Toll House Cookies - secret revealed

[Janet H]

A couple of days ago I needed to make some chocolate chip cookies and procured the ingredients. The chocolate chip bag had unreadable instructions so I googled the recipe and besides the nestle site with the needed recipe I also came across this interesting article from the new your times about the original recipe as developed by Ruth Wakefield.

Evidently in the original recipe specifically calls for allowing the dough to rest overnight in the fridge. So I gave this a try, making half a recipe and sticking it in the fridge, then making the other half the next day and baking them all up. Sure enough - there is a noticeable difference in the end result. Both texture and flavor are improved.

This is an interesting read: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Making dough a day in advance gets a better result but the will power needed to wait to bake is substantial...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

...Making dough a day in advance gets a better result but the will power needed to wait to bake is substantial...

No truer words have ever been said.

 

[jabbur]

I did that when the kids were little and I was working. I would get the kids in bed and whip up the dough. Put it in the fridge then bake it the next afternoon when I got home from work. It made making cookies seem easy.

 

[dcSaute]

wait,,,, you mean "instant everything" isn't as good as . . . . ?

added because....the overnight trick will also put oatmeal raisin/nut cookies into the next stratosphere.

for those who do cookies Granny style.....

 

[bakechef]

I always age my chocolate chip cookie dough at least one day, up to three. It sure does improve the flavor!

Sent from my XT1080 using Discuss Cooking mobile app

 

[Andy M.]

I'm going to keep this in mind for next time.

 

[Souschef]

chocolate chips

Our Von's sells 45 cookies for $5 (down from 50). and they are very good!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

wait,,,, you mean "instant everything" isn't as good as . . . . ?

added because....the overnight trick will also put oatmeal raisin/nut cookies into the next stratosphere.

for those who do cookies Granny style.....

I've only one question, how come it's always mom or granny style. My grandpa was the cook in his home, and I'm the cook in my home. Doesn't matter whether it's baking, broiling, Q'ing, frying, sweet, savory, whatever. If ti's cooked in my home, I'm the one cooking it.

Ok, now that that is over. You are all still teaching this old dog good things. I'll have to try out this aged dough technique, you know, just to make sure it works. The issue will be not if I can resist baking them right away, but if I can keep my wife from talking me into baking them right a way. She's not as patient as I am.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[GA Home Cook]

+1 on what Chief just said/wrote.

 

[Andy M.]

My problem would be in planning to make the dough today for the cookies I need for tomorrow. But, chilling the dough overnight helps me keep the cookies more plump and less flat.

 

[Addie]

When I lived in Everett, my upstairs neighbor did what bakechef does. Only he just decorated the cakes. He always did Poo's cakes for as long as we lived there. That kid was in cake heaven. My neighbor told me about keeping the batter of a lot of baked goods overnight in the fridge. Of course that will only work if you can remember a cake or cookie is due tomorrow and not this afternoon. Telling me you needed something baked for the Boy Scout Bake Sale as you are going out the door, is of no help.