Taste Test #1 - Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookie

Test Taste #1: Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

(Contender for the best chocolate chip cookie search)

My first recipe is the Ghirardelli Chocolate chip cookie. I saw the bag of morsels at the grocers and realized that the best chocolate chip cookie may not be in the dough, but in the chocolate morsel. Little did I know that Ghirardelli has 3 different types of chocolate morsels, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, and 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate. So off to the store I went to purchase a bag of each and ensure the results would be comprehensive.

My family, friends and neighbors are having a lot of fun with this. Play with us by asking your family, friends and neighbors to participate. We are in the depths of winter and this is a fun game to take away the blues. All you need are the ingredients from the recipes provided (below), a little presentation for the taste testing process, and a voting ballad (just email me at playalong@pressdough.com to receive .pdf for rules, voting ballads, and even the numbered labels to stick onto each wrapped cookie).

Recipe (Toll house):

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12 oz pkg) of Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts (optional...we are leaving out due to allergy concerns)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually, beat in flour mixture. Sir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased (or parchment paper lined) baking sheet.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely. (makes about 5 dozen cookies)

Recipe (Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookie):

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips (we split the dough in 1/2 and added 1 cup of Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips to one batch and 1 cup of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips to the other batch)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (remember...for the taste test, we cut the batch of cookie dough in half, then added 1 cup of each type of chocolate chip-milk or semi-sweet-to each batch. It eliminated the need to bake up two batches of the same dough). Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

If you are playing, be sure to keep each batch of cookie baked separate from the others.