Anna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Aug 30, 2023

The quest for the perfect cookie. 🧵

Yes, I know I chose this, but I have married an American. And oh gosh do I love him. He, however, does not love British cookies. Biscuits, yes. (Don’t expect to see that packet of Hobnobs back!) But apparently our cookies are rubbish; which I can testify to - I was given a fresh baked cookie by his neighbour and it was possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten. So, I have to learn to make cookies. 1/

Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Aug 30, 2023
Attempt 1. I have gone straight in with America’s Test Kitchen. My love affair with Cook’s Illustrated recipes has lasted longer than my relationship with him, and it seems fitting to begin with the hallowed vinyl flooring of a great American institution. Alas, I cancelled my Scribd subscription, and now I no longer have access to the culinary laboratory’s experimental notes. Unalas, the internet exists! Here they are, and here’s the recipe: https://pixelatedcrumb.com/posts/perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies-from-cooks-illustrated/
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cook’s Illustrated

The browned butter in these chewy chocolate chip cookies adds a deep richness, giving the cookies an almost butterscotchy flavor. They are, in a word, perfect.

Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪
Review: They take AGES to make. Browning butter and then whipping the mixture takes yonks. Not something you can whip up for last-minute visitors. I was able to wash up and hang the laundry out while waiting for the mixture to settle! 🤣 We both think browning butter is an unnecessary step. They’re too big for me, but he says US-size! Would make again, for the novelty of brown butter, but I think dark brown sugar will be smoky enough. Needs dark choc chips. Nice chewy middle and crispy edge. 7/10
Aug 30, 2023 at 3:59pmWeb
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 10, 2023
Second attempt. Nestle Toll House recipe as recommended by @Jakeline. I, I am ashamed to admit, cut corners. It was a huge day of baking yesterday (cinnamon rolls, rhubarb Victoria sponge, mushroom cupcakes, prepping sourdough) and I did not chill them for the 2 hours recommended and used extra large eggs without thinking about it. It was a hot day and I paid the price. No photo on the cooling rack, but they just melted straight away in the oven. I want them tall, so will rerun.
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 10, 2023
(Side quest alert) Want to see the mushroom cupcakes? It was a 16th birthday fun activity with my daughter. Her words: I’m in no rush to go home, I’m having a great time. This is a very me-coded activity. 🥰
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 10, 2023
No. It’s still a fail on the Toll House recipe. Maybe I made the cookies too big? I froze the dough and they looked perfect as they were cooking (see picture); got the first one off the sheet and it completely disintegrated on the cooling rack! So back in they went, and now they’re not the colour I want them. Think I need to go smaller cookie/lower oven temperature.
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 10, 2023
oh my god I have overdosed on cookies
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 10, 2023
also, they’re too sweet
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Sep 16, 2023
Toll House cookie attempt 3. This time, I used this metricated recipe: https://www.bakedambrosia.com/classic-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/ with a much better dough texture. Almost dry enough to roll balls in my hands. Using light brown sugar instead of dark gives a better colour, although I still baked them too long. 30 mins in the freezer rather than 2hrs. Vast improvement; they just need to be taller and fluffier. Suspect I am overbeating the butter, adding too much air. They’re also a much more manageable size to eat. 😋 🍪 9/who knows
Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Discover the original Toll House Cookie Recipe! Make perfect chocolate chip cookies with our expert tips, FAQs, and step-by-step guide.

Baked Ambrosia
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Nov 4, 2023
10/ Flat cookies is a temperature issue! Dropped the oven temperature by 30°C and increased cooking time, and here we are. Beige, but fluffy and much better texture. Progress at last!
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Nov 4, 2023
#Alt A tray of evenly spaced cookies on grease proof paper. Fresh out of the oven. The chocolate chips are milk so barely visible in the toffee-coloured cookie. Milk chips? Needs must when the devil drives! At least the cookies are thicker than previous efforts and they haven’t melted into each other.
Show threadJakeAug 31, 2023

@Annaspanner hi, American here, and this is fiddly bullshit. Here is the correct answer based on effort to result ratio:

Use the basic tollhouse recipe (https://www.nestle.com/stories/timeless-discovery-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe) making the following changes:

1a) use salted butter and/or use a big teaspoon of salt (not leveled)
1b) optional: use 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar. This will make them less cakey
2) rest the dough for at least two hours, if not overnight, in the fridge

A timeless discovery

More than 80 years later, Nestlé Toll House's Original Chocolate Chip Cookies are a true classic and a go-to recipe for all occasions.

Nestlé Global
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Aug 31, 2023
@Jakeline Hi! Thank you! My researches suggested the Tollhouse recipe and it was the next on my list to try! This is ace, thanks so much!
Show threadJakeAug 31, 2023
@Annaspanner you’re so welcome! Oh, and the recipe might not say it, but the standard is for semi-sweet chocolate (about 60% cacao is nice). The cookie is much too sweet if the chocolate is sweet.
Show threadAnna Spanner 👩‍🏫🇪🇺🧪Aug 31, 2023
@Jakeline I could only get milk chocolate ones - they definitely weren’t right. Not that it was awful. A warm cookie is not to be sniffed at!!
Show threadJakeAug 31, 2023

@Annaspanner

3) optional: bake at between 325 or 350, depending on your preference for it being crispy on the edges. This will take more like 12-15 min, depending on your oven and if you have convection
4) optional: pull them out when they seem a little underdone in the middle. Not massively, but leave them on the cookie sheet and they will finish cooking as they set there

Show threadJakeAug 31, 2023
@Annaspanner
If you want them for quick access, scoop the dough as if making cookies and then freeze the dough balls. You can bake them straight from frozen—it just takes an extra two minutes or so in the oven