A Chocolate Chip Cookie Secret You Want to Know

Everybody wants to achieve perfection when baking chocolate chip cookies. It is the quintessential cookie. The cravings evoked at the mere mention of its name are powerful. Therefore, it is always so disappointing when they come out of the oven far less than perfect.

There are so many factors that come into play that affect the end baking result it is hard to know what went wrong. Ingredients, mixing process, and even the length of time the cookies were baked could thwart your best efforts and ruin your anticipated Utopian cookie. However, there is one simple little tip that could so drastically alter the results of your chocolate chip cookie, you will slap your forehead that you did not try it before. That is to chill your dough before baking the cookies. So simple and yet so important is this one overlooked step. We are always in such a rush to get to hot, gooey confectionery bliss that taking the time would be torture. But, a few hours in the fridge will promise that blissful moment to be even greater than imagined.

Meat Loaf

Chilling chocolate chip cookie dough does a couple of things. First, it marinates the flavors that go into a cookie dough. Have you ever noticed that lasagna tastes better the second day? Well, the same principle applies here but we are talking about cookie dough. The flavors will really pop and deliver a richer experience after sitting in the fridge for a bit. According to a New York Times article titled Perfection? Hint: It's Warm and Has a Secret (July 9, 2008), there are some interesting and yet dramatic physical effects on the cookie the longer it is chilled. They found that a thirty-six hour period in the refrigerator produced cookies with deeper shades of golden brown without longer time in the oven.

Second, the flour will really drink up all the moist ingredients that went into the dough after a prolonged time in the chill box. The longer the dough sits, the drier the dough gets, and that is actually a good thing. The chocolate chip cookie will have a better consistency right out of the oven. This is because of the hydration effect of sitting in the refrigerator and also because cold dough will spread less in a hot oven making a thicker cookie. And, don't worry about dry dough. The baked cookie will actually be moist and delicious.

There is one more factor to take into consideration when chilling the dough. Because the dough gets so dry during this time, it is best to form your cookies before you chill the dough. Try to scoop the dough after it has been thoroughly chilled and you will have a crumbly frustrating mess on your hands. Scooping them and chilling them on a cookie sheet is good. If you are going for the big chill and waiting the optimal thirty-six hours, an airtight container is best. You don't want those cookies to taste like last week's meat loaf.

Apparently Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the chocolate chip cookie, knew about this handy little tip from the very beginning. The New York Times also reveals that it was a regular practice of the Toll House Inn to chill their cookie dough. Somehow this piece of information failed to meet the final edit when the recipe went on the backs of Nestle's Chocolate in the 1930's. We should not feel too betrayed. Most great cooks are happy to share recipes, but rarely share all the tricks of the trade that make the end product great.

A Chocolate Chip Cookie Secret You Want to Know

Amanda Julander

There are even more chocolate chip cookie baking secrets at Choc-Chip-Cookie-Recipe.com!

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A Chocolate Chip Cookie Secret You Want to Know

Everybody wants to achieve perfection when baking chocolate chip cookies. It is the quintessential cookie. The cravings evoked at the mere mention of its name are powerful. Therefore, it is always so disappointing when they come out of the oven far less than perfect.

There are so many factors that come into play that affect the end baking result it is hard to know what went wrong. Ingredients, mixing process, and even the length of time the cookies were baked could thwart your best efforts and ruin your anticipated Utopian cookie. However, there is one simple little tip that could so drastically alter the results of your chocolate chip cookie, you will slap your forehead that you did not try it before. That is to chill your dough before baking the cookies. So simple and yet so important is this one overlooked step. We are always in such a rush to get to hot, gooey confectionery bliss that taking the time would be torture. But, a few hours in the fridge will promise that blissful moment to be even greater than imagined.

Chilling chocolate chip cookie dough does a couple of things. First, it marinates the flavors that go into a cookie dough. Have you ever noticed that lasagna tastes better the second day? Well, the same principle applies here but we are talking about cookie dough. The flavors will really pop and deliver a richer experience after sitting in the fridge for a bit. According to a New York Times article titled Perfection? Hint: It's Warm and Has a Secret (July 9, 2008), there are some interesting and yet dramatic physical effects on the cookie the longer it is chilled. They found that a thirty-six hour period in the refrigerator produced cookies with deeper shades of golden brown without longer time in the oven.

Second, the flour will really drink up all the moist ingredients that went into the dough after a prolonged time in the chill box. The longer the dough sits, the drier the dough gets, and that is actually a good thing. The chocolate chip cookie will have a better consistency right out of the oven. This is because of the hydration effect of sitting in the refrigerator and also because cold dough will spread less in a hot oven making a thicker cookie. And, don't worry about dry dough. The baked cookie will actually be moist and delicious.

There is one more factor to take into consideration when chilling the dough. Because the dough gets so dry during this time, it is best to form your cookies before you chill the dough. Try to scoop the dough after it has been thoroughly chilled and you will have a crumbly frustrating mess on your hands. Scooping them and chilling them on a cookie sheet is good. If you are going for the big chill and waiting the optimal thirty-six hours, an airtight container is best. You don't want those cookies to taste like last week's meat loaf.

Apparently Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the chocolate chip cookie, knew about this handy little tip from the very beginning. The New York Times also reveals that it was a regular practice of the Toll House Inn to chill their cookie dough. Somehow this piece of information failed to meet the final edit when the recipe went on the backs of Nestle's Chocolate in the 1930's. We should not feel too betrayed. Most great cooks are happy to share recipes, but rarely share all the tricks of the trade that make the end product great.

Amanda Julander

There are even more chocolate chip cookie baking secrets at Choc-Chip-Cookie-Recipe.com!

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Secret Tricks to Maximize Your EBT-Foodstamp Benefits

It's no surprise that families are spending their grocery money on bills, leaving little or nothing for food. As a result, more people are filing for food stamp benefits at astonishing rates. However when some people receive their foodstamp benefits, they don't know how to use them or make them last. Well, I know how to make $300 last all month for a family of four.

How?

Easy;
1. Meal Planning
2. Coupons
3. Sales Papers
4. Stocking Up
5. Co-Oping
6. Invest in a deep freezer

Meal Planning
When you sit down and plan your meals for the month you know what you're going to have everyday and can shop accordingly. As you plan your meals, be sure to try new things, keep your menus fresh and for Goodness sake, don't try to cook everyday. Write out your grocery list for each week and STICK TO IT! Instead of buying cupcakes, salty and sugary snacks, buy whatever fresh fruit is on sale. Don't try to buy your food for the whole month; it'll be eaten faster and some of it might spoil. Get you some recipe books, surf the web for new, easy recipes and try more fresh veggies. You don't HAVE to have meat everyday. If you plan your meals right, you should have leftovers that you can serve the next day or even put in the freezer for another time. On the weekends we have "leftover buffet" which is everything we've had all week, warmed up and set out buffet style. It's fun (sometimes) and we don't waste food.

Coupons
Ok, my Mom calls me the coupon queen. I match up my coupons with the sales papers every single week. At first I was only saving like $5-$6 per shopping trip. Then I got so good at it that I left the grocery store with $300 worth of groceries for $160! I felt like I hit a lick! I then came to the realization that I AM THE SHIT at grocery shopping. This is what you do; go through the Sunday paper for the coupon section, go to websites and print off coupons, even look for in-store coupons. But the best, best, best thing is double and triple coupon offers. Check to see if your grocery store offers these because this is where you save the most. For example; a loaf of bread may be $1.99 regularly, but it's on sale for $1.49. If you have a coupon for $.50 off and the grocery store offers double coupons, you'll only end up paying $.49 for that loaf of bread! If the store offers triple coupons that bread will cost $.00! You'll end up getting that bread free! Once you get the rhythm of it, it'll be a piece of cake.

Sales Papers
Every week grocery stores send out new ads. All you have to do is see whats being offered for what price and match up your coupons for those items IF and only IF you need them. Just because a store offers 10 for 10 items doesn't mean you have to buy 10. Not unless you're...

Stocking Up
If the grocery store has an item for an unbelievable price and you'll need it, by all means stock up. Stuff like the boxed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, etc. all have good shelf lives and can be used two to three months later. Sometimes some stores even have good sales on meat, but be careful. It may be on it's way to spoiling.

Co-Oping
If your friend or neighbor has too much of something that you need and you have too much of something she needs, when y'all trade off this called co-oping. There's nothing wrong with it. People do it all the time. For instance, I had 10 boxes of Caprisun and my sister had a few extra small bags of chips. We traded a box of Caprisun for 10 bags of chips. So neither of us had to spend extra money for what we needed. But you've gotta be careful though. Be sure to do even trades and, if you have to, write all trades down.

Invest in a deep freezer
My deep freezer is my best friend. I keep it loaded! It's the best way to store food you're not going to eat immediately AND it's your own little restaurant. Whenever I have some freezable leftovers I put them in small ziploc bags and label them by what it is, the date, and how to warm it up. Banquet ain't got nothin' on me!

Hopefully this little information helps make those food stamps or EBT card stretch. If you have any suggestions or comments PLEASE feel free~

DHR, personal experience

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