Cookie Experiment

If someone asks me what is my favorite cookie is, hands down, I would probably say it's Chocolate Chip Cookie.
I know you are probably thinking, What another chocolate chip cookie post? You are probably sick and tired of reading chocolate cookie posts everywhere, specially after the New York Times quest for the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie article which came out last year. It is an adaptation of Jacques Torres recipe, this version I haven't tried. However, Jacques Torres also has a recipe over at Martha's website which by the way is one of my favorites.
My love affair with chocolate chip cookies started in my early years of baking about 6 years ago. During one of my Food Network marathons, I was watching
Alton Brown's Good Eats episode of Chips for sister Marsha (one of my favorite episode). In this episode, Alton explains that there are 3 different textures of chocolate chips: the puffy/cakey, the crisp/thin and the chewy. I tried both the puffy and the chewy and I liked the puffy more, but then I realized just the other day that maybe I should give the Alton's version of chewy another chance because I only made it once and it seems that it didn't turn out great then and I just gave up which was wrong I know, but now I'm willing to give it another go. But wait! Alton's Chewy CCC whould be put on hold first.
I wanted to try two other chewy ccc recipe which is from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion and from Cooks Illustrated Magazine. Why this particular recipe? Well...the different approach and ingredients that are suppose to make these chewy are so intriguing that I knew I have to try it. I don't often do two different recipes of a same thing at once but how can you compare same items if not eating them consecutively right? So here they are:
First is the Cook's Illustrated version (picture above), I found it more bothersome to make than the KAF version. These calls for melted butter so the cookie dough is messy and greasy to shaped and have such a dark cookie dough, I thought they wouldn't be good. I like the technique in how to produced that uneven top wherein you get a lump of dough, half it and squished the sides together with the ragged edges exposed on the top. It looks gorgeous however they are also oily! not very appetizing for cookies.Cookie #2 is the King Arthur Flour chocolate chip cookies, I was actually looking forward to these cookies. I often scoop my cookies out and bake them but when I opened the oven I'm disappointed to find out that they didn't spread not even a little and just puffed up. Trying to remedy that problem I did the CI technique of pull apart and squidge them back together well the outcome is an improvement to the hockey puck look of the scooped out version. Which is weird because I often use the scoop method with my ccc recipes and they don't turn out like hockey pucks. What a disappointment this one and the fact that there are vinegar and corn syrup that goes with this recipe that were supposed to make them chewy but I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Based on looks alone I think the Cooks Illustrated version won hands down. Taste? well that's another ballgame. I'm still asking around between my family which version they like better.
Hmmmm...I guess it's time to try the NYT Jacques Torres adaptation version. But I won't give up on the CI version, if I figure out how to make them less oily it would have been great.

nikcreate

I'm a nine to five pencil pusher who loves to play with flour and paper during my free time. Dreams of going to Europe and eat croissants and make pastries all day long!

18 comments:

  1. It's so hard to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. But good for you for still trying to find that winner!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting!!!! I say when you find that perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe stick with it! hard finding it something eh?!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Nicole!

    I really enjoyed reading your side-by-side comparison of the two chocolate chip cookies- I'm sorry neither of them really lived up to expectation. One recipe you might want to check out is the "new" or updated version of the CI CCC- it was published in the May/June 2009 edition and was dubbed "The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie." The thing that makes this recipe different is that instead of just melting the butter, you brown it, giving the resulting cookies a great depth of flavor. It's definitely not your everyday CCC! I found the recipe listed online at this site if you'd like to give it a try: http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/improved-tollhouse-cookies.html If you do check it out, let me know what you think!

    Well, I'm super excited to be hosting SMS this week, and I really hope you will bake along with me. If you have a chance, I'd love for you to stop by my site "Hot Oven, Warm Heart," and feel free to say hello in the comments. It would be great to hear from you. Hope you're doing well, and I look forward to talking to you again soon. Have a great rest of your week :)

    -Joy of Hot Oven, Warm Heart
    http://hotovenwarmheart.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. The CI version definitely looks yummier!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, another CCC post :) Am I a weird person, serching for these anytime I can???
    Thank you for sharing your experiment, and do let us know when you try Jacques Torres version.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like the looks of the CI ones more. My current fav CCC is Alton brown's chewy cookies and I have a dozen or so more to try out.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah, the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. It never ends, does it?

    I tried a recipe from AllRecipes that is amazing. It's called "Best Big, Fat, Chewy, Chocolate Chip Cookies". It's very similar to AB's "The Chewy" except it's a lot less greasy and you don't need bread flour. I also up the salt content and chill the dough for a little while before baking (as per the NY Times article). It's officially my favorite cookie now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous1:03 AM

    I've done some recipe testing myself and my hands down favorite is David Liette's NY Times recipe.
    I think chilling the dough is what makes the cookies turn out so great. I tried baking off some of the dough before chilling and I found it was greasy and the cookies ended up flat. Chilling gave the dough time to really absorb the wet ingredients and yielded superior results.
    mmmm I need some now LOL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous1:08 AM

    I jumped on the NYT ccc train last summer and never looked back. It is the recipe I've looked for for years. I enjoyed your head to head contest. I've tried the CI recipe before but not the KA. Please try the NYT version!!! It is hands down and forever my favorite now. Be sure to let the dough "age" like they recommend. It truly makes a difference

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the CI cookie recipe for flavour! I think it's hard to find the best recipe because every cookie is good and everyone's opinion of the best is different. I recently made the NYT one and loved the texture, but felt like it wasn't as caramelly as the CI one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think both cookies look great. Have you seen the adaption RecipeGirl made yesterday? it's a combo of AB's Chewy with browned butter. Those look good, too. I wish I could make them now, but I'm trying to lose a few pounds haha.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have to say, these pictures are absolutely perfect - they really show how soft and chewy the cookies are! I'm totally craving ccc's now!!! I'll have to try these recipes- I'm a big fan of KAF's brownies, so I need to try the cookies now. Great post!

    -Amy
    www.singforyoursupperblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your Pictures are so beautiful they look like I want to just grab the Cookie from the screen thank you for sharing your recipe:)


    Welcome~~~
    http://foodcreate.com

    Have a wonderful day ~~~

    ReplyDelete
  14. your cookies look beautiful, even if they didn't meet your expectations. i haven't posted my favorite chocolate chip recipe yet, although i'm thinking it might be high time to!! too bad i haven't found a favorite just yet. eep.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Those cookies look delicious, I HAVE to try the recipe.
    I was invited to my friends birthday last weekend and she had the most amazing cake ever baked and delivered by a lady who is calling herself onetoughcookie... She combines cake with cookies - what a dream! Anyone heard about her before?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Any chocolate chip cookies for me is always welcome. Sometimes they're hard to find but when someone gives it to me, I just couldn't resist. I couldn't even resist the photo you have of those cookies. It's yum.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi - Thanks for posting the results of this test. We here at King Arthur, and the folks at Cook's, are always in good-spirited competition. I'd love it if you'd try our newest version of cc cookie, developed as a result of the NY Times article. A rest in the fridge and a mere hint of sea salt on top adds wonderful depth. Warning: These aren't the perfect chewy cookie; they're in between, with crisp edges and chewy center. But VERY tasty. Check out the blog that links from the recipe for step-by-step photos. And - thanks again. Testing CC cookie recipes is tough, but there are those of us who just HAVE to do it, right?! PJ Hamel, King Arthur Flour baker/blogger. CC Cookie recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous3:59 AM

    Honestly..the BEST CCC I've ever made came from Vanilla Sugar who found the recipe over at Cookie Madness. I'm telling you these are the best!! I have given the recipe to my co-workers who also agree...the best ever..give 'em a try.......Maggie from Maine

    ReplyDelete