choclate chip cookies

[ivantt]

A friend of mine asked me to ask the experts.
When she makes chocolate chip cookes using
the recipe on Nestle's toll house cookies package
the do not turn out like cookies. They turn out more
like cake with chocolate chips. She has gone on
over the recipe several times and believes she is
missing something but doesn't know what. Any suggestions
as to why these cookies are turning out like cake?

[KyleW]

I've never been a big fan of that recipe. That may be because I've never gotten it to result in good cookies. That said, chocolate chip cookies are deceptively difficult. There are as many variations in style as there are personal preference.

One of the leading 'culprits' controlling cookie texture is fat. The fat you use, and the temperature at which you use it, play a big role in the texture of the finished cookie. The fat generally comes from butter and or shortening. The eggs contribute a touch as well. All butter cookies tend to spread more than those made with shortening. Room temperature, or softened, fat tends to lead to spread cookies. Room tepmerature is subjective thing. What the recipe author thinks of as room temp is often different than what we think.

Creaming is another subjective thing. "Over" creaming will incorporate too much air and will add to cake like texture.

After searching and tweaking, here is the CCC recipe I settled on. For me, it produces a consistent cookie in terms of shape, texture and taste. FYI I use cold butter, right from the fridge.

CCC
Ingredient 1X
AP Flour CUPS 2
Cake Flour CUPS 3/4
Salt tsp 1
Butter TBS 16
Sugar CUPS 3/4
Brn. Sugar CUPS 3/4
Eggs 1
Egg Yolks 1
B. Soda tsp 3/4
Vanila tsp 1
Chips Oz. 12

Cream Butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.

Sift dry ingredients and add to butter/egg mix.

Add chips.

Bake TBS sized cookies about 14 minutes @350º