Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies #2

PICT0096

Out of everything I bake, chocolate chip cookies are always the most requested. Even though I think Cook's Illustrated has the best CCC recipe, I'm always thinking of doing things differently to make them better ie. how long should I be whipping the egg/sugar/butter mixture (even though it's all liquid), should I let refrigerated dough come to room temperature, how high should I shape the dough, brand of all purpose flour, type of pan.. yep.. I'm starting to sound crazy. If I could eat an unlimited amount of cookies, I would have already tested all these variables by now!

When I first started baking, I used jelly roll pans from Baker's Secret.. you know.. the kind that sells for 2 dollars at the supermarket? I would end up with the hardest, driest cookies, although it's probably not fair to blame those hockey puck like cookies solely on the cookie sheet especially since I had just started baking then. During Christmas, I got my first insulated cookie sheet and voila! it was the beginning of the best CCC's ever, but I also switched to the CI recipe and began to line my sheets with parchment. Ever since those insulated sheets, I've never baked any cookies on jelly rolls for fear of failure.. seriously! If it works, why change it? Well, I just couldn't help wondering what the CI recipe would be like baked on a jelly roll so I baked half on an insulated pan and the other on a jelly roll.

cookiechocolatechip2

On the left, the cookies were baked on an insulated sheet and on the right, the cookies were baked on a jelly roll. The insulated sheet led to more spreading, which I actually prefer even though they are slightly paler. The jelly roll produced cookies that were thicker, drier and slightly more cake like. Even though I've read that insulated sheets are not actually the best for cookies and to use the lipless baking sheets, I'm just glad they end up working for me.

Next, I would really to to try baking with dare I say... margarine and shortening. I can't eat shortening frostings yet when embedded in a cookie I'm thinking it won't gross me out as much. Nothing beats the flavour of homemade cookies, but I'm still after the thin yet chewy texture that is not a result of oversoftness with a crunch on the outside. I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean, but for those who have had a Tim Horton's or a Mark's and Spencer's bakery cookie that is the texture I would like.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

By the way, I always reduce the white sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup to cut down on the sweetness. And as always, these were refrigerated before baking.

14 comments:

  1. I love the Marks and Spencers bakery cookies! I always have the white chocolate ones and would love to know how to recreate them at home.

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  2. You had me at "thick & chewy"!!! To me, that's the best kind of cookie out there :0)

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  3. I used those insulated sheets for a while, but now I'm stuck on my ultra-heavy jelly roll pans w/ parchment. Works better for me.

    Have you ever tried silpats?

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  4. I use my jelly roll pan to bake cookies because I didn't think it mattered. Maybe that's why I'm having problems with my coconut lime cookies. Also, I have never baked with butter because I was raised on margarine. I do want to try the cookies with butter and see if they are a must-use-butter-only cookie. Mary said margarine has a higher water count, so that may be why mine spread.

    BTW, you won an award from me :)

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  5. Yay for CCC! We are great minds aren't we? That's cool you used both types of pans. Thanks for breaking down the traits of each kind for us... very cool. Later, CCC buddy :)

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  6. You right-click on the award and save to your desktop. Then you upload it like you upload your photos and make a post about it. As far as picking people, you can pick as many as you want. I picked three because the person who gave it to me picked three. At the end of your post, you say hey I pick so and so. You can give reasons if you'd like, but it's not necessary. Then you leave a comment on that person's blog so they can come to your blog and get their award. Then the cycle starts all over again. :)

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  7. Mmmmm, thick and chewy is the way to go!

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  8. I'm so glad I have insulated pans! I prefer my cookies more spread out too. I'll have to give this recipe a try because I LOVE thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies!

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  9. looking super super tasty!!! Love the chew factor! hehe

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  10. Investigative baking :) I love how you've analysed the Hows for us. I'd go with the insulated sheet too, but I'm intrigued about the comment on the silpat cos I just got one and have no idea how to use it. Pathetic aren't I *sigh*

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  11. Those cookies sure do look good. I will have to look into these insulated cookie sheets.

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  12. you need to get a baking stone! :)i used to use the insulated "Air bake" pans but now all i use is my baking stone :)

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  13. i have the baking stone from pampered chef, it's the most popular one out there i think :) if you do a search in my blog for baking stone, you'll see that i have linked to the one that i have...

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  14. I wonder how this recipe compares to the CCC recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book... since it's pretty much by the same people... hmmm....

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