This Holiday season I decided to help out a special group of home bakers. You know the ones that I mean. The ones who love to bake cookies from scratch but only walk as far as the pantry to get the recipe from the back panel of the bag or container. Many of the people who are relegated to this special group have mentioned to me in the past that they love to bake but are not inclined to either invest in a mixer to make cookies or to go to all of the trouble of pulling it out to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies when the urge strikes them.
So that got me thinking…
What if I could take a few of these old standbys that everyone has access to and turn them into one bowl creations that do not require a mixer…would people be more inclined to bake at home?
As a kid, I made the Tollhouse cookie recipe many times but never had great luck with it. I would follow the directions each time, yet the cookies always came out thin and fragile and didn’t puddle the way a chocolate chip cookie should. Eliminating the mixer eliminates over whipping…and I’m here to tell you that there is such a thing as over whipping your batter and it’s a mistake that many of us make.
In my recipe testing, I discovered a few things. The most important thing is to use unbleached flour in all of the cookies…it just gives a much better color overall in the final result. The Tollhouse cookie recipe works great when you choose to use all butter but you should not add the vanilla. Butter has enough liquid in it and eliminates the need for added moisture…and as far as flavor is concerned, the chocolate chips add all of the necessary flavor you need. This chocolate chip cookie recipe works even better if you use half the quantity of butter in shortening. When you use shortening, you MUST add the vanilla. Shortening does not have the same amount of moisture, so it’s a necessary part. For an even gooey-er cookie, you can use half the quantity in shortening and half in butter. Melt the butter and add it to the combined sugars and shortening for a truly exceptional cookie. When using shortening, add a small amount of dark brown sugar for added coloring and flavor. This method is actually my favorite.
When it comes to oatmeal cookies, the old fashioned oats are better to use than the instant variety. The same recipe appears on the container of both products, but the distinction is not made…using the old fashioned oats makes a huge difference.
So today, I’m sharing a remake of 2 of America’s favorite cookie recipes….the beloved chocolate chip and the oatmeal raisin cookies. Both of these recipes come together in minutes and are simply delicious. All of the changes are clearly laid out for you below. Ultimately it depends on what type of cookie you like. Using all butter in the recipe will give you a very soft gooey cookie, whereas the addition of the shortening will give you a crispy on the outside but gooey on the inside.
So here’s my attempt at encouraging more people to bake at home. So even if you are one of those people in my special group, I simply want to say that it is you that inspire recipe developers like me to not only make things better but also easier.
So for all of you, here are a few one bowl wonders that you will not forget…is there anything better?
New & Improved Tollhouse Cookies
1 stick shortening (4 oz) (I use Spectrum organic shortening)
1 stick butter (4 oz) softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 2¼ cups chocolate chips
Add the shortening and softened butter to a medium sized bowl along with all of combined sugars. Use a wooden spoon and work the butter and shortening into the sugar. Next add the eggs and vanilla and combine again. Sift all of the dry ingredients together and add to this mixture. Continue combining until you no longer see any flour, then lastly add the chocolate chips.
Scoop out the dough onto a paper lined sheet pan and freeze the dough. Once it has frozen, place the frozen dough into a Ziploc bag and then place back in the freezer. ALWAYS bake your dough in a 350°F oven from a frozen state.
NOTE: If you are going to add melted butter instead of softened butter, then combine the shortening with the sugars first and then add the melted butter.
New and Improved Quaker Oats Oatmeal Cookies
1 stick butter (4 oz), softened or melted
1 stick shortening (4 oz), (I use Spectrum organic shortening)
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups unbleached flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups old fashioned oats (I decreased quantity, recipe suggests that you can use either, but old fashioned works best) **Measure and finely grind 1 cup of oats, then add in with the rest that are left whole
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins
NOTE: If you would like your cookies to spread a little thinner, use melted butter
The main change to this recipe is that the quantity of overall butter was increased and it makes a big difference in the final result. Add the shortening and softened butter to a medium sized bowl along with all of combined sugars. Use a wooden spoon and work the butter and shortening into the sugar. Next add the eggs and vanilla and combine again. Sift all of the dry ingredients together and add to this mixture.
Continue combining until you no longer see any flour, then lastly add the raisins. Scoop out the dough onto a paper lined sheet pan and freeze the dough. Once it has frozen, place the frozen dough into a Ziploc bag and then place back in the freezer. ALWAYS bake your dough in a 350°F oven from a frozen state.
NOTE: If you are going to add melted butter instead of softened butter, then combine the shortening with the sugars first and then add the melted butter
Leave a Reply