While I haven't done a "cookie bake-off" for chocolate chip cookies like I did for brownies in this blog, we have had the occasion to make two different types lately, so that reminded me to share our favorite recipes and some cookie anecdotes!
Warm chocolate chip cookies are one of life's greatest pleasures, and we usually have dough in the freezer so we can take it out and bake them when we have the urge in the evening. This habit of storing cookie dough in the freezer was started when I was in college. We would make our lunch each morning, and I would bake up 1/2 dozen cookies (because that's how many the cookie sheet in my toaster oven would hold). Back then I was making the recipe off the Tollhouse package, but I figure everyone has access to that recipe so don't share it here.
The downside to always baking cookies fresh is that you get spoiled. Now, even if cookies are one day old, they taste stale. The other day someone brought cookies into Brian's work and he asked "Are they homemade?" Yes, we are cookie snobs in this house!
The usual recipe is our "stand by" Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies. This recipe was shared with me by a friend when I first moved to Petaluma, so the Mrs. FIeld's part is only a rumor, but we like the recipe so much that it's usually the one I make.
Recently, Ethan went off to college so I sent him with the usual recipe and made sure that when we stocked his kitchen that he had all the ingredients to make it. We even gave him Grandma's hand mixer so he didn't have to mix them by hand! He made them his second week of school and they were a big hit, but next thing I knew, he was asking if I had a recipe that didn't use oatmeal (I guess one of his roommates is not a fan). He remembered we had an alternative recipe from the Liberty School cookbook that was really good, so I dug it up and sent it to him. That reminded me that there were other types of chocolate chip cookies, so I made some for our family and to share with others. They were a big hit! The recipe is entitled "Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies" so if you like soft cookies, you might want to give it a try.
One of the funny things that happened when Brian and Katelyn were in college is one year they were coming home for Thanksgiving, with Brian arriving one day and Katelyn the next. I know how much Brian likes the Mrs. Field's recipe so I made a batch prior to his visit. I even posted this photo on facebook, although someone had to ask if it was cookie dough or tuna salad so maybe it's not the best photo. I think it's that the blended chocolate chips give the cookie dough a darker brown appearance than normal.
The funny thing is that the next day when Katelyn got home, she was bummed that I had already made the dough because her favorite part is licking the bowl! So what did I do? Make another batch, of course! You can never have too much cookie dough in the freezer.
Another funny thing that happened was when Brian was at Michigan getting his Master's and I visited him there. He had gone all this time without ever making the cookies in his college residences, but we decided this was the time. We went to the store and got the ingredients, along with a big plastic bowl because he didn't own one. He also didn't have a mixer and mixed them BY HAND! Even I'm not crazy enough to try that. But when I left his apartment he had a freezer full of dough so he was happy.
Another tip for those of you who don't like to do dishes, one of the things I've learned from my cookie baking parties is the ease of clean-up when you bake on parchment paper. It's well worth the expense, especially when you are baking many batches or need to re-use cookie sheets. Our family is so spoiled that when Ethan went off to college, he didn't know what to do without parchment paper or spray oil! I told him the trick I learned at home when I first started baking cookies - save the butter wrapper and grease the cookie sheet using it. Works great and doesn't even get your hands greasy.
By now I'm guessing you're getting an appetite for cookies, so without further ado I share the two recipes discussed above. The files are uploaded here in case it's easier to print them, and shared below for those who want to read them more easily.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
From a friend, supposedly Mrs. Field’s recipe
I make this without macadamia nuts because I usually don’t have them on hand and no one in my family likes nuts in their cookies. I put in 2 c of oatmeal without powderizing it so the texture is a bit more coarse. Also this recipe makes A LOT (barely fits in my mixer bowl, even with the plastic “guards” on), but then we like to have cookie dough in the freezer.
Cream together:
· 2 c butter
· 2 c sugar
· 2 c brown sugar
Add:
· 4 eggs
· 2 tsp vanilla
Mix in separate bowl:
· 4 c flour
· 5 c oatmeal, powderized (5 c before powderizing) - I use my blender to powderize
· 1 t salt
· 2 t baking powder
· 2 t baking soda
Add flour mixture to butter/sugars and mix.
Add:
· 24 oz chocolate chips
· 1 8 oz Hershey bar, grated (or chocolate chips blended into powder)
· 3 c chopped macadamia nuts (optional)
Bake on greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper) at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Use golf-ball sized balls if you want them to be “bakery sized”. I use my large cookie scoop, or the small one for “niblet” sized cookies. Makes 112 large cookies.
Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the Liberty Cookbook, contributed by Buddha Aimee
This recipe is great for those who like soft cookies. It also makes a LOT of cookies.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together:
· 2 c butter
· 1/2 c sugar
· 1-1/2 c brown sugar
Add:
· 2 3.4 oz packages instant vanilla pudding
Add:
· 4 eggs
· 2 tsp vanilla
Mix in separate bowl:
· 4-1/2 c flour
· 2 t baking soda
Add flour mixture to butter/sugars and mix.
Add:
· 4 c chocolate chips
· 2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.
I don't know how the vanilla pudding mix works, but these cookies turn out to be puffy and soft, and even after days of storage are still soft and chewy. Yum!!!
Funny enough, when I sent Ethan this recipe he mentioned he would cut it down since they didn't need a full batch. In case you want to do the same, here is the sticky note I found on the recipe book, in his hand-writing! I guess this wasn't the first time.
I haven't tested different variations of recipes, but I found this photo and the related article in case you're interested. If I get around to doing more testing I will let you know!
Comments