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Recipe File: Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Another Engineer
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:01 am    Post subject: Sifting floor Reply with quote

I just read your toll house chocolate chip cookie write-up where you mention in parenthesis that all flour should be sifted before measuring.

I believe that most cookie recipes especially those on the back of packages assume the flour is NOT sifted. There should be a 1-800 number on the back of the package for help with the recipe.

Sifting is generally used when you're making cakes or other "delicate" baked goods where too much flour can throw the recipe off, but for cookies and quick breads the typical method is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup to overflowing and level off with a straight edge. No tamping required.

When I was experimenting around with making wild yeast/sourdough breads, I tried different methods of filling a cup of flour. Using the method described above, I found that I consistently achieved 150 g per cup +/- 2 g.
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chale
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:16 pm    Post subject: better cookies Reply with quote

Two critical pieces that make a good cookie better.

1) Prior to cooking, freeze the dough for about an hour. It makes the dough more compact and spread out less [more like a Mrs Fields cookie, thick and chewy]. I also recommend getting a cookie scoop from Pampered Chef or other baking store which helps consistently delivery the same better each time.

2) Cook at 375 for the first 9 minutes and then lower the temperature to 325 for the remaining period. This sets the flour and shape of the cookie. If you kept it at 375 for the entire period, it ends up more cake like and if you bake at 325 for the entire time, the margerine melts and creates a very thin cookie because the flour hasn't set. Putting the batter in the freezer for a little while also helps this.
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Pam
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 5:59 pm    Post subject: Toll house cookies-help! Reply with quote

Hi!

This is the first time I have seen your website...awesome!

I just made a batch of Toll House cookies like I usually do. I let them cool as directed and placed them in a ziplock baggie to bring to a party tomorrow.

I have always found that they are chewy when you make them, but harden as they cool....but then they usually get softer again.

This time they seem to be staying hard. I know my friends/family like them when they get soft. Any suggesstions how to do that? Should I let some air get into the bag? Remove air from the bag? There has to be a way and I hope one of you can tell me how to do it.

Thanks in advance!
-Pam Unsure
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km
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:30 am    Post subject: great cookies Reply with quote

I only use light brown sugar and use butter that is left out for an hour only. You have to fight with the butter - (firm). I never use a mixer either. They always turn out great. I also use an air bake cookie sheet.
I use only 3/4 tsp of baking soda and 3/4 tsp of salt. I've got it down to a science and that's why always perfect results.
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Jeff Walther
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:28 pm    Post subject: Lipids and Cookie Sheet Reply with quote

A couple of years ago I did a two variable study of CCC thickness as a project for my Manufacturing Probability and Statistics class.

Well darn. I don't seem to have a copy around. I guess I left it on the school server and my account is long since gone.

Anyway, I tried butter, margerine and shortening for the lipids. And I used a traditional stainless cookie sheet, a solid teflon coated sheet and one of the non-stick air bake sheets. I think I also did a batch of half butter and half shortening.

IIRC, the lipids didn't affect the cookie thickness in any statistically significant way. The air bake sheet seemed to make the thickest cookies, which surprised me as I was expecting the plain metal pan to make the thicker ones.

Then my fellow classmates ate my results...

Personally, I like the flavor of all butter or half butter/half shortening cookies. I usually make a double batch and then add one bag of white chips in addition to the two bags of chocolate chips.

Sam's Club sold a 10lb bag of chocolate chips until about five years ago. I miss that.

If I have a bit of extra time, I like to dump the cookie dough into a wax paper lined bread pan and then refrigerate it overnight. Then I use a heavy knife to cut it into cubes prior to baking. Other than the normal results of refrigeration, I can't say that this makes any difference. I just like dropping cubes on the cookie sheet instead of the somewhat inexact measurement of spooning it on.
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LAN3



Joined: 24 Mar 2006
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:18 am    Post subject: Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies Reply with quote

I baked up some chocolate chocolate-chip cookies the other day, and, looking at the Toll House recipe, I can see that they're nearly identical. There was 2 and 2/3rds cup of flour, an addition egg for a total of 3, slightly altered sugar instructions: 1 full cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated white sugar.

The ingredient that makes them so different is the full 12oz bag of semi-sweet chips that you melt and then add after all the liquids and before the solids. You can melt chocolate chips on a double-boiler, of course, but it's so simple in the microwave: put them in a glass bowl, and nuke on high for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Then wait-- there's enough heat stored in there now to melt the lot, and if you let it rest a few minutes, it'll do the work for you, so you aren't stirring the whole time. If you see the outermost cookies wilting stick in a good spatula and start stirring.

After you add the dry ingredients, stir in a second 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips-- I went with a high-quality milk chocolate, but it would've tasted great with semi-sweet again. Then bake rounded teaspoons of the stuff, on parchment, at 350F in about 8-9-10 minutes-- pull them out when they get good and puffed up-- they'll collapse a little as they cool on the baking sheet (2 minutes, then 5 minutes on the rack), but they're good, and they are cookies rather than round flat brownies (of either the fudgy or cakey variety). Recipe makes 48 people happy for a few minutes.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thirty and forty years ago, the recipe for the Nestle Toll House Cookies on the bag of chocolate chips called for Crisco shortening instead of butter or margarine. When I tried the recipe with the butter, the cookies flattened and ran, so I've always used the shortening instead. I think it gives a better flavor as well. To keep cookies soft and chewy, I always keep them in an airtight container or ziplock bag, and I add a slice of bread. They're just delightful. They even stayed soft when I mailed them to my son when he was serving in Iraq, and it would take nearly two weeks to get to him. He said they still tasted fresh -- and his buddies told their wives to put a slice of bread in with their cookies.
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Sunny
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 1:23 pm    Post subject: Lotsa cookies Reply with quote

This past summer, I baked 8 dozen cookies at least once a week for my son's football team -- well over 1000 cookies over the course of the season, so I think I've learnt a few things--

1) Shortening makes a thicker, more "homestyle" cookie. Butter has awesome flavour, but results in thin, crispy cookies. I use Crisco Trans-Fat Free -- if and as they make it with the butter flavour, I'll use that. Folks prefer the taller, lighter cookie -- trust me on this one.

2) The "back of the bag" recipe doubles easily -- you'll need a little extra flour.

3) The amount of flour depends heavily on the type of weather you're having when you make them. Heavy, humid days result in flat cookies that need more flour -- dry days result in lighter cookies that need less flour. There's no rule about how much more or less -- as you make this recipe regularly, you'll learn how the dough is supposed to feel, and you can adjust the dough to match that.

4) Don't go cheap and substitute chocolate chips -- use the Toll House. I don't know why, but nobody else's chips taste like that.

5) Use real vanilla extract -- it really makes a difference. If you really want a treat, use a double-strength vanilla like that available from Penzey's spices (penzeys.com)

The Engineer's Daughter
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Louisa
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:50 pm    Post subject: Toll-house cookies Reply with quote

As a dietitian with culinary background, I get asked from time to time to adapt recipes to make them a little more heart-healthy. When I saw this topic I thought readers might be interested to know that, believe it or not, you can actually eliminate an entire stick of butter (go from 2 sticks to 1) from the standard Tollhouse recipe and still end up with a tasty batch of cookies - they still have great flavor, nice texture, and are much less greasy. I like them even better in fact, and haven't used 2 sticks in years. I noticed some people substitute part of the butter with applesauce, which is fine, but in our testing project using half the fat in this particular recipe yielded a perfectly good result. There may be a bit less of a margin for error in overbaking, so bake for the lower number of minutes if you prefer a softer texture.
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Mark
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:40 pm    Post subject: Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies Reply with quote

Crispy or Chewy - depends on done-ness, and storage. I like mine inbetween. Crisp-ewy (?). First batch is always the "calibration" batch, partially cooled, they should still seem too soft. In the winter (dry house), an open tupperware crisp them up, closing the container on a fresh batch softens them up (too much). I also use 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening, and err on the side of too much sugar, too many chips !
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Judy
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:35 pm    Post subject: Real v. Fake Vanilla Reply with quote

According to Cook's Illustrated, imitation vanilla is just as good as real. You need to be a member to see the article, but I believe this is the URL:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/login.asp?did=325&LoginForm=tasting&iseason=
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Phenom
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:15 am    Post subject: Real vanilla vs. fake Reply with quote

The first time my husband tasted my chocolate chip cookies, he was hooked. I now bake them every week or so... they don't last long around him.
On the real vanilla debate, I've gotta weigh in on the real side.. I've tried it both ways (vanilla is expensive if you're not in Mexico), and the real (and triple the amount on the NTH package) tastes MUCH better!

Phenom (guest)
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Spini
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:01 pm    Post subject: All WHITE Sugar and No Brown Reply with quote

I've been making Tollhouse cookies for years and love them. A friend made me a batch for Christmas and they were extraordinary.

The difference was that she used only white sugar and no brown. Can one of the engineers please tell me how that affects the cookie ?Thanks
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nabel (guest)
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:29 am    Post subject: Adding whey protein to cookies Reply with quote

Hi - just wondering if anyone would know how to add whey protein to the Chocolate Chip cookie recipe? I am trying to balance protein into the cookie's nutritional value and most of the "higher protein" cookie or bar recipes out there are too moist or too chewy (like taffy!). I would prefer a crunchy or at least more of a solid type cookie (no bars please).
Disbelief
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ying



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 3
Location: SixZeroFour

PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:42 am    Post subject: Unsalted butter vs salted Reply with quote

Hi everyone,

I live in Malaysia and here salted butter is more commonly used for baking. I'm wondering what is the difference between the results of unsalted and salted butter in the cookies?
Will it affect the texture of the cookies? Also what is the purpose of adding salt?
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