Tuesday, February 16, 2010

TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, not my best chocolate chip cookies. Hi, it's Debbie Downer with another "eh" recipe this week. I have been making chocolate chip cookies for many more years than I care to remember. I started with the traditional Toll House recipe. I tweaked. I added. I studied. And now I have a recipe that I swear by. This one is not going to take its place. My favorite recipe makes a chewy centered crispy edged buttery chocolatey little bite of joy. These didn't quite measure up. (Well, sure. With that build up, what could?)

This was an easy recipe with a low fuss factor. I ended up leaving the dough in the fridge for two days. I thought it would improve the texure/flavor. And I made the dough and ran out of time to bake it. It's a simple process to make these -- scoop, place, bake. The only change I made was to sub out half of the chocolate chips for cappuccino chips.

Dorie says that these are flat cookies. I was prepared for flat. I was not prepared for FLAT. These dough mounds really sank to ultra thin dimensions. I thought maybe the oven was too hot, so I lowered it 25 degrees. Nope. Still flat. Hmmmm. Apparently, that's how they are supposed to come out. I thought it might have just been me, but other bakers commented on the total flatitude of these cookies.


I didn't like the way the chips "stuck out." I like for them to be nestled in the cookie. These were not my favorite cookies. I can't say that they even rank in the top ten. Having said that, even an "eh" homemade chocolate chip cookie is good. The flavor was decent. I just can't get past the shape and texture. I like a little more substance to my cookies. These will not find a place in my baking rotation.

All plated up for the Husband's meeting.

Go check out Kait's blog for the recipe and some beautiful photos.

17 comments:

Hindy said...

I love that everyone has a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. We are all so loyal. Yours still look good!
Mine aren't flat. I don't know why.

Kayte said...

Until this week I had no idea that people were so protective and opininated about their CCC recipes! Wow. Yours look wonderful from here! Love the stack of them. Guys loved them b/c of their crunchiness...around here crunchy goes a long way. I think it is the potato chip crunch factor, they are all three huge potato chip crunchers.

Tia said...

no matter - they still look great!

Megan said...

Yep - these weren't my favorite either - so I doubt I'll make them again. Alton Brown's recipe seems to be a favorite amongst the TWD bakers, so perhaps that's a good recipe to try. I know I will!

Amber Marie said...

Flatitude is right! Lol I need to find a go-to choco-chip cookie recipe.

Mary said...

Yup, mine were flat too. Tasty, but flat. I need to do some tinkering to come up with a recipe like yours, cause it sounds like we have the same taste in cookies.

Leslie said...

Sorry they were so flat! I made these when I first bought the book, and wasn't thrilled with them, so I did something a little different this week.

Paula said...

Total flatitude? LOL. Pretty much! But yours still make me hungry just looking at them.

Kaitlin said...

I'm sorry that these weren't your favourite. But it sounds like you've got yourself a solid keeper, which is a great position to be in. I agree that, as-is, the cookies were waaay too flat. I wonder how they look when Dorie makes them? By the way, thanks for the compliment about my photos!

Flourchild said...

Flat isn't bad if they tasted good!

Susan said...

I'm with you. Too flat. I will stick to the yellow bag recipe. :) Yours look great though.

Liz said...

The same thing happened to me! I added extra flour and a bit of baking powder and they were *greatly* improved. I hate flat crispy cookies too. At least you have your own recipe to go back to!

Katrina said...

Great post, love the write up. I got a nice chuckle from "flatitude".

Cakelaw said...

You're right - even "meh" chocolate chip cookies are good, because they contain chocolate!

Anonymous said...

These were unusually flat. I chopped my chocolate and I think that worked out pretty well.

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

mine were kind of "eh" also. I have a recipe I swear by. :)

TeaLady said...

Yes, these were definitely FLAT!! I loved the flavor but not the cookie.

Flatitiude. HAHAHAHHAA