In culinary school we did a lot of comparisons. I still do this at home, often. I wanted to see if there was a difference between the chocolate chip package recipe, and spending the extra cash on using the best ingredients I could find. So... I did. I did a blind test too, because I didn't want to convince myself of my desired answer. They taste so much better. I think it's about the butter and the chocolate!
I wanted the cookies to be memorable. We've all had chocolate chip cookies, but only a few stand out to us. That is one of the best feelings for me as a cook. Bringing joy and a memorable experience to people. You're creating a chain effect of happiness. It's not about ME either. I have and am always more than happy to share something with people that someone else conceptualized & brought to life. If it makes me super happy, why wouldn't I share that experience and buy a dozen for my loved ones?
I call them Tiffany cookies because using the best ingredients I could find reminds me of Tiffany jewelry. I know that is so lame huh? The reason is every time I've gone into Tiffany & Co, I come out happy (and empty handed LOL) but their employees are so nice and passionate about the detail that goes into their product. That is how I feel about everything I do!
2 1/4 cups Organic unbleached All Purpose flour - aka AP in the culinary world
1 Tbsp fleur de sel -amazing finishing salt
2 farm fresh, organic eggs -free range doesn't mean good quality
3/4 cup organic vanilla sugar - pop a split vanilla bean into your sugar for a couple of days.
1 cup organic brown sugar
9 oz Belgian white chocolate
9 oz Belgian dark choclate 60% cacao no chemicals
1 cup French imported butter - it is amazing, sweet finish, creamy, light, & pure!
No Leavening. I'll explain in a moment.
1. Make sure eggs and butter are at room temp. Easier to break down and mix with sugars, called the creaming method. Do not melt your butter. This will cause them to spread too thin.
2. Sift flour to prevent clumps of powder & combine with salt. Fold into wet mixture while adding chocolates.
3. Refrigerate dough for about 15+ minutes. This helps the cookies spread evenly, without spreading too thin, which will melt and burn your chocolate chips on the bottom, since I did NOT use baking soda. As it contains aluminum. I'm not against baking soda, I just wanted to test taste purity. Refrigerating also makes portioning much easier. Less sticky mess!
Baking soda neutralizes the acidity in cookies and creates bubbles which aid in leavening, and giving them a nice golden color. Instead of baking soda, I did this:
1. Refrigerated my dough (which is not recommended apparently due to the bubbles deflating when using baking soda. It's so not true.)
2. Before popping them in the oven I sprinkled them with caster sugar (bakers sugar/superfine sugar) The sugar heats up while cooking, and helps toast the top of the cookies, also giving them a really delicate glassy mouth feel (oh come on not literally).
Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 F/177 C
To be clear, I'm not knocking the cheap chocolate candy we find at the check out. I actually like some of it because it reminds me of my childhood. Nostalgia is great. It invites a happy memory. It isn't going to kill you if you enjoy in moderation.
Trying new things and comparing is about having fun and creating memories. It shouldn't be about pissing on everything or everyone else's efforts. My intention on making a pure tasting cookie isn't to flip off the packaged stuff. I just wanted to do a fun activity for myself and anyone who wanted to partake in it.
Enjoy!
Amber~
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