About a month ago, I posted about a chocolate chip cookie baking frenzy and general impressions about the various recipes. In response, this great baking community suggested trying other recipes, so I did.
Nine cookie recipes later, here are the scientific results. (All cookies were chilled for at least 24 hours before baking; and all were topped with Maldon salt.)
1) The Joshua Weissman recipe is EXCELLENT. The recipe itself is very easy, but something about the sugar/fat/flour ratio, and the potato chips, yielded a very delicious and addictive cookie. Crispy, chewy, and perfectly salted.
2) Not surprisingly, the test subjects also enjoyed Sally’s Brown Butter Chocolate Chip cookies and Handle the Heat’s Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip cookie recipes. These are solid recipes and yielded very beautiful cookies with attractive bumps and ridges.
3) The Claire Ptak recipe with all egg yolks was our second favorite in this batch (with Weissman’s being our favorite). You can taste the richness of the three egg yolks, without feeling like it was too much. Also, FWIW, these cookies tasted even better the second day.
4) I hate to say it, but none of the test subjects loved the Alton Brown cookies. Perhaps I messed up the bake somehow, but the cookies tasted too biscuit-y. I was tempted to make another round of these cookies to see if my results were off, but decided to move on.
5) The Dominique Ansel cookies were polarizing. Some test subjects loved them and gobbled them up; while others were underwhelmed, stating they were a little boring. All agreed these cookies are absolutely gorgeous and impressive looking because of their size.
6) If you are looking for an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, the brown butter Ambitious Kitchen one is very good. The nutty, toffee notes paired well with the chewy, oaty texture.
7) Our unscientific top three of the seventeen recipes
tried? 1) Jacques Torres; 2) Claire Saffitz; 3) Joshua Weissman.
My original post for anyone interested:
by croissantfufu
33 Comments
Thank you for your contributions to the art and science of chocolate chip cookies! Bake on.
The Handle the Heat recipe is my go-to CCC – always like to see it in these posts with positive reviews! Gonna try the Weissman recipe with tater chips! THanks for sharing!
Thanks for these results. I do love Sally’s ccc recipes myself but now I want to try all the others.
PSA: your link didn’t work for me but this one did: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/comments/1qh526l/the_results_of_my_unscientific_study_of_eight/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/comments/1qh526l/the_results_of_my_unscientific_study_of_eight/)
the link to your original post gets redirected to the baking sub homepage
You gotta try Nestlie Toulouse’s recipe
I disagree. That looks quite a scientific process, systematic and methodical 🙂
Great job
You wrote down notes so it is science.
We love the Alton Brown chewy recipe in my house. Only recipe we make. I’m confused at what you made because it doesn’t look like anything from his show. Especially the salt.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing. Initially, I thought Alton’s cookies looked tastiest, but I’m glad I read your feedback.
You’ve given me a reason to bake cookies this weekend!
You’re doing the lord’s work.
I find cookies that have one egg and one egg yolk are GOAT from a cookie dough base. And because of that the next day they are fantastic.
Thanks for sharing your results. I’ll check out Josh Weissmans recipe
Thanks for taking one for the team. I’m going to look up the Claire one. You didn’t include soft batch cream cheese chocolate chip cookies? I love those!
…I should make some cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are my very favorite sweet. I have one of my own recipes, but also making Sally’s browned butter dough this very evening.
Sally is an amazing baker! Every singe one of those look delicious!
Thank you for your great contributions to the field of baking science 🙂↕️
I’ll have to try the Josh Weismann recipe, I’ve been making the broma bakery best cc ever lately with a scant ¼ teaspoon of espresso powder and those are my current GOAT. But I’m almost out of frozen dough, so I’ll try that one to replenish my stash
I just tried the Broma Bakery CCC recipe and while I loved it, your photo of the Sally’s recipe is sealing the deal for me on making that one next!
Anyone got advice on how to get a thicker cookie? I use Sally’s giant cookie recipes which I love because it’s no rest (if I want chocolate chip cookies I want them NOW) but I want a lil more pillow
Sorry if I’m just missing this, but how did the ATK cookies rank? I’ve become addicted to those and think they’re even better than Sally’s, but I’m always open to having my mind changed.
Jacques Torres recipe is the GOAT, I add a bit of malted kill powder and shave chocolate from the giant TJs bars and it is 🤌🏼
Nice to see Jacques Torres topping the list – he’s a sentimental favourite. Dessert Circus got me through the early days of motherhood. I wish I could find a way to get it again.
I have to recommend Sugar Spun Run’s chocolate chip cookies. been making them for years now
Is it possible to tell how your favorites from the first round stacked up against favorites from this round, or has too much time passed to compare properly?
Thank you!! Your first post got me to try Jacques Torres’ recipe- which was amazing!! I have made it three times in a row
You should follow the Pancake Princess blog! You would enjoy her bake-offs. Sometimes if i want to bake something but im not sure which recipe to choose I’ll go to her site and see if she’s done a bake off for whatever i want to make.
I remember your prior post, and looking at these now, I find myself sincerely wishing you were my neighbor. I love making little rubrics to judge consistently for things, and even more than a love of rubrics and the scientific process for tasty things, is a deep love for chocolate chip cookies. I enjoy baking from time to time, but not enough to bring such rigor and commitment to the quest. (Probably a good thing, as I have some Cookie Monster DNA, and lack all self-control.)These look soooo delicious! Well done, and thank you for your service! Happy to let you know when any houses near me go up for sale 😂
Claire Saffitz’s CCC is my go to recipe, so much so that every time I visit family they ask me to make it for them. I always make extra to keep frozen so they can make a batch later too. I’ll have to try your number 1 pick though to compare. Thanks for making the sacrifice to try all these recipes!
No King Arthur? No original Nestle Tollhouse as your control cookie?
Is Joshua Weismann the levain cookies or a different one?
Joshua Weissman probably stole his recipe
https://www.richardeaglespoon.com/articles/weissman
https://scientificallysweet.com/the-best-chewy-brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/ is my favorite choc chip cookie recipe by far
However, I love that you tested these. It’s always fun and interesting to compare.
Flawed test. I was not invited to the tasting. Must start over with me in the tasting panel.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever by Joy Food Sunshine has been my favorite so far. It’s also nice the dough doesn’t need to be refrigerated ahead of time
It sounds silly but would you do the tollhouse recipe as well for a benchmark comparison?