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.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Search

What recipe is the BEST?

The chocolate chip cookie is noted to be the most popular cookie. The most infamous is Nestle's, Toll-House chocolate chip cookie, which is what I usually bake. It got me thinking though. I've seen different variations of the recipe. Usually the variation highlights a company's product or ingredient to use (i.e. Hershey, Land O Lakes, Crisco etc.) within the recipe. This makes me a little suspect. So, I'm on a mission and need your help!

Please comment with or send me (cccookie@pressdough.com) your chocolate chip cookie recipe that you feel is the best. The only requirement is that the ingredients need to be somewhat mainstream and available at most grocer's markets. I'm up for anything, from healthy to sinful. Stay tuned because, after each recipe, I'll review the cookie using Nestle's Toll House cookie as my baseline. Each recipe will be critiqued using the following:

Texture: crispy or chewy, crunchy or soft
Chocolate factor (from 1 to 5, 1 being the least chocolatey)
Healthy or sinful (based on ingredients)
Yum scale (from 1 to 5, 1 being the least yummy, 5+ being off the charts YUMMY!)
Yuk scale - hopefully not, but I have to consider the possibility
Timeline - February 14th will be the announcement (if I get enough entries)
Neighborhood Review/focus group- Don't take my word for it, I'll be handing them out to my neighbors for their opinion.

On your mark, get set, go.....

Yuk or Yum? Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Having a child on the spectrum with autism throws a parent into a sea of research and information. One such area is the gluten-free diet. My son has a very discerning taste and texture sensitivity, so this diet hasn't made its way into our house. Nonetheless, I am still a part of this community that strives to help their children through the use of the gluten-free diet.

Two years ago, I cut out this cookie recipe from Relish Magazine. Even then, I was curious and questioned if they could taste as good as regular toll-house cookies (which is my primary comparison). I have one rule. I will never give my child anything I have not tasted first. With that in mind, I set out to bake and test taste.

Recipe:
Step 1: Make gluten-free baking mix
2 1/3 cups chickpea flour (I used white rice flour, next time, I'll try chickpea flour)
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. You will have a little left over after using in recipe.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:
1 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cups gluten-free baking mix (above recipe)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I used tropical sun gluten and dairy free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper (easy cleanup). Combine oil and sugar in a large bowl, and beat on medium-high speed. Add eggs (one at a time) until creamy. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add baking mix, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. The mixture will have a play dough-y texture. It is a little more firm than regular cookie dough.
Drop a tablespoon of dough, 2 inches apart. A cookie scooper is great for uniformity. Press each drop to flatten slightly. This will shape the cookie nicely. Bake 10-12 minutes, cool on wire rack. Recipe states it makes 2 dozen, but my batch made about 3.

Information per cookie: 250 calories, 15g fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 3g protein, 29g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 250mg sodium

Review: Yum... I thought these cookies were pretty good. Comparatively, I like toll house better, but I didn't feel like I was comparing apples to apples. These cookies have a different taste. It is still good, but did taste a little different. I was impressed with the texture. Each cookie rose nicely and was soft and chewy with a crispness around the edges. It worked well. I did notice that I felt some of the cookie sticking in my teeth afterwards. I'm not sure if that was due to the oil or not. It didn't stay for long, but definitely had a little residue.

The REAL Review (two children-4 years of age): I had a play date over for my 4 year old and gave them each a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie for a snack. They gobbled it up. Since then, the whole jar has disappeared. I know I have dipped my hand in more than a couple of times.

Concern: Only 1 - I am not so sure about the xanthum gum stuff. With its use, it produced a good cookie, but I have read some concerns over it being manufactured in China. Everything is processed to some degree, but the xanthum gum makes me wonder what is in it.

Tip: Shopping for some of the ingredients may take a little searching the first time around. Make a bee-line for your grocers health food area before running around the entire store. Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joes are also good choices when shopping for specific diet requirements, organic, or healthy foods.

Behind the scenes at the Martha Stewart Show

Martha is one cool cucumber!

Upon arriving at the Martha Stewart Show (and after waiting in the line outside the door...brrr!), every audience member is asked to see ID, given a seat number, and go through a metal detector. Your bags are also checked.

Next is the "holding area", where the last call for bathrooms are made and seat number is announced. We happened to be the very last seat numbers assigned. Tip: arrive earlier than what the email or letter indicates.

As you take your seat, each of the sets (kitchen, craft, and green house) are cheerfully decorated and pristine. The "warm up" guy, Joey Kola came at the audience with a burst of energy. A possible comedian in a past life, Mr. Kola was entertaining. I almost liked him better than, prim and proper, Martha.

Blah, blah, blah...Do you want to hear the down and dirty?

Here it goes: Martha's daughter happened to be a guest on the show. Poor Martha! Her daughter was such a little snot to her. I'm pretty sure Martha usually doesn't take a lot of "BS". It was crazy how disrespectful her daughter, Alexis, was. She has some major mother/daughter issues going on! The slightest bit of inaccuracy(on Martha's part), Alexis would pummel Martha with a snide remark. I was speechless to watch Martha promote her daughter's blog, then hear her daughter diss her on national television! I would hope that Martha spoke to her after, but I have a feeling that this is just the dynamic of the relationship. That girl needs a reality check and gives off a feeling of entitlement. Boy, I hope Alexis doesn't find out that the "house" she created is simply made of sticks. It would be smart for her to appreciate (and run to) the brick "house" where Martha lives. What a naive girl.

Martha: Please parent your daughter on the fine art of appreciation and respect! It is somewhat comforting to know that you don't do everything perfect, and that parenting may not be your strong suit, but you need to do something about her. Alexis' attitude is toxic. As a mother, it was hard to watch.

The only other beefy detail I have to offer is on Martha Stewart's wardrobe. No doubt, the chartreuse color was vibrant and showy, but Martha looked a little frumpy. I'm not sure if it was the sweater or not, but I saw rolls around her tummy. It was not very flattering. I have to commend Martha on the courageous move to wear stilettos. I am NOT kidding! I couldn't believe Martha could walk in these 4" heels. After the show, a comment was made from the audience. Martha, who I believe is in her 60's, kicked up her leg across one of the tables to show off her shoes. For that move, hat's off to you, Martha!

Even though the show was about blogging, it really was about bloggers dedicated to Martha Stewart. I was disappointed by the notion that there was very little reason for actual bloggers to be audience members. I was hoping to increase traffic to my blogs with either an announcement or listing of my URL's. No such luck. The only real tip I learned was in cutting a cake: Cut two slices, then take out the 2nd slice first. That helps keep the slices in tact.

....And there you have it. My morning with Martha.

Martha Stewart Show

Press Dough is going to the Martha Stewart (blogging) show on Thursday, January 14, 2010! As an audience member, I will be sending out twitter (@pressdough) updates. Make sure you are following. Join me to hear about "Martha" news, what it is like to be in the studio, and how often Martha actually blogs. I'll be sure to post a complete recap of the show. Stay tuned.

Got any questions for Martha? Beginning at 6:30am (EST), I'll be taking the train into the city and checking my twitter account. Show starts at 10 a.m.!

Smiley Face Cookies

Make someones day or send out get well wishes with smiley faces. Did you ever hear the phrase: If you smile at someone, they will always smile back? Why not spread some happiness with smiley face cookies:

This month's family circle has the DIY recipe for creating these happy sweet snacks. An easier way to create the same results are with cookie tattoos. Completely edible, just peel and stick onto any frosted or fondant surface. No need for food coloring messes or piping bag complications.

Fun Cookie Facts

Happy New Year!

2010

Get motivated for some baking! January is the perfect month to nestle yourself in the kitchen, try out some new cookie recipes and have fun. Here are some cookie facts from faqfood.com to get you started:

1. Testing out cake batter and oven temperatures, ancient bakers created the cookie by placing a small amount of batter on a sheet and baking that first.
2. Chocolate chip cookies are the most popular kind of cookie in the United States (tip: good to keep this in mind when baking for others).
3. Cookies are best either fresh out of the oven (warm) or the day after they are baked. Waiting a day lets the flavors absorb with each other.
4. If you seal up freshly baked cookies, they will retain too much moisture and fall apart.

2010 Cookie Talk Blog Resolutions:

• Post more often
• Share new cookie recipes
• Increase participation and information exchange (please leave a comment with an inquiry, suggestion, or recipe exchange)
• Talk about baking experiences and old wives tales (that actually work).
• Review gadgets for baking (Have a gadget for me to review, send me an email?)