the road not taken: chocolate chip edition
baking concerns, scientific solutions, and poetry performances
In preparation for a chocolate chip cookie recipe (and numerous cookie recipes to come), I thought we’d take some time to set everyone on the same path to success. Cookies are one of those things that tend to both be easy to put together and hard to perfect, but we’re going to walk through a couple common mistakes. I consider myself a professional, since my third-grade science fair project was on how changing different ingredients in chocolate chip cookies can result in different textures and tastes. What do I remember most? Getting to taste each ingredient as we made them - for science of course! I still think baking soda tastes like blood.
Side note: “The Road Not Taken” is a poem my sister used to perform at every single talent show (if you’re wondering, Jessie, did you also perform poetry at talent shows? I did indeed. I chose Lewis Carroll’s “A Pig’s Tale”- four times as long with juicy pauses for dramatic effect). The Road Not Taken is also a new series on the newsletter that will dissect some of the baking conundrums we’ve all come across. This time, we’re going to take the other fork in the road. And it’s going to make all the difference!
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If anything else weird happens when you make cookies - let me know! Message me on Instagram and we’ll figure it out together.
Mistake #1: What is soft butter, anyway? Should we be melting?
You’ve probably seen most of your cookie recipes call for softened (or room-temperature) butter. You’ve probably also been over-softening your butter for this step (or ~gasp and GOD forbid~, putting in the microwave). It should still have a matte look and some resistance when you push your finger into it - which takes less time out then you might thing. Room temp is around 65 degrees, so it’ll feel a little cold to you (as your little paws are about 90!).
Having properly softened butter allows you to cream it effectively, adding air into the mixture to give the cookies rise (in addition to whatever chemical leavening agents, like baking powder). If you use melted butter, you’re forgoing the extra rise you get from creaming…which…isn’t a bad thing if you like dense and chewy cookies like I do.
Mistake #2: Does it neeeeeeeed to chill?
Yes.
I mean, just take my word for it, but it helps on several fronts.
The cold rest firms up the fat in the cookies. This is important even if you’re using the creaming method and truly essential if you’re using melted butter. As you bake your cookie, the cold fat takes longer to heat up as the bake progresses, resulting in less spread and a chewier product. The sugar in the dough also slowly absorbs the liquids present, which also helps limit spread.
Chilling the dough allows all the flavors to meld together. The dough is slowly drying out, concentrating the flavors you’ve worked hard to build. That also shifts the ratio of your ingredients- having cookies with a higher proportion of sugar gives those crisp edges and chewy centers we’re after with a chocolate chip.
One thing you can do before chilling the dough is scoop if it’s firm enough to hold its shape. Cookie dough is HARD when it’s cold, and your delicate wrists will thank you if you choose the path of least resistance.
Mistake #3: We’re over over-mixing!
I’ll keep this one short - when it comes to adding in the flour, you only want to mix as much as you need to incorporate the ingredients - and no longer! I like to stop when there’s still a few streaks and count on those getting folded in as I’m adding in my mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, etc). You don’t want to work the dough too much or you’ll develop gluten, resulting in one tough cookie.
Mistake #4: Fear of the unknown
When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, there’s a bunch of variations. You can use softened butter, melted butter, or a mix. Same goes for granulated, brown and dark brown sugar. You can experiment with chopped chocolate vs. chocolate chips. You can mix in pretzels, nuts, or potato chips. Cake flour? Rye? As long as you don’t do anything crazy with the basic proportions, you’ll get something edible (at least) or your own signature cookie (at best). Experiment away babes!
side notes
I am a sucker for a good cookie recipe that someone else wrote. Here are some tried and tested ones I like while you wait:
nestle double chocolate dream cookies
That’s all from me! Catch ya on the flip. Lots of love and don’t forget to wear sunscreen <3