# Chocolate chip cookie question...



## cipher (Jan 22, 2006)

I just made my first batch of chocolate chip cookies, but I'm not sure if they're supposed to turn out the way they did. The cookies came out thick the way I wanted them too..not too much spreading. But when I bite into one, I get a crispy exterior, but then the middle is chewy. Should a chewy cookie be chewy all the way through? Also, there was slight browning of the outside of the cookie...imagine that the surface of the cookie is mountain peaks and valleys...the peaks have some slight browning, but not the valleys...so the cookie isn't a uniform color.


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## jkath (Jan 23, 2006)

Congrats on your first batch, cipher!

First and foremost, please give us your recipe you used, so we can troubleshoot your dilema


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## Piccolina (Jan 23, 2006)

Sounds like the rising agent (baking powder and/or baking soda) could possibly be to blame for the faults that you mentioned, though I think they still sound pretty tasty 

*A big welcome to DC, cipher 
*


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## BigDog (Jan 23, 2006)

Ditto all the above!


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## valnaples (Jan 23, 2006)

You can test your baking powder by adding a teaspoon to a glass of room temp or warm  water...if it fizzes or bubbles, it's still fresh.


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## cipher (Jan 23, 2006)

Piccolina said:
			
		

> Sounds like the rising agent (baking powder and/or baking soda) could possibly be to blame for the faults that you mentioned, though I think they still sound pretty tasty
> 
> *A big welcome to DC, cipher *


 
Thanks.  This morning I brought my batch of cookies to work and my co-workers practically inhaled them.  Almost everyone came back for seconds and several wanted to take some cookies home with them.  I guess they did turn out and their appearance seemed to change (for the better) as they cooled overnight.


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## Dina (Jan 23, 2006)

Sounds like you baked your first batch of cookies just right then.  Congrats!  I've always thought that if they taste great, shape, peaks and valleys don't matter.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 23, 2006)

Congrats for what sounds like a perfect CCC to me! I love them thick and chewy.

Browning is partially a matter of baking time, but also ingredients. Using your recipe - another minute or two in the oven would have made them darker. Spread (thick or thin) and crisp or chewy is a matter ingredients. By tinkering around with the basic recipe you can get thin and crisp, puffed and slightly crisp, or thick and chewy. 

You can change the texture of your cookie in several ways - the fat, moisture, sugar, etc. Alton Brown did a good episode on this - _*Three Chips for Sister Marsha*_ - look at the recipes for The Thin, The Puffy, and The Chewy and compare them to see how subtle changes can drastically change your results. If you have a copy of Shirley Corriher's _CookWise_ you can also find a similar discussion on pages 128-132 but in a little more detail explaining how different ingredients behave. 

Like jkath - I would love to know your recipe.


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## cipher (Jan 23, 2006)

My sister gave me the recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks of butter (melted)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt


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## Bugs (Jan 23, 2006)

sounds good to me. you can always send them over here and i can taste test them for you. heehee


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## purrfectlydevine (Jan 23, 2006)

cipher said:
			
		

> My sister gave me the recipe:
> 
> 2 cups all-purpose flour
> 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
> ...


What size did you drop them and baking time and temperature?


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## cipher (Jan 23, 2006)

purrfectlydevine said:
			
		

> What size did you drop them and baking time and temperature?


 
They were fairly large...about 2 inches across (I made 17 cookies from the batch). Baking time was 16 minutes (the edges should start to harden and the centers should still be fairly soft) and temperature was 300F (I used non-stick cookie sheets with parchment paper). When you remove the cookies, let them cool on the cookie sheets. The cookies came out looking like the giant cookies you find in bakeries.


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## Dina (Jan 23, 2006)

When in doubt, try this recipe.

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter flavored 
shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups GOOD QUALITY milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*DIRECTIONS:*[/FONT]
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.2.In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla .Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


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## cipher (Jan 23, 2006)

Dinah,

what's different about Mexican vanilla extract versus other non-artificial vanilla extracts?


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## lindatooo (Jan 24, 2006)

Just send them here until you get them right....my dh and I will eat all of them!


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## jkath (Jan 24, 2006)

cipher said:
			
		

> They were fairly large...about 2 inches across (I made 17 cookies from the batch). Baking time was 16 minutes (the edges should start to harden and the centers should still be fairly soft) and temperature was 300F (I used non-stick cookie sheets with parchment paper). When you remove the cookies, let them cool on the cookie sheets. The cookies came out looking like the giant cookies you find in bakeries.


 
I don't think I've ever tried CCCs at 300 degrees! It's usually 350 or so....maybe THAT'S your new secret! Congrats on the cookies, and now that you've met us, please stick around


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## Eliza (Mar 21, 2006)

i absolutely love CCC....but each time i try to bake myself some, it never turns out the way i like them - chunky and chewy...  my always end up spreading to wide and thin and turns crispy.

Can anyone help me with this?  How big a drop of dough shld i put for a cookie?  And how to prevent it frm spreading too thinly?  

I've tried taking them out earlier but tat means my cookie isn't really cooked?

Help....why can't i get CCC right?????


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## cipher (Mar 21, 2006)

Eliza said:
			
		

> i absolutely love CCC....but each time i try to bake myself some, it never turns out the way i like them - chunky and chewy... my always end up spreading to wide and thin and turns crispy.
> 
> Can anyone help me with this? How big a drop of dough shld i put for a cookie? And how to prevent it frm spreading too thinly?
> 
> ...


 
Post your recipe.


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