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Mmmm - me love cookies

Once, I was so desperate for a chocolate chip cookie that I actually put a few dollars (!) in a vending machine for one of those super-sized chocolate chip cookies.
Oh oh - super-not-good!!!  And from there started my quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

So, what is the definition of a super-good (nee perfect) chocolate chip cookie?
1 - freshly baked.  The cookie must be freshly baked.
2 - buttery without being too buttery.
3 - soft and gooey on the inside; a bit of a crunch on the outside.
4 - a good balance between cookie and chocolate.
5 - a caramel toffee undertone (I'm serious!).
6 - a little bit of summtin' summtin' that balances out as well as brings out the sweetness (again, I'm serious!).
7 - the time and the place to enjoy this humble yet complex concoction.
8 - there must be at least two of them for the one sitting.


Now I (used to) love Mrs Fields cookies. I have "used to" in brackets because I really don't know if I still love them. When I was in the throes of my love affair with Mrs Fields, I would drive to my local shopping center in the last hour before closing, spend half an hour looking for a parking spot, brave the crowds and wait for that special sign on the Mrs Fields counter that would pop up in the last ten minutes before closing advertising "All cookies half price". And I would go nuts - I would clear out the trays of my favorite cookies, munch on more than a handful as I waited for the exiting traffic to clear, and come home with a huge bag of those decadent cookies. Oh those buttery chocolatey cookies.

That was then; this is now. I moved to an area that didn't have Mrs Fields, so... Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. When my quest started, for some reason I did not even consider Mrs Fields. I just went online and found these...

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Now, if you're fanatic enough to read the accompanying article "Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie" in it's entirety, then you're fanatic enough to give this recipe a go.  Admittedly, I don't bother with the different types of flour anymore.

I love this recipe.  I make up the recipe, roll the dough into cookie dough logs and put them into the freezer.  Then, when the urge hits, I just cut up a handful of cookie disks from the log, pop them into the oven and then enjoy freshly baked chocolate chip cookies 10 minutes later.



This is great as a gift.  Bake a handful, wrap them up nicely.  Then get a frozen (unbaked) cookie dough log, wrap that up nicely with baking instructions and the two will go nicely together.


I should find a Mrs Fields store and try out one (or two) of her cookies again.  But, I must admit, after living the luxury of freshly-baked home-made-with-love chocolate chip cookie (cookies), I'm not in a rush to rekindle that old love affair.

Who makes your favourite chocolate chip cookie and what makes it your favourite? (Because it's unfathomable that you would not like chocolate chip cookies).

For more baking inspirations, head on over to A Spoonful of Sugar Designs.

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  1. chocoJAugust 4, 2011 at 8:22 AM

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  2. chocoJAugust 4, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    Hey, don't knock those vending machine cookies - they have heaps more chocolate in it than some others. But yes, freshly baked is the way to go... especially when someone else gifts them to you

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  3. SewandthecityAugust 4, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    I haven't tried making choc cookies before...one time I tried simple cookies but hey all melted so much on the tray that I ended up with one gigantic cookie in no particular shape...will probably try yours as I like the idea of having the dough in the freezer and just using on demand. Thanks for the sharing.

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  4. petiteleitAugust 7, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    @chocoj - hehe! I distinctly recall wanting to purchase a choc chip cookie and a packet of burger rings, but I couldn't justify that luxury! Then I craved the burger rings the whole way home to counter the choc chip cookie sweetness.
    @sewandthecity - thanks! Frozen cookie dough is also fantastic for those last minute afternoon tea guests.

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