I'm currently in the process of trying to set up a market stall at Cambridge Market but as ever there is a great deal of paperwork and council regulations to go through before anything can move forward. This waiting period however has presented me with the time to trial and error some recipes which is always an enjoyable experience and one I have very much stuck my wooden spoon into.
When setting up a cookie/biscuit stall the most obvious recipe I thought I needed to tackle was of course the ever faithful Chocolate chip Cookie recipe. I use ever faithful here with a serious pinch of salt (something I must use less of in my next batch) as actually I think the Chocolate Chip Cookie is one of the trickiest to perfect, and perfect quite honestly is what they need to be (chewy middle with a lovely crispy shell. Yum).
So I set about investigating this famous, comforting and well documented baked good and there is an awful lot of information about this little guy out there, ridiculous amounts quite frankly. Almost every recipe I came across claimed to be 'The best ever!' and all were fairly varying. However, I came across a link from the New York Times and their quest to find the perfect choc chip cookie recipe so decided to put this one into the mix. I also came across Handle the Heats ultimate guide to the perfect choc chip cookie where she carried out a series of tests to see what actually goes into making the perfect cookie. After reading these and a silly amount of others, I set to work.
At this moment in time, I have only trialled three of the recipes at various stages in their cookie cycle. I used the NY times and also borrowed the idea from Handle the Heat to trial the Toll House recipe with a couple of changes. I made up the batches as required. For the NY times I didn't change anything at all, what I did instead was experiment with the timing. I put the first batch in immediately after whipping it up and pressed them very flat down. Two huge errors just there. Flattening them down only made them very crispy (I'm after a crunchy exterior with a chewy interior). They were also very buttery. I then left the batter for 6 hours -a slightly better taste but not brilliant. I had also left a batch in the fridge for 36 hours as recommended for a rich, butterscotch taste.
The first batch attempts - oh dear.
I took the batter out, let it sit for about 20 minutes and then rolled it up into golf sized balls. Placed these on the baking tray and pressed down very gently (I would do it even more gently next time), popped them in the oven for 15 mins so they came out golden but soft (they still cook for a while after they've been brought out so in fact I would only put them in for 10 mins next time). The taste is far superior. It has a caramely, butterschotchy after taste and when mixed with the saltyness is pure indulgence. The only thing I didn't do was add enough chocolate. I thought I would try grating it in this time but it really just doesn't have the same effect as munching into a large bit of gooey goodness. I still think this batch could be chewier and so I wouldn't press at all next time, instead I would leave them in a golf ball state (the only thing I would worry about here is them becoming too cakey so will try and let you know).
The Toll House I am really struggling with. I trialled two recipes here, the control (the recipe as it came) and one replacing the plain flour with bread flour. The first batch (the one that went straight in) produced slightly chewier cookies from the bread flour. However, the 36 hour batch just didn't quite carry it off. Both recipes produced very flat, sprawling cookies. The taste was alright after the 36 hours but I'm not convinced.
A rather unconvincing batch
I am still very much in the exploration stage with this rascals. I'm going to try the adaptations to the NY times recipe and I've found another one I want to give a whirl. If anyone has any suggestions on how to achieve the perfect crunchy yet chewy chocolate chip cookie please send them this way! I'm off to further research!
Have a tremendous night of fireworks, wooly hats, mulled wine and bonfires!
Lizzie x
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