PAM ANDERSON’S PUFFY, CHEWY, CRISPY, CHOCOLATY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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

Here are links to some of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes:  NY Times (Jacques Torres), Yockelson’s Large and Luscious Two-Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Gingerbread Drops, Copycat Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies,  Prize-Winning Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blue Ribbon Fair Cookies

DRIED CHERRY-BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

 
These were supposed to be “Nantucket Cookies,” made with white chocolate chips or chunks and dried cranberries, and sprinkled with flakes of sea salt.  I skipped the salt, used chopped bittersweet chocolate and dried cherries and called it a day.  And what a day it was!  A delicious one to be sure.  I highly recommend these, though I must say they are extremely rich.

Cherry-Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies Adapted from “Salty Sweets” by Christie Matheson Rating:  9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. fine sea salt 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened slightly 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 cup dried sweetened tart cherries 1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped Heat oven to 375F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.  In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with sugars and vanilla on low speed till combined.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Slowly add flour mixture to bowl, beating on lowest speed after each addition.  Stir in cherries and chocolate pieces.  Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to drop balls of dough (about 2 Tbsp. each) onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes, until set and just golden.  Let cookies cool on baking sheets for a minute, then transfer  to wire rack to cool completely.  Yield:  About 30 cookies (yield will be dependent upon size of cookie).

CHOCOLATE CHIP-CHERRY-ALMOND-OATMEAL COOKIES

Hungry for a chocolate chip cookie, but tired of the same old vanilla chocolate chippers? You might just want to try this new concoction of mine. Slightly crisp exteriors with soft centers, these cookies are loaded with a mix of dark and milk chocolates and accented with dried cherries, salted almonds and a delightful orange flavor. A touch of coriander works in the background to bring more depth of flavor.

Instead of mixing the batter by hand (my usual method), I used my Cuisinart. The cookies still came out plump without falling after baking, because the Cuisinart doesn't overheat the dough the way a mixer can.

I used a mix of chocolates, not just because I was cleaning out the pantry -- it's also a great way to add complex flavors to a confection. I chopped up some Hershey Blisses -- even they were mixed (part milk chocolate, part dark), and added Hershey's Special Dark chips along with Hershey's milk chocolate chips. The almonds are a nice change from walnuts or pecans and fit in nicely with the cherries and chocolate; but, if you don't particularly like nuts in your chocolate chip cookies, leave them out. Either way, this is one cookie that won't bore you!

Chocolate Chip-Cherry-Almond-Oatmeal Cookies

Source: Judy's Kitchen

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup quick (not instant) oats

1/4 cup salted almonds (from a can of mixed salted nuts)

5 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend, unsalted

1/4 cup sugar (or 1-1/2 tsp. stevia)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp. orange zest

1/2 large egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. orange extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips of choice

1/4 cup dried sweetened cherries

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, coriander, salt, oats, and almonds, stirring well to mix ingredients; set aside. In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together SB, sugars and zest several times till smooth. Add egg and extracts, pulsing again till smooth and well mixed. Add dry ingredients and pulse with quick, short motions, just till nuts are chopped and everything is combined. Add chips and cherries and again pulse briefly to combine. Refrigerate dough for 1/2 hour if you have time.

Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet and bake 11-13 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan a few minutes, then transfer to baking sheets to finish cooling. Yield: 10 (2-3/4") cookies

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EXPERIMENT #2: CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS WITH COCONUT FLOUR

For the second batch of coconut flour chocolate chippers, I wanted to see if I could get more of a cookie texture. So I used the Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, upped the flours, eliminated the extra egg yolk, cut the milk to 3 Tbsp. and just slightly upped the sugar. These are more of a cookie texture, but they're still very big and fat, and they're wonderful! I baked these at 350F, instead of 375F, and I think that contributed to a better texture also, although they don't brown quite as much. There are some men around here who are clamoring for more. If I use all the coconut flour to make nothing but these chocolate chippers, they will be quite happy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment #2: Chocolate Chippers with Coconut Flour
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick (4 oz.) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, melted, cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar (I used 2 tsp. Stevia)
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coffee brandy or strong coffee
3 Tbsp. milk (I used fat-free H&H)
1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
heaping 1/4 tsp. baking soda
heaping 1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 20 Hershey Blisses, chopped)
1/3 cup toasted broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, beat the sugars with the somewhat cooled butter till well combined. Use a whisk, not an electric mixer. Mixing cookies by hand makes a better cookie. Add the egg and whisk again till well combined. Stir in flavorings and milk. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, chips and nuts and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with a spatula till you can't see flour any more. Using an ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup), drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.




















Bake for 12-15 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Cookies will be soft and will not be browned, but take them out any way and let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 11 big fat cookies

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EXPERIMENT #1 -- CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS WITH COCONUT FLOUR

On our last trip to New Jersey, I bought some Bob's Red Mill organic coconut flour. And now I have to find ways to use it. The idea of adding fiber to my baked goods interested me since I'm always trying to come up with ways to make sweets more healthful. So I thought I'd start experimenting with chocolate chip cookies. I worked off of the Cook's Illustrated Chewy and Thick Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I made the cookies oversized -- about 4 oz. of dough for each, and they didn't spread. They came out scone-like, kind of like the Levain copycat cookies. And that's after I squashed the dough down with a fork. You can't stop these guys from rising. I like these about as much as I like the Levains, although they're not crispy on the edges. Instead, they're more like a -- well, scone, like I said. I think I accidentally made a chocolate-chip scone. And did I say I like them? I like them a lot. You might not want to invest in coconut flour, but you should know that it's very good for you: high in fiber and protein, it's also gluten free. It can be used in smoothies; and you should also know that the coconut flour is so mild, it's hardly detectable. That's because it's made from coconut that first has the oil extracted out. Since most of the coconut flavor is in the oil, the remaining "flour" is almost tasteless. We all need to find ways to eat healthier, so consider joining me in my coconut flour experiments. There will be more coming. But back to these cookies -- ahem -- they're all gone -- didn't last long at all.

Chocolate Chippers with Coconut Flour (Experiment #1)
Rating: 9 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted, cooled
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar (I used 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)
1 large egg + 1 large yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coffee brandy or strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup milk
1-1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
heaping 1/4 tsp. baking soda
heaping 1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 20 Hershey Blisses, chopped)
1/3 cup toasted broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat the sugar into the somewhat cooled butter till well combined. You can use a wire whisk for this. There is no need to get out your mixmaster, because the best cookies are made by hand, not by machine. Add the egg & yolk and continue to beat well for a minute or two. You need some exercise anyway, right? Now stir in the flavorings and milk. Combine the dry ingredients, chips and nuts in a separate bowl and mix them together well. Add them to the dry ingredients and mix lightly with a spatula till you can't see flour any more. But don't overmix, please.
Using an ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup), drop balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. They won't seem done, but let the toothpick be your guide, because these are best when they are just a tad underdone, just like a scone, which is what they're like. Yield: 10 big fat cookies (or scones)
P. S. If you can't find organic coconut flour in your local stores, you can purchase it through Amazon using this link: Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES

I found this recipe on the Rice Krispies website. The nice Kellogg people went to all the trouble of developing a recipe for me so I could use up the rest of the Rice Krispies in my pantry. And, since they are the Kellogg people, and since they really really want you to use Rice Krispies, they put a lot of them in this recipe, which is just fine with me. It's a small batch recipe. I got 15 3" cookies; if you make them bigger, you'll get even less. It's just the right amount I think, so you don't have too many cookies looking at you.

These cookies are good: crispy on the edges and soft inside. The cereal gives them a little crunch.

The batter is thick. I used an ice cream scoop (about 1.5 oz. for each) to scoop the dough, and it was a high ball. The batter doesn't deflate when it goes in the oven. So, as I was watching the first batch stay in balls, I thought I should do something. I took a fork and smashed the dough balls down a bit. For the second batch, I did the fork trick before I put them in the oven. If you want high cookies, go ahead and leave the high dough balls alone. I wanted fat but not high cookies. These turned out to be about 3" diameter cookies. If you want bigger cookies, try 2.5 ozs, or even 3 oz. Any way you make them, you'll enjoy them. Guy, who doesn't eat desserts, gave these a thumbs up -- way up. Thanks, Kellogg Company.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Kellogg's Rice Krispies

Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half bread flour, half unbleached all-purpose)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups Rice Krispies

1 pkg. (6 oz. or 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large electric mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar just till combined. (I did the beating by hand, making it less likely to overbeat anything. Overbeating cookie dough makes the cookies puff up in the oven, then deflate.) Add egg and vanilla, beating till combined. Add flour mixture, then cereal and chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop (about 1.5 oz.), drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F about 13-15 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center, but not into a chocolate chip, returns almost clean. Remove immediately from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. Yield: 15 3" cookies

CAROLYN'S MORSELS (CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES) adapted half batch

Carolyn Hayes, Elba, New York, says this is her own cookie that she adapted from a secret recipe. It took her two weeks to perfect it -- and according to Carolyn, hers is better. This recipe is eerily like Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, and the texture of the cookie is similar. I halved the recipe and made some changes. I don't know if the baking temperature listed in the recipe was a mistake, but 325F didn't work for me. I changed it to 350F and got better results. Most of my other changes reflect the sign of the times -- with the present price of groceries, I'm trying to bake with what's on hand instead of buying new ingredients. So, with that in mind, I finally used up the rest of my dried cherries that were soaking in creme de cocoa, along with some white chocolate chips and part of a Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds bar. I also got to use some more of the self-rising flour (it's now down to 1/2 bag), and some whole wheat flour. So thanks to American Profile for printing this recipe which I'm going to give a rating of 8 out 10. My cookies didn't come out as puffy as Carolyn's did in the magazine photo, (probably because I didn't chill the dough) but they still are sturdy and quite good, especially with those dried drunken cherries. hic

Carolyn's Morsels (Chocolate Chip Cookies) adapted half batch
Rating: 8 out of 10
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup lite brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup white sugar + 1 tsp. molasses + 1/2 tsp. stevia)
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp. coffee syrup (1 Tbsp.coffee powder dissolved in 3 Tbsp. coffee brandy; measure 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
3/4 cup dried cherries soaked in creme de cocoa overnight or longer
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (Use Sam's Choice in Wal-Mart for good quality, low price)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips or chunks (I used Hershey's bar with almonds)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flours, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. No need to get the mixer out -- in large bowl, whisk softened butter, brown sugar and vanilla by hand until smooth and well mixed. Add egg and coffee syrup and whisk again till very smooth. Stir in flour mixture and remaining ingredients, mixing only till just combined. Chill 1 hour or till dough is firm. (I would definitely not skip the chilling of the dough. I did for the first batch, and I saw a difference in the second batch that had been chilled about 20 minutes. The cookies were higher and more solid after chilling.) Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking pans. Bake 10-12 minutes, until just lightly browned on the edges. Cool on wire racks. Yield: about 20 cookies

DORA'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

It's amazing how many chocolate chip cookie recipes are out there. Not everyone agrees on what makes a cookie great, but the note on this recipe said, "Crisp edges, chewy middles," and it was rated 5 out of 5 by 1713 allrecipes.com members. Sounded good to me. The recipe title is "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies," and I renamed them because IMHO, they are not the best, although they are very good. Instead of using 2 tsp. hot water as the recipe called for, I used coffee syrup (coffee brandy in which instant coffee is dissolved). I had to eliminate the 1 cup chopped walnuts, because my friend doesn't like nuts, and these cookies were for him. I personally really like nuts in CC cookies and I'm sure they would have made the cookie a little crunchy. With my coffee syrup added, these cookies have a very good flavor, nice texture; and, yes, they are chewy but only very slightly crispy on the edges. The dough is unbelievably delicious with a strong caramel flavor and there really is a chance you might not get these to the oven! Also worth mentioning: I obviously made the cookies too small, because I got 58 cookies using a tablespoonful of dough; 2 tablespoonfuls would yield 29; and Dora says she gets 24. If you like big, puffy cookies, these are not, but they have a good amount of chocolate chips and they will take care of your chocolate craving.

Dora's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rating: 8 out of 10
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar (I used superfine)
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used dark brown)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. hot water (I used coffee syrup)
1/2 tsp. salt (I used sea salt)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used 1 cup Old-Fashioned Oats instead)

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together the butter and sugars till smooth. (I did this by hand with a wire whisk.) Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water (or coffee syrup). Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts (or oatmeal). Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased (or parchment-lined) pans. Bake about 10 minutes or till edges are nicely browned.*

*I think this is where the crispy edges come in. I slightly underbaked the cookies, because that's how I prefer them. They did not brown on the edges. This is personal preference; if you like crisp but well-baked cookies, go for it.

DAVID LEBOVITZ'S GREAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These cookies are very interesting and very good. I found the recipe on a food blog, 101cookbooks.com, and it's originally from David Lebovitz's "The Great Book of Chocolate." (And, PS, DL is recognized as a top pastry chef from the San Francisco area and has authored several cookbooks.) What's different is the baking temperature: 300F. I had my doubts, but it does something to the texture of the cookie, making it sugary-crispy-crunchy and slightly chewy, all at the same time. They don't brown much, which kind of bothers me, but once I sank my teeth in, I didn't care. They're substantial cookies, too, not flimsy or delicate. Instead of chocolate chips, I used a combo of chopped Hershey's Bliss Signatures Milk Chocolate with meltaway centers and rich and creamy dark chocolate. I had to unwrap them but they were oh, so worth it.

I made a half-batch, but I'm giving you the recipe for a full batch. The full batch is supposed to make 20 cookies, but I only got 8 from the half batch, so, naturally, it's going to depend on how big you make the cookie dough balls.

David Lebovitz's Great Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rating: 7 out of 10
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, in chunks
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour lightly spooned and leveled (add 1 Tbsp. if you live in the South)
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups of your favorite chocolate chips
1 cup of your favorite nuts, toasted and chopped

Set the oven rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Preheat oven to 300F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In large mixing bowl, beat sugars and butter till smooth and creamy on low speed of electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat again till smooth. Stir in baking soda, flour and salt, mixing only till combined. Fold in chips and nuts. Place balls of dough, about 2 Tbsp. each, 4" apart on baking sheets. Bake 18 -20 minutes, or till pale golden brown.
Makes 20 cookies.

REESE' PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

I've never used self-rising flour, possibly because I like sea salt and unbleached flour and I like to control the amount of leavening. But I needed to buy some to bake some cookies that I wanted to enter into a contest. I made the cookies, entered the recipe, and looked at an almost-full 5-lb. bag of self-rising flour. What to do? I thought I would try developing chocolate chip cookie recipes with it. This recipe came out ok, but the cookies are not crispy. They are soft inside. (I prefer my cookies crispy on the outside and softly chewy on the inside. These were not.) That said, if you are stuck with self-rising flour and don't know what to do with it, here's a way to use some of it up. (I think I would use regular chocolate chips with some toasted nuts next time, though, because the sweetness of the peanut butter combined with the sweetness of the milk chocolate and the sweetness of the cookie was a bit too much sweet for me.) Also note: this is a half recipe. Double for 20 cookies.)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (half batch)

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/2 egg (1-1/2 - 2 Tbsp.)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. chocolate extract (or vanilla, if you can't find chocolate extract)

1-1/4 cup self-rising flour

1/3 cup quick oats (not instant)

1/2 cup chopped Reese's peanut butter cups (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup toasted nuts of your choice)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375F. On low speed of stand mixer, combine sugar butter, egg and flavorings till almost smooth, about 2 minutes. On stir speed, mix in flour and oats till everything comes together, about 2 minutes. Fold in the candy (or the chips and nuts). Dough will be stiff.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake about 10 minutes, or till cookies test done when a toothpick inserted in center returns clean. Cool on baking pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 10 cookies.