The best cookies ever!

[Vermilion]

I need the recipe for them - please?

The ones I make come out fluffy and slightly cakey... I want those hard core American style ones - all flat with crispy edges and a chewy gooey sort of centre.

Please give me your recipes.
I have milk choc chunks and white choc chunks and macadamia nuts and all sorts of goodies to put in them, but no decent recipe. Just my odd fluffy cake-biscuits.

x
V

 

[feeeriek]

the ultimate american cookie aka tollhouse cookies

Ingredients:

* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

 

[Vermilion]

the ultimate american cookie aka tollhouse cookies

Ingredients:

* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts

<snip>

I need a cup measurer... <ponders>

Thanks for the recipe though - will ahve to have a go at those. The Fiance needs all the help he can get atm, including homemade cookies.
x
V

 

[tickledkitty]

Ooooh, I have one. It's a bar cookie though. Every time I make them, I get a number of requests for the recipe. They're colorful and fun and really easy to make.


The Best (and easiest) Bar Cookies Ever

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
3 cups miniature mashmallows (I like to use the colored ones)
1 cup regular M&Ms
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 375. Mix cake mix, butter, and egg until well blended. Press firmly onto bottom of greased (or cooking sprayed) 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. (Do not overbake...duh.)

Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows, M&Ms, and peanuts. Bake an additional 4 to 6 minutes or until marshmallows begin to melt. (I let them puff up a bit) Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 32 bars to serve. (I've found the best way to cut these is to spray the knife or a metal spatula with cooking spray.) Store leftover bars in tightly covered container at room temperature.

There are all kinds of variations on this. You could use chocolate cake mix, white mini marshmallows, and Reese's Pieces. You can substitute miniature jelly beans for the M&Ms at Easter time. You can use the pastel M&Ms in spring and the holiday ones at Christmas time.

 

[Recidiva]

The best chocolate chip cookie recipe IMO is still the one on the Toll House package and I have a snipped copy of my own.

Alton Brown has a great show about cookies and altering the amount of fat/flour/leavening to make different cookie types. He uses the basic Toll House recipe and alters them to spec. Great episode of "Good Eats"

These recipes I think are better than chocolate chip cookies and my mom made them for me when I was a kid, I make them for my kids (and husband)

Crispy bottoms and sides, just enough chew.

Peanut Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 1/4 cups flour, sift or stir before measuring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg

PREPARATION:

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls; place on greased baking sheets.

Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork in a cross hatch; dip fork in flour periodically to keep it from sticking to the peanut butter cookie dough.

Bake peanut butter cookies at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes.

http://www.bigoven.com/pics%5C021007064850.jpg

Oatmeal Cookies

My mom used to make these cookies, crispy and perfect. Recipe is from the River Road Cookbook.

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs, unbeaten
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup nuts
½ cup raisins

Mix thoroughly the shortening, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Sift together the flour, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg, and add to mixture. Fold in rolled oats and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about four dozen cookies.

http://thecookscottage.typepad.com/curry/images/oatmealcookieswithkhands.gif

 

[glynndah]

<snip>

I need a cup measurer... <ponders>

Thanks for the recipe though - will ahve to have a go at those. The Fiance needs all the help he can get atm, including homemade cookies.
x
V

The Metric Kitchen

This may help.

 

[Weird Harold]

1 cup ~~ 250 ML -- or at least so says my dual system measuring cups.

Glyndah's metric kitchen link isprobalby a better source though, 'acuase I dont' remember the metric equivalents for teaspoons and ounces.

If you like the flavor of your fluffy cake-like cookies, but want the tougher, chewier texture, just decrease the baking soda or baking powder in the recipe.

You may have to eat a bunch of mistakes before you find the right adjustments but the baking soda/powder is what makes cookies (and cakes and bisquits) rise and be "fluffy."

 

[Vermilion]

1 cup ~~ 250 ML -- or at least so says my dual system measuring cups.

Glyndah's metric kitchen link isprobalby a better source though, 'acuase I dont' remember the metric equivalents for teaspoons and ounces.

If you like the flavor of your fluffy cake-like cookies, but want the tougher, chewier texture, just decrease the baking soda or baking powder in the recipe.

You may have to eat a bunch of mistakes before you find the right adjustments but the baking soda/powder is what makes cookies (and cakes and bisquits) rise and be "fluffy."

There isn;t any baking soda or baking powder in those fluffy ones.

No matter. I did some experimenting and I have found a divine recipe - best cookies ever. I swear it.
Fiance and I have been bingeing

x
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[Weird Harold]

There isn;t any baking soda or baking powder in those fluffy ones.

No matter. I did some experimenting and I have found a divine recipe - best cookies ever. I swear it.
Fiance and I have been bingeing

x
V

Recipe calls for Self-rising flour?

There has to be some leavening agent in them for them to be fluffy, normally that means baking soda, baking powder, "sourdough" or yeast. (Self-rising flour just contains baking powder so you don't have to measure it out.)

Enjoy your cookie binge, but remember that each cookie means an extra mile (or so) on the treadmill.

 

[Vermilion]

Recipe calls for Self-rising flour?

There has to be some leavening agent in them for them to be fluffy, normally that means baking soda, baking powder, "sourdough" or yeast. (Self-rising flour just contains baking powder so you don't have to measure it out.)

Enjoy your cookie binge, but remember that each cookie means an extra mile (or so) on the treadmill.

I'm fairly au fait with cooking... I used plain flour, no yeast, no baking soda, no bicarb, no baking powder. Nothing. That's why they mystified me so much.
plain flour, egg, margarine, sugar and a bit of milk and choc chips.

If you like I can give you the recipe and you can see if you do any better!!!
It's a bleeding mystery.

Anyway, the new recipe uses 2 different types of sugar, melted butter, flour, egg and baking powder and choc chips and came out all flat and golden, the top glazed and crackled, the edges crisp and dark gold, the middle gooey and chewy and perfect. They were AMAZING.
Luckily they perform their own calorie control - they're too sickly to eat more than one at a time!

x
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[Weird Harold]

Nah, don't need the recipe.

From that ingredient list, I suspect we may have different definitions of "fluffy," cause the only ingredient that could cause what I think of as "fluffy" is the milk and then only if it was near it's "expiration date" and starting to ferment.

 

[3113]

Brown-Sugar Chocolate Chip

My husband adores these. Waffer thin and crunchy-chewy.

1/2 lb butter (2 sticks--unsalted)
1 1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 Large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven 375

Cream butter, add sugar till smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and slowly beat into wet. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop very small spoonfuls, far apart, onto a non-stick surface (like a silpat--a little insulation under these cookies helps). They will really spread. Bake till golden 8-10 minutes. That's golden in the center, and golden brown about the edges.

Bring out and allow to cool a little before deploying to a rack. They will be very, very thin and crispy. And additively delicious.

 

[3113]

Oh, and here's a Martha Stewart video on making Chocolate Chips cookies (with girl scout helpers no less!)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

[Vermilion]

Nah, don't need the recipe.

From that ingredient list, I suspect we may have different definitions of "fluffy," cause the only ingredient that could cause what I think of as "fluffy" is the milk and then only if it was near it's "expiration date" and starting to ferment.

Nope, seriously, they puffed up like stressed puffer-fish...

or like a gluten-allergist who's been given white bread

x
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[3113]

From that ingredient list, I suspect we may have different definitions of "fluffy," cause the only ingredient that could cause what I think of as "fluffy" is the milk and then only if it was near it's "expiration date" and starting to ferment.

What milk from which ingredient list? If there's an ingredient list that involves milk, then yeah, it'll end up cake-like even if the milk is good, as milk is what you start to add when you take those ingredients and try to create cake or scones instead of cookies. Cookies don't usually involve milk. Just butter.

This is a cupcake recipe. Notice the similarities between it and the cookie recipes--but there's less shortening (butter), there's milk and there's baking powder (which is also a likely "culprit" for fluffy cookies. Crispy cookies don't usually have baking powder or if they do, very little; baking soda is the usual). No need for milk to be bad to get a cake like cookie if milk is part of the recipe.

Basic Cupcake Recipe

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs

 

[Emerald_Dragon]

I like to add Cinnamon to my cookies, (usually choc chip) about a teaspoon. It gives it that extra little something.

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm fairly au fait with cooking... I used plain flour, no yeast, no baking soda, no bicarb, no baking powder. Nothing. That's why they mystified me so much.
plain flour, egg, margarine, sugar and a bit of milk and choc chips.

What milk from which ingredient list? If there's an ingredient list that involves milk, then yeah, it'll end up cake-like even if the milk is good, ... Cookies don't usually involve milk. Just butter.

Vermillion's ingredient list from the post above mine (quoted above you here)

I was thinking of what very old recipes call "day-old milk" -- which is not bad, just not "fresh." Fresh milk doesn't cause quite as much rising as "day-old milk"

 

[3113]

Vermillion's ingredient list from the post above mine (quoted above you here)

Ah. I see. I'm guessing that's what did it then. And the milk need not have been bad or old milk.

 

[glynndah]

I made oatmeal cookies with dried blueberries and pecans and chocolate chip ones with pecans and coconut.