wanted: chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies

[alli]

I would appreciate any help with this-
I use the standard nestle chocolate chip recipe and want my cookies to be soft and chewy, any ideas on how to make them this way?

Thank you! and early Happy Valentines!

[Grace]

Do you have the Jan/Feb '01 issue? The Puffed Up Chocolate Chip cookie recipe is in there, and it's great!! There's also another thread about these cookies somewhere, if you do a search and put in puffed up chocolate chip I'm sure you will come up with it! Good luck.

[eloise forever]

Here is a thread on the subject (of making chewy cookies): http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/002408.html

One thing that I have read concerning making chewy cookies, is that using shortening or a combination of shortening/butter will create softer cookies than butter alone. This is because the shortening does not spread out as much.

[This message has been edited by eloise forever (edited 02-13-2001).]

[cryskie]

alli,

America's Test Kitchen (a PBS show) just had a special on the "perfect cookie". We're going to try it tomorrow! They emphasized not overbaking--they may look underdone, but after they cool a little (and you should wait until they're a little cooler to eat them--yeah right!) they will be chewy. I've found that this works for all my cookies--oatmeal, sugar, choc chip--"underbake" them a little. Here's the recipe from the show (it's available online on their website):

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the cookie sheet. Oversized cookie sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller cookie sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches. See the illustrations below for tips on shaping these cookies.
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter,
melted and cooled until warm
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1–11/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips to taste.
4. Roll scant ¼ cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving 2 1/2 inches between each ball.
5. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets. When cooled, peel cookies from parchment.


They also have recipes for peanut butter and oatmeal cookies. Enjoy!

Crystal

[eloise forever]

The cookies that Crystal posted are also in the thread I listed above. America's Test Kitchen is a show by Cook's Illustrated. Mamasue posted the recipe that she got from the magazine. It is also in The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated. Cook's Illustrated must really like that recipe if it has used it in so many places! I think I am going to have to break down and try this one!! I LOVE chewy chocolate chip cookies.

[This message has been edited by eloise forever (edited 02-13-2001).]

[AD]

My favorite recipe is Neiman Marcus's chocolate chip cookies. I think the key to getting them soft has to do with the oven temperature, position and baking sheet more than the recipe.

[Leanne]

For soft, cake like cookies - add instant vanilla pudding & take out some of the sugar. If you just add a little - it makes them more soft & chewy. If you sub out all of the sugar (or most of it), it makes them soft & cake-like. It might be something to play around with to get the consistency you like.
I've also added chocolate pudding & am thinking about butterscotch to give different flavors.

[SHERRY]

As mentioned above, recipes with more white sugar will be more crunchy...I noticed the Cooks Ill.. recipe above has more brown sugar, this will help them be chewy...it also helps to refrigerate the dough before baking so that the dough has more time to rise in the oven before spreading...and always use a cooled cookie sheet for each batch... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[cryskie]

Just wanted to mention that I tried the America's Test Kitchen choc chip recipe tonight, and they are AMAZING! They're huge and thick, and perfectly chewy. I'll definitely be making these again.

Crystal

[eloise forever]

Crystal, Thanks for the review! I will try those out soon for sure. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif