]

First of all - don't you dare promote your recipe. I already have customers asking if mine are the NYT version to which I reply, "No, mine are much more complicated and sophisticated in both technique and taste."

Second, just because you're use melted butter does not disqualify them. By that standard we have to remove all sorts of recipes from various desserts. All that will leave us is crap out of a box. If we must, then we'll call Leite's cookies - lazy bastard CCCs, and yours CCCs for people who give a crap. Okay, an over-statement, but I believe that definition to be too artificial and self-serving.

(Okay, I can't let it go that easily). So let's say that any cherry pie that includes tapioca is no longer a cherry pie. Heaven forbid there are fresh cherries instead of canned. Lattice - no - the authentic must be topless. If he wants to say, "A toll house style cookie" v. chocolate chip cookie, then I'll buy that distinction. Now, I'm done.

[MikeHartnett]

I agree. It seems like the name "Chocolate Chip Cookies" technically includes any cookie with chocolate chips. While one recipe may be more traditionally thought of as being a "Chocolate Chip Cookie," I don't think you can disqualify a different recipe for additions.

[jgm]

I agree.  It seems like the name "Chocolate Chip Cookies" technically includes any cookie with chocolate chips.  While one recipe may be more traditionally thought of as being a "Chocolate Chip Cookie," I don't think you can disqualify a different recipe for additions.

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I haven't made Paul's recipe yet, although I have found and purchased the muscovado sugar, and plan to do so as soon as the heat breaks enough to make me not feel sick at the mere thought of turning on the oven.

However, I don't know how differing ingredients - especially browned butter vs. whatever, could disqualify a recipe from the generic "chocolate chip cookie" recipe. I could see differentiating Toll House cookies from others, because that's much more specific; it's a recipe born in a specific place at a specific time. And who knows, somebody may be able to come up with an argument that would make me take even that back.

I guess taste will tell. But I still don't understand Mr. Leite's statement about a difference between chocolate chip cookies, and cookies with chocolate chips.

[alanamoana]

if i understand correctly, paulraphael's recipe does reduce the amount of chocolate chips because he feels that the dough should shine as the main component.

i'm not overly concerned with technique or ingredients, but i think mr. leite is correct in saying that these are cookies with chocolate (pieces) in them.

but, i'm not one to get into too philosophical a discussion about something like chocolate chip cookies. i just think mr. leite believes that there are categories of cookies out there and paulraphael's cookies might fall into another category based on method and ratio of chocolate pieces to dough.

[gfron1]

A quick update. I've cut back to just one days aging and have added PaulRaphael's newly suggested powdered milk (updated in RecipeGullet). I found the 2 and 3 day aging were not as important as the browned butter and muscovado, and effected the final appearance in ways that I did not prefer. I think I'm done playing now

[Kerry Beal]

While I was in Fox and Obel in Chicago - I had the opportunity to look at light and dark muscavado sugar. It looks just the the plain old brown sugar that we buy here in Canada. Am I totally mistaken - does it have some special property that isn't apparent in it's appearance?

Answered my own question - just found out that up until two years ago Lantic sugar sold muscovado, now they have stopped due to lack of interest. So I used to see it as regular old sugar in my stores, now I'm looking at the stuff where the molasses is added back to white sugar.

Edited August 16, 2008 by Kerry Beal (log)

[paulraphael]

I was lucky enough to exchange some ideas with Michael Laiskonis (pastry chef at le bernardain) about brown butter ice cream, and a light bulb went off. I realized you could intensify the flavor of brown butter by adding some dry milk to the melted butter before browning it (it's the milk solids in the butter that brown and release the flavor). A little goes a long way.

I adjusted the cookie recipe, and think it's an improvement. Not a radical difference, but the flavors are deeper.

[isomer]

I was lucky enough to exchange some ideas with Michael Laiskonis (pastry chef at le bernardain) about brown butter ice cream, and a light bulb went off. I realized you could intensify the flavor of brown butter by adding some dry milk to the melted butter before browning it (it's the milk solids in the butter that brown and release the flavor). A little goes a long way.

I adjusted the cookie recipe, and think it's an improvement. Not a radical difference, but the flavors are deeper.

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I made a batch today, and they are very, very good. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with us!

Here's how they came out:

I also made a batch of the Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from the January 1996 issue (see next post), which is the one where you are supposed to portion the cookies with a disher, then split the ball in half and join the halfs together with the split sides facing up. I tried the same technique on these cookies. (top and right, above). The one on the left was done as a straight ball. Personally, I like the shape of the one on the left better, but look at the next post for how it works for the CI cookies.

One more look to show the thickness:

[isomer]

Here are the Cook's Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from the January 1996 issue. I followed their recipe and split the balls of dough in half, then joined the halfs together with the splits facing up. Here's how they look before they go into the oven:

And here's how they came out:

They actually look better than the photo shows, but the idea is that the rough texture makes for a "bakeshop" looking cookie. It seems to work for this dough. Here is a view from the side so you can see how thick they are:

Overall, these are a pretty good cookie. I much prefer the taste of the paulraphael cookies, but these sure look great.

As an aside, these and the previous cookies are the first cookies I've ever baked! talk about beginner's luck - they came out pretty well

[paulraphael]

Great, I'm glad you liked them, Isomer.

Did you make them with the added dry milk?

If so, I'm curious to know if you noticed any kind of bitter aftertaste. I noticed this in a couple of batches I made lately, and am thinking the recipe might be better with a little less of the dry milk. Or maybe with the butter browned a bit less than what I've been doing.

[isomer]

Great, I'm glad you liked them, Isomer.

Did you make them with the added dry milk?

If so, I'm curious to know if you noticed any kind of bitter aftertaste. I noticed this in a couple of batches I made lately, and am thinking the recipe might be better with a little less of the dry milk. Or maybe with the butter browned a bit less than what I've been doing.

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I used the dry milk at gfron1's prompting. There's no bitter aftertaste at all.

I noticed that you have to be pretty careful with the butter, though. It went from nothing to pretty brown in an instant. I was a bit worried because it was quite brown, so I cooled for a few minutes and tasted it to be sure.

Also at gron1's prompting, I've got a batch of dough resting for 48 hours in the fridge to compare the texture with the 24 hour dough. Will report back...

[paulraphael]

Cool, thanks. I might have just browned the butter too aggressively.

I split the last batch in half ... baked one after a day and the other after three days. I didn't notice any significant differences in flavor or texture. Which is fine with me. It's nice to have the flexibility to bake them whenever.

[isomer]

Here is the result of the aging experiment with paulraphael's cookies:

The cookie on the left aged 24 hrs, the one in the middle 48 hrs, and the one on the right 72 hrs.

First off, the aging doesn't seem to affect the taste at all. Texture, though, is a different story altogether. It seems like the longer the dough ages, the tougher it gets, and the less it rises. The 72 hr cookie is smaller, tougher, and almost cakey inside. The 24 cookie on the other hand is nice and tender. It also happens to look the best. So in the end, I am going to age them 24 hrs.

[paulraphael]

Interesting. I never saw that big a difference. What kind of container did the dough age in?

[isomer]

Interesting. I never saw that big a difference. What kind of container did the dough age in?

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In a ziplock bag inside a tupperware container.

[gfron1]

Yep, looks just like mine - that shiny domey surface of 72 hours that brought me back to 24 hours.

I did find a slightly more caramely flavor with aging, however.

thanks for documenting it for us.

[sus]

I am so sorry if this has been asked before but I have been reading through some cookie threads that have some wonderful cookie recipes I would like to try (Korovas, CIA Mudslides anyone?). However, I am having a really hard time finding simply delicious chocolate chip cookies recipes. I don't like them crisp, though I like them thin, and soft, though not too soft. Oh oh. Any help, even if to point me to the right thread, would be appreciated!

Thanks!!!

Sus

[merstar]

I am so sorry if this has been asked before but I have been reading through some cookie threads that have some wonderful cookie recipes I would like to try (Korovas, CIA Mudslides anyone?).  However, I am having a really hard time finding simply delicious chocolate chip cookies recipes.  I don't like them crisp, though I like them thin, and soft, though not too soft.  Oh oh.  Any help, even if to point me to the right thread, would be appreciated!

Thanks!!!

Sus

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Check these out - they're excellent:

Chewy Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://www.recipezaar.com/17113

Another excellent one - (I use heaping Tbsp instead of 1/4 cup scoops):

Brown Butter Muscovado Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r2108.html

Edited March 1, 2009 by merstar (log)

[Emily_R]

Hey folks --

Ok, while previously I had been mostly a fan of chocolate chip cookies with a little oatmeal added to them, I am now a slave to the recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. It has a higher sugar to butter ratio then most cc cookies I'm used to (1.5: 1, rather than 1:1), but somehow they don't taste too sweet... They just taste... Divine! I used chopped Callebaut chocolate, a mix of semisweet and bittersweet. Note these weren't aged or anything... But oh my god. I cannot be trusted with these things in our house.

Emily

[nakji]

Are the cookies thin, chewy, and brown? What makes them so addictive?

I once tried a Martha Stewart recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but they turned out much thinner and browner than I like - they were too chewy and crunchy, and not cakey enough for my liking. I like plump chocolate chip cookies, ever-so-slightly-underbaked in the centre.

[Emily_R]

Are the cookies thin, chewy, and brown? What makes them so addictive?

I once tried a Martha Stewart recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but they turned out much thinner and browner than I like - they were too chewy and crunchy, and not cakey enough for my liking. I like plump chocolate chip cookies, ever-so-slightly-underbaked in the centre.

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Hi Nakji -- These are certainly not cakey at all... I would say they are crisp on the edges and chewy in the center... Only thin and brown when I overbaked them, but the perfect blend of crispy and chewy (for me at least) when I baked them just right...

[DeliciouslyLekker]

I made David Leite's supposedly perfect chocolate chip cookies yesterday and was throughly disappointed (not to mention grumpy at having to use my precious 5 euro per 70g bar stash of Valrhona chocolate ).

I made 3 batches- one after about 22 hours in the fridge, another after 37 hours and the last after about 60 hours. There was a slight difference but not much (the first had a more.. cakey middle, the last I haven't tried but they pretty much look the same).

I don't know what I did wrong but these were rather boring cookies:/

[Desiderio]

I think I have found my ultimate favorite chocolate chip cookie.

I ued Alton Brown ( the chewy one ) reduced the butter to 1 1/2 sticks and replaced with about 1/4 cup ( maybe more ) of hazelnut paste ( pure hazelnut buter ), I use little more flour for the altitude, and use a variety of chocolate chips, I have used also mini M&M for my son. I made a big batch scoop them, froze them and then bag them, so I can bake a couple at the time. I will post the pic when I bake some. They are nice and chewy and pretty thick, I bake them frozen.

[nakji]

I think I have found my ultimate favorite chocolate chip cookie.

I ued Alton Brown ( the chewy one ) reduced the butter to 1 1/2 sticks and replaced with about 1/4 cup ( maybe more ) of hazelnut paste ( pure hazelnut buter ), I use little more flour for the altitude, and use a variety of chocolate chips, I have used also mini M&M for my son. I made a big batch scoop them, froze them and then bag them, so I can bake a couple at the time. I will post the pic when I bake some. They are nice and chewy and pretty thick, I bake them frozen.

Oh, wow. Do they taste anything like gianduja? That has to be my favourite flavour profile for sweets.

I made 3 batches- one after about 22 hours in the fridge, another after 37 hours and the last after about 60 hours. There was a slight difference but not much (the first had a more.. cakey middle, the last I haven't tried but they pretty much look the same).

They look spectacular, however. Please let us know if the 60 hour one tasted any different after you've tried it. And if you need any taste testers....

These are certainly not cakey at all... I would say they are crisp on the edges and chewy in the center... Only thin and brown when I overbaked them, but the perfect blend of crispy and chewy (for me at least) when I baked them just right...

Ah, I'm not a fan of crisp at all when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. I always try to maximize the cakey/gooey centre factor.

[Desiderio]

The flavor is not as strong of Gianduja in the cookies, but it gives a nice nutty flavor.