Pam Anderson worked hard to develop this recipe for a perfect chocolate chip cookie, one that she claims is puffy, chewy, crispy and chocolaty. In an effort to give the best possible review, I made these cookies twice and got the same results both times. The “chew” is really a soft, almost cakey, inside. The crisp is very slight, almost unnoticeable. And the puff is too much, so I wound up depressing thawed dough to get a better result. The top photo shows a cookie (on the left) baked from a frozen dough ball. It browned too much and never spread, but the edges were slightly crispy. The cookie on the right was baked from a thawed dough ball, then depressed lightly with my fingers, and the edges were just slightly crispy. It was also baked on two baking sheets to protect the bottoms from burning, something that I had to figure out myself since it wasn’t in the recipe.
I enjoyed eating these flavorful cookies, but the recipe is overly complicated and, frankly, I’ve made easier recipes with better results. So I won’t be returning to this recipe anytime soon. If you do decide to make these, please share your results with me.
| Puffy, Chewy, Crispy, Chocolaty Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted slightly from Pam Anderson Rating: 8.0 out of 10 |
| INGREDIENTS: 2-1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3/4 tsp. salt 14 Tbsp. butter (2 sticks minus 2 Tbsp.), cut into chunks 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks, (or 1 cup chocolate + 1 cup toasted nuts) Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix eggs, vanilla and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Microwave butter on high power until just melted but not hot, 30-45 seconds; set aside. Mix sugars in large bowl. Add butter and oil; stir till smooth. Add egg mixture and stir till smooth and creamy. Add dry ingredients and stir till smooth. Stir in chocolate and nuts, if using. Using a 1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbsp.) ice cream scoop, spoon 16 dough balls, flattened slightly, onto a pan that will fit in your freezer. Freeze till dough is hard, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 400F. Working in half batches, place 8 frozen dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake till set, but not brown, 8-10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350F. Continue to bake till cookies are golden-brown around edges and lightly brown on the top, about 10 minutes longer. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet completely. Repeat, preheating oven to 400F again before baking second batch. Yield: 16 large cookies |
2 comments:
oh those look delicious! thanks for sharing!
I have been baking this recipe since I found it in USA Today in 2001. I call these my international cookies as I was sending them to my son, who is in the Army. They have gone to Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany and Belgium. He shared with his troops. Now I bake them at least four times a year, quadrupling the recipe. I just tweaked the recipe, adding almond flavoring. These are the BEST cookies ever! I give them to friends and family and they will be going to my son in Germany this Christmas. Thanks!
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