So, because I’m a nerd and planning is my middle name and I’m on a “quest” so it feels like its more than just jumping in the kitchen and playing around, I felt like I needed a plan. A specific order and set of steps for discovery.
1. Based on research, bake the 4 basic chocolate chip cookie recipes
- Nestle Toll House Original Recipe
- Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (aka – Crisco recipe)
- Neiman Marcus $250 recipe (there has been some debate here…the one I got off their website does not have oatmeal, coconut, etc involved…its all basic ingredients)
- Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Sally’s Baking Addiction…kept coming up…had a different ingredient and different amounts so I thought I would see)
2. Bake 4 of each cookie as is, immediately following mixing – bake, photograph, taste, observe
3. Save 4 cookies of each (same size as others) and refrigerate for 24 hours – bake, photograph, taste, observe
4. Decide which recipe is best and tweak the ingredients.
- I’m determined to see if bread flour makes a difference
- I’m determined to see if size of cookie makes them bake up different
- I’m determined to find out if there is anything to the butter/butter-Crisco myth
- I’m determined to find out if the sugar combination matters to baking or taste
5. Several other “type” of recipes have come out. I personally LOVE an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, so I will be trying some variations after I determine the basic recipe. (if you have any to add to the mix, email it to me!)
2 things I think should be stated from the beginning about my cookie experimenting:
- NO cookie should ever have nuts in it. For you nut lovers, I’m sorry, you will be disappointed here. The best way to ruin a chocolate chip cookie is to put nuts in it. So, if one of these recipes calls for nuts, I’m skipping that step like it doesn’t even exist.
- I bake all cookies on a seasoned baking stone. Its always been the PERFECT thing to cook my cookies on. The one I use I’ve been cooking on for 10 years. Its seasoned, The cookies cook perfect, they slide off easy and I have less clean up. I do have a back up that I’ll use on the days I’m cooking dozens at a time, but for now, expect to see the dark brown, seasoned baking stone…I’ll swear by that thing.
