Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookies

[sladeums]

Here's one listing of the CI recipe.

Will not attest to it's accuracy to the source, though:

click here for CI's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

[skyflyer3]

I started testing out Alton's recipe a few weeks ago, and I have to say these cookies are splendid. However, it is easy to get a bland cookie if you aren't using dark brown sugar - like real dark muscovado, as opposed to what C&H terms "dark brown sugar". The former is very dark, almost chocolatey brown with a distinct stickiness, and the latter is a golden brown, a very subtle shade lighter than C&H's light brown sugar. Trying to find dark brown sugar that is truly dark is pretty frustrating, by the way. Usually Trader Joe's carries Billingston's brand, which is great, but when they are out only India Tree is available and I can't afford to ay $5 a pound for dark brown sugar. Hmpfh.

Another thing to counter the blandness is to bump the 1.5 tsp of vanilla to 2 tsp, and to do a heaping tsp of salt, in addition to using salted butter. I also decrease the amount of chips to a heaping cup. and dish out smaller cookies. They stay excellent for a couple of days - if they last that long. I will say, they can be pretty greasy. Has anyone tried to bake these with a little oatmeal flour or whole wheat flour mixed in?

[dockhl]

i've made the ci and alton brown ones as well...... i liked both.. but i like the ci ones better too. alton's were good .. mine weren't quite as puffy.

but they were still good. however, on the second day, mine dried out a lot and weren't so chewy anymore. they weren't remarkably fantastic, in my memory. no one really raved about them when i brought them for friends. i really liked the ci ones though. they remained moist and chewy and baked consistenty well. looked about the same.. the alton ones were more shiny and the ci ones were more like they puffed but then dropped back in so it's more.. wrinkly. when i brought these for friends, everybody loved them.

i feel like i should give the alton brown ones another chance though.. since so many people seem to love that recipe. perhaps it was something wrong that i did?? baked too long? not sure...

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I am so confused.....WHICH one did you like?

[Patrick S]

i've made the ci and alton brown ones as well...... i liked both.. but i like the ci ones better too. alton's were good .. mine weren't quite as puffy.

but they were still good. however, on the second day, mine dried out a lot and weren't so chewy anymore. they weren't remarkably fantastic, in my memory. no one really raved about them when i brought them for friends. i really liked the ci ones though. they remained moist and chewy and baked consistenty well. looked about the same.. the alton ones were more shiny and the ci ones were more like they puffed but then dropped back in so it's more.. wrinkly. when i brought these for friends, everybody loved them.

i feel like i should give the alton brown ones another chance though.. since so many people seem to love that recipe. perhaps it was something wrong that i did?? baked too long? not sure...

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I am so confused.....WHICH one did you like?

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Why so confused? yellowmnm81 prefers the CI cookies.

[maui420]

hi, thumbs up on the recipe. tried it just know!

thanks for sharing

I've tried every cookie in the book it seems. I've done lots of tinkering to get the texture just right.  I want a crisp buttery edge surrounding a chewy cookie.  I could acutally enjoy the perfect chocolate chip cookie sans the chips if the cookie dough was superiour. 

While I like AB and CI-- the best I've found is from Gayles Bakery in Capitola.  The Kahola Cookie is truly fab.  here's my version of their cookie:

3/4 c. unbutter

1/4 margarine (I know ew...but it helps with the chew factor)

1 c packed brown sugar (I use light)

2/3 c white sugar

1egg plus 1 yolk

1 teasp vanilla

2 c flour

1 teasp baking soda

1/2 teasp salt

2/3 c oats ground fine in food processor

1 c chips

1 1/3 c toasted nuts (pre toasting them really makes a difference)

-blend butter/marg and sugar until light.  Add eggs & vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Mix dry and wet together.  Add chips and nuts. 

For big bakery style cookies measure out 1/4 c dough balls and bake at 350 until done. (this is your preference--I like mine underdone ion the middle so they stay chewy)

enjoy!

pattycakes

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[butterscotch]

I like using a good amount of salted butter to grease the cookie sheet, it gives an extra buttery crispy salty bottom to the cookie. This recipe looks good! But you didn't mean unbutter and margarine, did you? I guess it's a typo and you meant butter. I'd like to try this but leave the oats as is for a little texture, hmmm. Maybe less oats and a little more flour?

I'll try this soon.

tks!

   I want a crisp buttery edge surrounding a chewy cookie.  

While I like AB and CI-- the best I've found is from Gayles Bakery in Capitola.  The Kahola Cookie is truly fab.  here's my version of their cookie:

3/4 c. unbutter

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Edited February 28, 2006 by butterscotch (log)

[jende]

I followed the Alton Brown recipe exactly, bread flour and all, and I was not impressed by the level of chewiness. The cookies were not as chewy as promised. My family all said the cookies were nothing special. The cookies were a lot like the commercially sold David's Cookies, with a thin crispy edge, soft and gooey center, slightly greasy mouth-feel, and flat profile. I love David's Cookies, but I wanted a chewy cookie.

I then tried the Cooks' Illustrated cookies and liked them better. However, they still were not as chewy as I wanted.

So I made some modifications and got an extremely chewy cookie that I am happy with: more dark-brown sugar (although you could use light-brown sugar if you wanted less molasses flavor) and more flour (all-purpose).

BIG FAT CHEWS

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (using dip-and-sweep method of measuring)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 to 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place oven-rack at center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until blended. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough into 16 balls of equal size. Place on 15-x-18-inch aluminum cookie-sheet lined with non-stick, silicone, baking mat. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes , or just until cookies are lightly golden, edges start to harden, and centers are still soft and puffed. For chewy cookies that are not so soft as to fall apart, take care not to underbake. Remove from oven. Slide baking mat, together with cookies, off cookie-sheet and onto flat surface. Cool on baking mat to room temperature. Cookies are chewiest about 24 hours after baking. Makes 16 three-inch cookies.

Of course, I'm always playing with my chocolate-chip cookie recipe (and other recipes). In another month, I might have made more modifications. The perfect chocolate-chip cookie seems to be a Holy Grail of home-baking.

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I've been on a quest for the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie, and this recipe is the best so far! I just made them a couple hours ago so I'll taste again when they're fully cool, but I really couldn't come up with a way to improve them. Thanks for sharing.

[CanadianBakin']

I followed the Alton Brown recipe exactly, bread flour and all, and I was not impressed by the level of chewiness. The cookies were not as chewy as promised. My family all said the cookies were nothing special. The cookies were a lot like the commercially sold David's Cookies, with a thin crispy edge, soft and gooey center, slightly greasy mouth-feel, and flat profile. I love David's Cookies, but I wanted a chewy cookie.

I then tried the Cooks' Illustrated cookies and liked them better. However, they still were not as chewy as I wanted.

So I made some modifications and got an extremely chewy cookie that I am happy with: more dark-brown sugar (although you could use light-brown sugar if you wanted less molasses flavor) and more flour (all-purpose).

BIG FAT CHEWS

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (using dip-and-sweep method of measuring)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 to 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place oven-rack at center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together butter, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until blended. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough into 16 balls of equal size. Place on 15-x-18-inch aluminum cookie-sheet lined with non-stick, silicone, baking mat. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes , or just until cookies are lightly golden, edges start to harden, and centers are still soft and puffed. For chewy cookies that are not so soft as to fall apart, take care not to underbake. Remove from oven. Slide baking mat, together with cookies, off cookie-sheet and onto flat surface. Cool on baking mat to room temperature. Cookies are chewiest about 24 hours after baking. Makes 16 three-inch cookies.

Of course, I'm always playing with my chocolate-chip cookie recipe (and other recipes). In another month, I might have made more modifications. The perfect chocolate-chip cookie seems to be a Holy Grail of home-baking.

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I've been on a quest for the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie, and this recipe is the best so far! I just made them a couple hours ago so I'll taste again when they're fully cool, but I really couldn't come up with a way to improve them. Thanks for sharing.

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I have found the original to be awesome by adding 1 tsp baking powder and using a 2 oz disher. It spreads a bit more but still keeps a nice thickness and good "chew".

[Blanche Davidian]

In my experience, type of baking sheet/oven control/timing is as least as important as the recipe, if not more. My mom, my sister and I all bake chocolate chip cookies from the same family recipe, but they come out very differently based on our manipulations of the dough. Baking cookies is a lot like cooking a steak--a true master need only eyeball his specimen to determine whether it has achieved its peak of doneness. Unfortunately, the only way to acquire this rarified talent is to bake (and ruin) hundreds of batches of cookies.

I like doubling the salt in cookie recipes. I'm a total sucker for the sweet/salty combination. Chocolate covered pretzels--yes, please!

[shaloop]

Could someone please post the CI recipe? I tried the link above, but it didn't work. I would like to test a few of these recipes (along with some from another CC cookie thread.)

Thanks.

[ruthcooks]

Hi, Shaloop,

I just tried the CI Choc Chip link and it worked. Try this:CI Chocolate Chip Cookie

Just for the record, everyone:

Having someone enter a recipe in eGullet or RecipeGullet directly from a printed source is against eGullet copyright policy. Posting links to the internet is the way to go. If you need to ask a question of the poster, PM privately. Thanks.