Oh, Pinterest. This all started with you. It's your fault I'm sick right now. A combination of chocolate chip cookie links on pinterest and a few others I've collected over the past years. They were all just screaming at me asking me to bake them. So I did. I baked 8 different batches. I made all of the cookie dough in one night and then I baked them all on a different night. The night I made all the dough, Shannon rolled them all in balls for me and when I say he rolled them all, I mean he ate at least 1/4 of the dough. The last 2 batches...Shannon experienced these as he slept on the floor...He was sick off of dough and tired! :)
I had several "tasters" and to some they were very critical and able to pinpoint which had the best taste and texture while others (including myself the more cookies I had eaten) felt that they all started to taste alike. There were a few I was able to vote out right away but several of them tasted very similar. And so you see, this is why it took me two additional days after that sickening night to let my taste buds rest and try them again. The past two days I've been nibbling here and there and keeping notes. The Verdict? I think I will take 3 recipes and incorporate them all into 1! Ha. So yes, that means technically I need to make one more batch to teste out my combo. You want the break down?
Here is the line-up:
1. The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (As circulating on pinterest)
2. Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies (pinterest)
3. Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Nestle Tollhouse Cookie
5. Big & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
6. Mrs. Fields/Neiman Marcus Cookie (exact same recipe)
7. New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie (Found on pinterest)
8. Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
Reviews: (In the defense of some of these cookies, I was turning them out so quickly from the oven to a plate that I didn't allow them to set and cool to firm up. Also, they were previously frozen due to the dough being made ahead of time. So I know these won't be completely fair statements, but I still feel they will be pretty close.
1. I am in LOVE with how beautiful these cookies set up. They are light and fluffy. I don't think I've ever had a cookie be so fluffy. What I didn't love is that the dough isn't as sweet as most other CC cookies. If you don't like how rich and sweet chocolate chip cookies normally are, then this is the perfect cookie for you! This cookie has almost half the amount of sugar as traditional recipes. The secret ingredient to this batch? Cornstarch! That's right. The Cornstarch gives it the "lift."
2. You want to know why my cakes are ALWAYS moist? Because regardless of what cake I'm making, I always add a box of dry pudding mix. Now you have my secret. They always come out moist and tasty. Well, I thought for that very reason that I would love these "Puddin' Cookies." I didn't! They had a funny after taste. But, they also are a pretty cookie. Very thick and soft. Maybe I would like a different pudding flavor besides vanilla? I don't know.
3. These were definitely chewy as their title suggests. Friends said they would be the perfect cookie companion for a bowl of ice cream. I think they were right. The weird thing about these: they never formed into a cookie really. I've never seen a CC cookie recipe start with melted butter like this one does... maybe that's because they won't take shape of a cookie very easily? Not a winner.
4. Delicious. Duh! Buttery, rich, soft, deliciousness. What's not to like? I guess I should have saved myself some trouble and left it up to the professionals. Apparently they already found the perfect recipe! haha. These are so good with butterscotch chips.
5. Well, I made them big! That's for sure. They were ok. Not super sweet, not too bland. But I felt like they were just ok. Tasted too "floury" to me.
6. If you love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, this is the yummiest recipe. I do love this cookie. I've made this recipe many times and love the results. When I baked them this time around, they didn't fluff up as much as they usually do. They are a denser cookie because of the oatmeal but they are delicious.
7. New York Times...well. The cookie was good. I will give them that. But, it was too choclatey for my liking and too much trouble with the different flours and too salty... It had almost double the amount of salt that the other reipes had...and you could taste it.
8. I was interested to try this cookie because I'm not a crisco gal. I'm a butter gal. So I wanted to see how a cookie would turn out with just crisco. Umm...beautiful and super soft! But I did miss the buttery flavor...
So....I decided to take #6 out of it altogether because it is a different thing completely. It's oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. It really is an amazing recipe. If you like oatmeal chocolate chip, this recipe is for you.
As for the rest of them. I had a hard time narrowing it down between 1, 4, and 8. I kept laughing because I kept leaning toward number 4 but didn't want to give up on the other ones because of their great qualities. So, if I had to pick an OVERALL winner it would be... you'll have to watch this clip to figure it out.
However, what I really want to try is using #4 as my base and adding 2 tsp cornstarch to get the lift like #1's cookie and using half butter and half crisco to get the softness of #8 without completely comprimising the butter flavor that I love about chocolate chip cookies. And I do mean real butter...none of this margarine crap!
Today, the final day of testing these cookies, I've felt so sick. You know what I've eaten today? 2 green smoothies, a slice of homemade wheat bread, and chocolate chip cookies. That's it. The cookies have made me feel so sick that I don't want to eat anything! I didn't even eat that much of the cookies. It's been nibbles to compare. But nibbling for the 3rd day in a row is enough to make you want to never look at a cookie again...ok, ok. Maybe just until next month! :)
Now thats my kinda post! All cookies, all day. That must have been a lot of work though, so I commend you for it! Not sure if you tried Southern Living's recipe? But its the best one I've ever tried.
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