It’s not often that I say this, but… this week, baking made me sad. I take my chocolate chip cookies very seriously, and I want them to be a certain way. When they don’t turn out that way after several attempts, I get all cranky-pants. Thus was the situation this week with the Chocolate Chip Cookies from BAKED: New Frontiers in Baking, our recipe for Baked Sunday Mornings. I had made these a few times before and not cared for them, but it was a long time ago, and I couldn’t quite remember why. Then I made them a few months ago and was swiftly reminded: they always came out flat and crisp. What kind of chocolate chip cookie do I like? Give me thick, chewy, and hearty all day long! The photo in the book shows thick-looking cookies stacked temptingly on a plate and I want to stuff them in my mouth; but sadly, they have never, ever come out remotely like the photo. I did discover a recipe correction on their website years ago, which says that the butter should be “fairly cold” rather than softened, but that adjustment has made no difference. I made them one more time for this blog post, and as they come out fairly greasy, I decided to cut the butter by ½ stick in the hope that maybe the cookies will spread less and stay thicker. BUT NO. There was literally zero difference– maybe another ½ stick? But really, I’m done with this recipe– I will never make it again. It’s rare that I have such a reaction to a BAKED recipe, but this one is a hard pass for me. If anyone has any tips for how to make these look like the photo in the book, please comment below. Until then, I’ll continue making my all-time favorite version, the Whiskey & Rye Chocolate Chip Cookie collaboration between Bon Appétit magazine and San Francisco Cooking School. IT. IS. EVERYTHING.
Sorry I’m grumpy. Grrrr.
These cookies are made in the same way as every other basic chocolate chip cookie is made: cream the butter with white and brown sugars, add the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt), followed by chocolate chips. As I mentioned, I reduced the amount of butter by ½ stick (4 tablespoons), and I was hopeful.
I scooped and chilled the dough for 48 hours, then baked them for about 14 minutes. They went from having no color to being overly browned in about 2 minutes, but I couldn’t pull out them sooner because the centers were completely raw. I also reduced the oven temperature from 375°F to 350°F in the hope that they wouldn’t over-bake, but this, too, was in vain.
Don’t get me wrong, the flavor is fine, and I do like that there’s a hefty load of chocolate chips in them. This is a solid chocolate chip cookie if you like them thin and crisp. If you want them to look like they do in the book, you will be sad. You can find the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies at Baked Sunday Mornings, and take a look at how the other bakers fared this week– I hope better than me!
© Dafna Adler & Stellina Sweets, 2019.
