Let the first post on this blog be a modest one. The intention of this post is to convince you that I'm, in fact, ernest in my mission to review pastry recipes... not pastries. What can be more simple than a chocolate chip cookie, you say? While that is a popular opinion among bakers like you and me, not all chocolate chip cookie recipes are equally usable.
To avoid turning this blog into a plain list of re-typed recipes, I offer you... photos of recipes!
The first page seems fairly straightforward, but around the shaping of the cookies is where things get a little more interesting. The Tartine authors list two of the three ways I baked the cookies. The first way directs to form and bake the cookies immediately after mixing the dough. The formation of the cookies requires you to press down on the cookie lump after doling out the lumps onto your baking sheet with a wet hand. The second way requires forming a narrow log with the cookie dough, freezing, cutting and baking.
I was pretty skeptical of the first way, because I tend to like my cookies thick and chewy. In fact, it seems most of the internet bakers I've consulted tend to list tips to achieve the soft thick cookie. Tartine, however, declares at the start that the thin, delicate cookie is the desired result. While half of me knows that I ought to first assert the recipe yields the results it promises, the other half of me wants to see if this recipe has the potential to be my favorite cookie recipe. Luckily, the recipe allowed for more than enough trial batches to test both theories.
I should say that my way (sans patting down the dough) took relatively longer to bake than the other ones did. A whole 6 minutes longer than the suggested time, but the oven shelves may have been at different temperatures, so it only goes to show that it's more important to watch what's in the oven than to strictly adhere to the specified time.
The third way, freezer cookies, were probably the best, but sadly, the longest way. The recipe claims that 6-10 minutes would be enough, but after peeking into the oven at 8 minutes, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. At 350F, all three batches looked like they were melting and spreading, making the freezing process moot, so I increased the temperature to 375F, lest the cookies spread even more.
NOTES:
- I thought there was an unusually large amount of baking soda and baking powder. Hindsight, I think that this caused the cookie to rise and deflate very quickly in the oven. Had there been no oatmeal, this might have resulted in a paper thin cookie. If oatmeal is not your thing, I would halve the baking soda and powder.
- The recipe instructed to store the chocolate in the freezer while preparing the dough. I didn't do this, but I wonder if it would have made any difference.
- To me, the recipe reads like you're supposed to transfer the cookies from the baking to the cooling rack immediately after the cookies are out of the oven. In practice, this is impossible, since the cookies are liquid and bubbly in the middle when they come out of the oven. After assessing the situation, I opted for leaving the cookies on the sheet until they were completely cool. After that, I safely transferred them to the rack.
NEXT TIME:
- I won't pat down the dough... I'd go for the freezing technique
- I will skip the oatmeal and the walnuts and halve the baking soda and baking powder
- I might add some more spices, like coriander or nutmeg
- I'll add some almond extract
- Increasing oven temperature to 375F would likely yield thicker cookies
TO SUM UP:
This cookie recipe is easy and reliable. I hit a few snags along the way, but the cookies were very worth it. This is NOT a "thick chewy" cookie. This is its delicate, sophisticated cousin.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
In a follow-up post, I mentioned that after experimenting with different bake times, turns out, these cookies do a lot better for a shorter time in a hotter oven. So try baking them at 450F for 6 minutes. You'll love them!
To avoid turning this blog into a plain list of re-typed recipes, I offer you... photos of recipes!
The first page seems fairly straightforward, but around the shaping of the cookies is where things get a little more interesting. The Tartine authors list two of the three ways I baked the cookies. The first way directs to form and bake the cookies immediately after mixing the dough. The formation of the cookies requires you to press down on the cookie lump after doling out the lumps onto your baking sheet with a wet hand. The second way requires forming a narrow log with the cookie dough, freezing, cutting and baking.
I was pretty skeptical of the first way, because I tend to like my cookies thick and chewy. In fact, it seems most of the internet bakers I've consulted tend to list tips to achieve the soft thick cookie. Tartine, however, declares at the start that the thin, delicate cookie is the desired result. While half of me knows that I ought to first assert the recipe yields the results it promises, the other half of me wants to see if this recipe has the potential to be my favorite cookie recipe. Luckily, the recipe allowed for more than enough trial batches to test both theories.
I should say that my way (sans patting down the dough) took relatively longer to bake than the other ones did. A whole 6 minutes longer than the suggested time, but the oven shelves may have been at different temperatures, so it only goes to show that it's more important to watch what's in the oven than to strictly adhere to the specified time.
patted down:
not patted down:
The third way, freezer cookies, were probably the best, but sadly, the longest way. The recipe claims that 6-10 minutes would be enough, but after peeking into the oven at 8 minutes, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. At 350F, all three batches looked like they were melting and spreading, making the freezing process moot, so I increased the temperature to 375F, lest the cookies spread even more.
freezer log cookies, frozen, baked the following morning:
NOTES:
- I thought there was an unusually large amount of baking soda and baking powder. Hindsight, I think that this caused the cookie to rise and deflate very quickly in the oven. Had there been no oatmeal, this might have resulted in a paper thin cookie. If oatmeal is not your thing, I would halve the baking soda and powder.
- The recipe instructed to store the chocolate in the freezer while preparing the dough. I didn't do this, but I wonder if it would have made any difference.
- To me, the recipe reads like you're supposed to transfer the cookies from the baking to the cooling rack immediately after the cookies are out of the oven. In practice, this is impossible, since the cookies are liquid and bubbly in the middle when they come out of the oven. After assessing the situation, I opted for leaving the cookies on the sheet until they were completely cool. After that, I safely transferred them to the rack.
NEXT TIME:
- I won't pat down the dough... I'd go for the freezing technique
- I will skip the oatmeal and the walnuts and halve the baking soda and baking powder
- I might add some more spices, like coriander or nutmeg
- I'll add some almond extract
- Increasing oven temperature to 375F would likely yield thicker cookies
TO SUM UP:
This cookie recipe is easy and reliable. I hit a few snags along the way, but the cookies were very worth it. This is NOT a "thick chewy" cookie. This is its delicate, sophisticated cousin.
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
In a follow-up post, I mentioned that after experimenting with different bake times, turns out, these cookies do a lot better for a shorter time in a hotter oven. So try baking them at 450F for 6 minutes. You'll love them!
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