Wish to made some cookies at home but don't know how? Here are some tips for you :
#1 : Use the absolute freshest, highest quality ingredients.
Make sure you handle them properly from the time you bring them home with you to the time you enjoy eating your chocolate chip cookies.
#2 : Experiment.
You can try minichips, maxichips, chocolate chunks, or pieces of candy (like M&Ms or Hershey's Kisses). Plus, play around with different types of chocolate bars chopped up for your cookies.
#3 : Enjoy a chocolate tasting event before deciding what chocolate to put in your chocolate chip cookies.
Buy different qualities of chocolate, and different types of chocolate: milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate and white chocolate. Also, get some chocolate candy bars for the session.
Number the different kinds and brands, and make the tasting as anonymous as possible (so you don't let preconceived ideas get in the way).
Enjoy the tasting experience. Smell the chocolate, taste it, let it slowly melt in your mouth. Savor each one. Drink some water or milk between each taste.
Consider each sample in terms of texture, smoothness (or graininess), sweetness, creaminess, and lack of waxiness.
Rank each one -- make a list of your favorites. You may be surprised at what you like best!
Hint: Also consider combining a couple for different effects. Your chocolate chip cookies will have greater variety and texture if you combine different types of chocolate.
Note: this is a fun way to spend time with some close friends or family members.
#4 : Use unsalted butter in your recipes when using butter
-- it gives a smoother taste. Salt was used as a preservative before refrigeration -- it's no longer needed in your cookies (unless you prefer the taste of some salt).
#5 : Sugar is used to sweeten the cookie dough, as well as to make it more tender.
Most chocolate chip cookie recipes use white granulated sugar. However, brown sugar (either light or dark) produces a different taste many people truly love.
Corn syrup is another option -- it makes for chewier cookies.
Honey is yet another option, producing softer and moister cookies. You can also substitute honey by using about 3/4 the amount of honey as sugar (e.g., 3/4 cup honey is equivalent to 1 cup of sugar).
#6 : Use fresh eggs in your chocolate chip cookie recipes
-- either white or brown are fine. Eggs help make your cookies more tender, moist, and light. Using fresh eggs lets you add more air into the mixture, which produces these excellent results.
Adding additional egg yolk will make the cookies more cake-like.
#7 : The type of cookie sheet or baking pan can affect the texture of your cookies.
Shiny pans help prevent burning and/or browning too quickly. Also, if the metal is too thin, your cookies will burn more easily.
To ensure good circulation, make sure there are 3 or 4 inches of clearing all around your cookie sheets when they are in the oven.
Also, do you grease the pan or use parchment paper? There are lots of differing opinions. We prefer to use parchment paper, no grease, on shiny and heavy cookie sheets.
#8 : Unfortunately, chocolate chip cookies are easy to burn, so you have to be careful.
Make sure you use an oven thermometer. And always set your timer right away -- and for the shortest time suggested by the recipe.
#9 : When you remove the baking sheets from the oven, let them set for a minute or two before you put them on the racks to cool.
If you're using parchment, just slide it off onto the rack. Otherwise, carefully move the cookies using a wide spatula that holds a whole cookie.
Always make sure the pans are cool before you bake another batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Adapted from : Extreme Chocolate, image from Babble
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