Chocolate Chip Cookie Comparison

With the new oven I am finally getting to enjoy baking again.  One of my favorite baked treats is homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Even with my old, cranky oven I had risked making cookies a year or two ago.  At that time I tried a Martha Stewart recipe that was really good.  But not long after that the Food Network magazine did a feature on chocolate chip cookies and listed various recipes depending on how you like your cookies' texture.  I have always loved chewy cookies so I decided I would try their chewy chocolate chip recipe and at the same time I would repeat the Martha Stewart recipe to decide which recipe I liked best.  Both recipes had amounts that were easy to half (even number of eggs makes a big difference) so last week I spent a few hours baking.  For those who might want to try other versions of chocolate chip cookies I suggest you check out the three recipes in that Food Network magazine from February 2012: recapped via their blog here.

The Martha Stewart recipe is the one known as Lexi's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.  You may also see it listed as Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies as it was first published in 1998.  If you look up that printing of this recipe you will see that it warns that this recipe makes very flat cookies that spread a lot on the baking pan.  It is really good to know that because I think this recipe is flawed in telling you to only space the cookies 2 inches apart.  I recommend spacing them at least 3 inches apart and be prepared if you do use the recommend 2 to 3 Tbsp drop of dough per cookie you are going to have very large, hard to handle cookies.  I have found in one reviewer comment that when this recipe was demonstrated on the show, Martha chilled the dough for an hour and baked the cookies for 12 minutes.  I do not know if that left the cookies less flat or not. 

For me these cookies turn out very chewy which I love but I find that they need to go longer than 8 minutes and there is that fear of burning them.  But there is a lot of brown sugar in this recipe (I did use light brown as indicated) which causes the cookies to appear darker as they cook so they look like they might be burning but they are not.  It is best to let these cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack otherwise they bend and tear all apart.  As for flavor they are very buttery and have a great almost molasses flavor from all the brown sugar.  Of the two recipes this one remains both mine and Brad's favorite and is definitely a ** YUM.

Lexis Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies**
(Makes: 30 - 4 inch cookies)

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugars, and beat until combined and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate chips, and beat until combined.

 

Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter at a time onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove the cookies and the parchment paper from the baking sheets, and let cool on a rack.

 

Lexi's Famous (left) are almost like a lace cookie
while the Chewy Food Network (right) are classic chocolate chip

The Food Network recipe uses a good bit less butter and brown sugar and actually calls for dark brown sugar (and since I happened to have both I used the dark brown in this recipe). I only chilled the dough for one hour and had no problems with them staying fluffier versus flattening out too much and they were nicely done exactly at 12 minutes.  They turned out beautiful and tasted really good (** Yum), so good that if I had not also made the other recipe at the same time I might consider this the ideal recipe.  But the above recipe is so different in terms of flavor it wins out.  But If I wanted to make perfectly yummy cookies that would pack better I might chose this recipe just for that reason. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies**
(Makes: 30 - 2 inch cookies)

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together into a large bowl. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes (use the paddle attachment for a stand mixer). Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the middle, about 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

 

 

 

Resolution Recap 2012: Salads

Salad is probably not the correct descriptor for this post since I am not talking about the leafy green lettuce type of salad.  Instead of am talking about those wonderful cold picnic style dishes, like potato salad.  I made two new potato salad recipes last year and one was such as big hit it has become the item of request for the guys in our little group gatherings (definite YUM rating).

That first recipe I found when searching for new potato salad recipes from the Idaho Potato Commission.  Potato salads are tricky for my group of friends since we have one that won't eat onions or raw peppers and also just hates cold salads because they are served cold and then two others that are very traditional and are hesitant to try something "unusual".  Well when you leave out the green onions this recipe has nothing in it the picky ones don't like and it is best served room temperature or slightly warmed versus ice cold.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad**
(Serves: 2 qts)

• 4 pounds Idaho® potatoes, peeled
• 1 pound bacon, crisply cooked, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (fat reserved, if desired)
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 cups grated or shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (regular or low-fat)
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cook whole potatoes in boiling, unsalted water until tender. Refrigerate until chilled, then chop into one-inch pieces. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl along with the remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine. Add some of the reserved bacon fat if desired.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Adjust the seasoning prior to serving. Note: Any condiments or toppings typically added to a loaded baked potato may be used for this recipe.

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The next potato salad recipe from Martha Stewart magazine wasn't as big of a hit and only ranked a "pretty good" rating.  It is a nice change but not yummy enough that anyone really wanted leftovers, certainly not like the recipe above.  But for anyone looking for another way to serve fresh green beans this is a nice choice.

Potato and Green Bean Salad*
(Prep Time: 25, Total Time: 25, Serves: 4)

• 6 ounces green beans
• 2 pounds peeled small potatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• Coarse salt

Simmer green beans in salted water until barely tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or wire-mesh skimmer, and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, and pat dry. Add potatoes to the same pot of salted water, and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes, and halve them. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and thyme in a large bowl. Add potatoes, beans, and red onion. Gently toss. Season with salt.
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The final "salad" recipe was once again one of those random Brad requests.  He decided he was in the mood for a ham salad.  For those who aren't familiar with ham salad it is very much like a tuna or chicken salad but uses ham and slightly different flavorings.  Turns out there was a recipe for it in an issue of Southern Living.  This is more of an appetizer spread for crackers or even for use as a sandwich meat spread but I am grouping it under the salad section. This recipe was also "pretty good" by our rating system.

Ham Salad*

(Total Time: 20 min, Serves: 6 cups)

• 2 pounds fully cooked boneless ham, cut into large chunks
• 1 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon refrigerated horseradish
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 3 to 5 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
• Toasted French bread slices (optional)
• Garnishes: fresh parsley leaves, small sweet pickle halves

Process ham, in batches, in a food processor until coarsely ground, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Place ground ham in a bowl; stir in pickle relish and next 6 ingredients. Fold in chopped eggs. Serve on toasted bread slices, if desired.

Resolution Recap 2012: Desserts (Brownies and Pumpkin Cookies)

The last two new dessert recipes I tried in 2012 did not involve bananas.  I was looking for potential ideas for dessert for Thanksgiving and decided since I was making something new for the first time it would be wise to double my chances by making two new things.  That way hopefully at least one recipe would be worthy of sharing with family.  As it turned out both recipes are rated ** yums!

The first recipe I had to try simply because it was the same flavor profile of my favorite seasonal drink from Starbucks: Salted Caramel Mocha in the form of Salted Caramel Brownies.  I found this recipe in Food Network magazine and when I saw it was from Ina Garten I knew it would be good.  There are a few extra steps involved versus a normal brownie recipe but they are worth the time to avoid messing up the consistency.  The choice of salt that you sprinkle on top is very important.  Do not use regular table salt.  I made the mistake of using kosher flakes thinking that would work out fine but it was the wrong kind of saltiness.  Sea salt does make a big difference.

Salted Caramel Brownies**
(Prep Time: 25 min, Total Time: 1 hr, Serves: 12 large brownies)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 8 ounces plus 6 ounces Hershey's semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, such as Nescafe
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce, such as Fran's
• 2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 12 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan. Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature (it is very important to allow the batter to cool before adding the chocolate chips, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies).

 

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

 

Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake! As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it's pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.

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The final dessert recipe is for Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin cookies.  There used to be an administrative assistant at work that would make something like these cookies every fall and I thought they were the best things ever.  When I ran across this recipe I hoped they would be similar to what she used to make and they are close enough to make me very happy. 

 

Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies**

(Prep Time: 10 min, Total Time: 43 min, Serves: 36 cookies)

 

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

For Glaze: Combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

Resolution Recap 2012: Desserts (Excess Bananas)

I am not a big dessert person.  I would much rather have something salty, a good cheese, that kind of thing instead of something sweet.  But on some occasions it is nice to have a treat especially around the holidays.  In 2012 I tried seven new dessert recipes.  Two of those recipes were selected based on having an excess of bananas.  When Brad first got braces he went through a smoothie phase and his favorite was a chocolate banana smoothie.  But after awhile he grew tired of it and I was left with a lot of overly ripe bananas on multiple occasions.  After several batches of banana bread I decided it was time for something new.

The first recipe is a banana bar recipe from Betty Crocker.  I followed the recipe for the actual banana bars but did not have on hand the powdered sugar needed for the icing portion of the recipe.  Instead I found a recipe for a whipped cream - cream cheese frosting from Allrecipes.com that did not use powdered sugar (and I am counting this as another new recipe).  The banana bars rated a single * for pretty good mainly because they were very similar to banana bread so not really something new.  But the whipped cream - cream cheese frosting was fantastic and got two ** (yum!).  This frosting is nicely rich without being overly sweet and because it is whipped you can use an impressive amount without it overwhelming the flavor of the base bar. I would certainly make the frosting again for other dessert items.

Banana Bars*
(Prep Time: 15 min, Total Time: 1hr 45 min, Serves: 24)

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, with shortening. In large bowl, mix granulated sugar, bananas, oil and eggs with spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Spread in pan. Bake bars 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour before frosting (see link for the original frosting recipe for these bars from Betty Crocker).

Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting**

(Prep Time 15 min, Total Time: 15 min, makes enough frosting for a 2 layer 9 inch cake)

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

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 The next leftover banana recipe I made was Alton Brown's banana ice cream (another yum recipe).  I cut this recipe in half.  Unfortunately that was too low a volume for my old ice cream maker and while the bottom where the ice cream was located locked up the top of the spindle kept trying to turn and finally broke the plastic paddle.  However, this mishap did lead to me getting a really nice ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer this past Christmas!

Banana Ice Cream**

(Prep Time: 35 min, Total Time: 6hr 35 min, Makes: 1 qt)

• 6 (approximately 2 1/4 pounds) ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Place bananas in freezer and freeze overnight. Remove bananas from freezer and allow to thaw for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Peel bananas and place in bowl of food processor along with the lemon juice. Process for 10 to 15 seconds. Add corn syrup and vanilla bean seeds and turn processor on. Slowly pour in the heavy cream. Process until smooth. Chill mixture in refrigerator until it reaches 40 degrees. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Place mixture in an airtight container and freeze for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

Resolution Recap 2012: Desserts (Banana Brioche Bread Pudding)

The first new dessert recipe I actually tried in 2012 was my attempt to find a simple recreation of the wonderful banana bread pudding they serve at a local facility where we have our corporate holiday gathering each year.  I have actually seen the recipe from that facility and it is very complicated involving first making banana bread then making the bread pudding, etc.  When I saw Claire Robinson's Banana Brioche Bread Pudding recipe in the Food Network magazine I knew this would be a close representation of the dish I was craving.  What's more I have since learned that brioche is the key to really good bread pudding (see comment about pumpkin bread pudding from Biaggi's November 2012 Wine Dinner post). 

It did take a little effort to get actual brioche for this recipe.  In fact I learned in this area you need to order it in advance from whatever bakery you prefer.  This time I opted to make use of Le Farm Bakery services.  I placed the order at the start of the week for pick up on the day I planned to make the recipe for dinner guests.  They make one size (2 lb) loaf which was actually double the amount needed so I froze the second half for other uses later. 

This bread pudding recipe is definitely a YUM!  Light in texture, not too heavy, and wonderful flavors. I served it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Banana Brioche Bread Pudding**
(Prep Time: 10 min, Total Time: 1 hr 5 min, Serves: 6 - very large serving size)

 

• 1 loaf brioche (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• Pinch salt
• 3 large eggs, plus 6 egg yolks
• 3 soft very ripe bananas

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the brioche cubes in a large bowl.

 

In a saucepan, add the cream, 1 cup of brown sugar and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the eggs and yolks together in a large bowl. In a slow stream, pour the hot cream mixture into whisked eggs to temper. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over the brioche cubes. Let this sit to allow the bread to absorb some of the liquid, about 10 minutes.

 

In a bowl, mash the bananas with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Fold the mashed bananas into the bread cubes and transfer the mixture to an 8 by 11-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and cover with foil. Bake until mostly set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven when top is golden brown. Eat and enjoy!