So this past month I have had a crazy urge to bake. With a new baby, it hasn’t exactly been easy to find time, but this past weekend I was finally able to whip up a batch of my Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. I love this recipe because it is so simple and makes A TON. I had a few neighbors I have been thinking about and wanted to take them a plate of cookies, so I thought this was the perfect recipe to make. I’ve made it several times so I didn’t think there would be any issues.

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Maybe I’m a little sleep deprived, maybe I’m a little distracted with 3 children, or maybe both ;), but I realized halfway through the baking process that I did not mix my cookies all the way. I discovered the first half of the batch were very buttery tasting and thin and wide, while the last half of my batch were much puffier and had more of a flour taste. They were all tasty (don’t worry, I sampled a few to be sure;) ), but this definitely made me think about the various ingredients found in a basic chocolate chip recipe cookie, and what a difference each one makes! I also know we all have different definitions of the perfect cookie. Some like them crispier, some like them more cakey; some prefer the butter taste, while others feel the more flour the better!

So how do you get your perfect cookie? Here are a few things to know that will help:

Butter will make the cookie spread; cookies with a lot of butter tend to be thinner and crispier. They also have more of that caramel/toffee flavor (I am definitely a buttery cookie kind of gal;) ).

Flour will make your cookie puffier and denser. You’ll definitely want more flour if you like your cookies gooey and chewy. If you’re really wanting to perfect your cookie, try using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour to really get that chewy sensation!

Baking soda/powder provide the leavening in place of yeast. Baking soda will give your cookie a denser texture, while baking powder will make your cookie cakier/puffier.

Brown sugar/white sugar have different effects as well. Using only white sugar will make your cookies very thin and crispy, while using only brown sugar will make your cookies puffier and dense and more cakier in texture. Brown sugar will also give a more intense caramel/toffee flavor. Many recipes will use a combination of the two sugars.

Corn syrup is not as common in cookie recipes, but can have a tasty effect! Corn syrup will spread out like white sugar cookies but will remain chewy and still have a caramel taste. It will also make your cookies darker than if using only white sugar.

Chilling the cookie in the fridge can also make a difference. If you allow your cookie dough to chill in the fridge for a few hours, they won’t spread as much and will stay chewier in the center. It also gives the flavors a chance to really blend!

Raising the temperature of the oven will also affect the cookies. A higher temperature will cause the outsides to get crispy while the inside stays chewy, while lowering the temperature will make the cookies cook more evenly.

I am by no means a gourmet chef or scientist, but knowing these basic facts definitely gives me a great place to start for tweaking any chocolate chip cookie recipe to become what I want it to become. You could even create a cookbook in your Cook’n program and use it to keep track of your cookie creations. You could call it “Cookie Experiments” or “Cookie Science” if you want to have a little fun;). The second source listed has several more tips for experimenting with your own cookie recipe. Everyone should have their own perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? ;)

How do you prefer your chocolate chip cookies, and have you found the perfect recipe? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com

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