This Side-By-Side Comparison Guide Will Help You Make The Best Cookies Ever
You're welcome.
Nothing beats a good chocolate chip cookie, but with so many Pinterest recipes out there, what exactly makes a "good" cookie?
Thanks to the self-proclaimed "Cookie Queen" and Handle the Heat blogger, we now have a comparative guide on just about every chocolate chip cookie variation out there.
She used one control recipe and altered each variation slightly to show the (sometimes drastic) differences in final cookie product.
1. Added Flour
This recipe uses almost double the amount of flour which makes for a denser, crumblier cookie.
2. Only Granulated Sugar
A recipe using only granulated sugar will make flatter, slightly chewy cookies that are crispier on the outer edges.
3. Only Brown Sugar
A recipe using only brown sugar which makes for a thick, soft, butterscotch-flavored cookie.
4. Melted Butter
Using melted (and cooled) butter in your cookie recipe will result in a relatively flat cookie with a shinier, crackled top, not unlike most brownie recipes.
5. Only Baking Soda
This recipe is actually the control, using only baking soda and produces a "standard" cookie.
6. Only Baking Powder
Replacing baking soda for baking powder will result in a cakier cookie.
7. Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Using both baking powder and soda makes a crisp cookie that is soft in the middle.
8. 24-hour Chilled Dough
This cookie used the control recipe, but also chilled the dough itself for 24 hours before baking which made a thicker and chewier cookie.
And because 8 variations isn't enough, here are six more!
9. Added Cornstarch
Despite the natural thickening properties of cornstarch, these cookies still have crisp edges with soft and slightly gooey centers.
10. Dark, Non-stick Pan
On a dark pan the cookies tend to spread less and brown more quickly than on parchment paper or a baking mat.
11. Shortening
Despite its bad rep, shortening doesn't add as fake a flavor as many expect, but instead it produces a soft and thick textured cookie.
12. Cake Flour
While these cookies look fairly crispy, the added cake flour kept them soft and with the spread were almost too soft.
13. Bread Flour
Bread flour adds an extra thick and chewy texture to cookies, perfect for a tall glass of milk.
14. Extra Egg Yolk
The extra yolk in this recipe makes for an extra soft cookie with a decent spread and plenty of chewiness.
These variations focus on substitution for dietary restrictions because, cookies for all!
15. Whole Wheat
Substituting whole wheat flour make for a firmer cookie with a bonus nutty flavor.
16. Gluten Free
The gluten-free flour in these cookies made for a thinner, crispier cookie with surprisingly few differences otherwise.
17. Coconut Oil (Non-Dairy)
Substituting coconut oil makes for a greasier cookie but extremely chewy and soft ones, at that.
19. Flax Egg (Vegan)
The flax egg (flax meal and water) makes for a very thin and somewhat grainy cookie, but a vegan cookie nonetheless!
18. Maple Syrup
Using maple syrup rather than sugar (for those who cannot eat processed sugar) makes for a wet dough, but the sticky nature keeps the cookies from spreading and instead made a fairly dense cookie.
And finally, this comparison shows differences in technique that influence the final cookie from oven temperature to baking sheet material.
For all the details and descriptions, check out the full blog post.
