i always bake like 3 cookies first and see how they come out. if they come out flat and dry i add about 1/4 to half cup more flour. also keeping the dough cold between cooking batches works really well and putting in the fridge or freezer before cooking the first batch. but not enough flour = dry limp cookies

Okay, so I just remembered that I have the BEST cookie recipe ever – way better than chocolate chip, but nothing too exotic.

Oatmeal Heath Bar Cookies

2 sticks of butter (BUTTER, please – no margarine)
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar

– cream these things together, until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

– add these two items to the mix – add one egg at a time, beat until fully combined

1.5 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

– sift these things together (I mix them with a fork, I’m too lazy for a sifter), and add them to the batter slowly (add 1/3 of the mixture, combine fully, add another 1/3, combine fully, etc)

3 cups Quaker Oats (you can use the regular or the quick-cooking – they’re just smaller)

– add the oats to the mixture, and combine fully

one bag heath bar pieces (not just the toffee pieces, the toffee pieces covered in chocolate) (sometimes, if I’m feeling crazy, I’ll use a bag AND A HALF… watch out!)

– add heath bits to mixture, and combine fully

– roll into golf ball-sized balls (or just golf ball-sized scoops with a spoon – you should get about 36 out of the batter) and bake at 350° for about 13-14 minutes (my oven is a pile of crap and leaks heat, so I’d start watching them closely around 9 minutes). As everyone else said, take them out when they still look a little raw in the middle.

People RAVE when I make these – and it’s true, they’re damn good. I could eat a whole batch myself.

Lisa has it right. You have to add a small package of instant pudding. Just the dry powder. Don’t make pudding and pour it in or anything. The cookies come out chewy (and if they are still around in a few days, they stay chewy) and awesome every time. My favorite flavor pudding to add is the vanilla, but try chocolate for some chewy double chocolate chip cookie goodness. Or even butterscotch, if you like that.

Now I have to make some.

Good gracious, it looks like you’re probably covered, but I’ll throw my 2 cents in anyway. . .

I don’t have the recipe on me, but I LOVE the Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion All-Purpose Baking Cookbook. I love a lot of recipes in this book, actually–it’s well worth its weight in, oh, pumpkin-chocolate muffins, so go get you one. :-)

ok, here’s the most awesome cookie recipe ever:

2 sticks butter
2 eggs
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick oats
1 c (1/2 package) toffee bits
1 c chocolate chips
pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375
Mix dry ingredients in small bowl, set aside
Cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla
Fold in dry mix
Add chocolate chips and toffee bits

Drop rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until brown.

Maybe it’s the cayenne? Who cares, they are delicious. Enjoy!

PRETTY! I love it.

I always use the recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chips – the Toll House one. Never any problems with it. The Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (the one with the picnic tablecloth-y cover) also has a good one. Both of ’em use brown sugar and butter/shortening.

Love the new header! Oh my HOLY, it’s gorgeous!

Your banner is really cute. If you do find a really fantastic chocolate chip recipe, please share on your blog. I already printed some of the recipes from the comments. I used the recipe on the Crisco shortening package (www.crisco.com/recipes) and I think it is pretty good. I believe that shortening is the key to great cookies. Brown sugar is also very important as well. Let us know how the recipes work out for you.

Well, you have some lovely lovely recipes. Yum. I need a cookie NOW.
But no one asked what you were baking them on. A good cookie sheet (I prefer stoneware or an air bake pan) can really help a cookie keep its moisture in.
And if this is a problem that has only happened since your new oven, I’d venture to say your oven runs hot and you’re over baking.
Good luck!

How funny! I read your post this morning, right after I put up a post with about a bajillion cookie recipes. Check it out. Maybe it will help! http://iknowwhereyoucanfindit.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-fun-friday_09.html

I usually stick to the Toll House recipe, but I make sure the butter is really, really soft. Sometimes I even microwave it for a couple of seconds so a little bit of it is melty. Not melted — then your cookies will fall apart, but ridiculously soft butter. And yes, undercooking by a minute can do the trick too.

I have another chocolate chip recipe where instead of white sugar and brown sugar you use dark brown sugar and light brown sugar, and you throw in a cup of ground up oatmeal and some cinnamon. Those are good too, but the oatmeal makes them a chewier cookie.

I think that banner is so perfect for you! Love it!

I read recently that if you press down the cookies right after they come out of the oven, they stay chewy. Let me find the link…

… http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/10/a_chocolate_chi.html

It’s so simple that you’ll kick yourself. Make the regular ol’ Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe, but undercook them. Never put them in for as long as the recipe calls for. When you open the oven and say, “They’re still too light, they need a couple more minutes”–that’s the time to take them out. Let them set up for a minute or two on the sheet (which will, with its heat, continue to bake them a tiny bit and at a much lower temp than the oven would). Then move them onto wax paper, which will not absorb any of their moisture. They will be soft and moist and delicious, even after they cool.

Ta-da!

Not that you need ANOTHER recipe suggestion – although I’d love to see you do a bake off, and decide which of your reader suggested cookies recipes is the best, but what a pain in the ass that would be (and how much would your ass grow with ALL those cookies!) – but I use the recipe on the ghiradelli semi-sweet morsels bag. I also add in some reeses peanut butter morsels. With any recipe you use, there are two important things: to use equal parts brown and white sugar and to cream the sugar with the butter, and mix in the egg before you add any dry ingreients. It does make a difference!

Good luck – and I love the new banner!

Chiming in with my two cents. I just use the toll house recipe; however, I use a full cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar instead of 3/4 cup of each. nom nom nom

love the new banner, btw. about frickin time!

Ok. My cookies rock if I do say so myself (and really, who else would get the chance because I eat them all to my head). As everyone said, undercooking is THE key. Also, I always use a package & a half of chocolate chips. The more chocolate the better, am I right? Plus, chocolate makes up for many other shortfalls.

Try putting some oatmeal in a food processor and grinding to a flour consistency. Add a cup or so of this ground oatmeal to the regular Toll House recipe. It keeps the cookies nice and moist for a long time, and creates a good consistency. The only downside is the dough is not as good to eat raw, and since the dough is my favorite part, I don’t always take the time to do this.

I use butter in the regular old Toll House recipe, but my secret to really moist chewy cookies is to use an ice cream scoop. Yes, a full sized ice cream scoop. Then I bake them until they are just done (usually the amount of time on the package, like 11-14 minutes or something completely odd like that) and let them cool on the cookie sheet. They are huge, and so chewy and delicious. If I do say so myself.

Sundry, given that we’re both moms of little ones and I for the LIFE of me don’t understand how you’d have the time or energy to make cookies from scratch!! For crissakes, you’re pregnant, too! Let me give you my little suggestion: Costco. They have Otis Spunkmeyer frozen cookies or a tub of pre-made Tollhouse cookie dough (unfrozen). That’s probably not what you were really asking for, but that’s all I’ve got. :o)

PS) Christina, I think my heart skipped a beat when I read your recipe. Yum! And, I love the banner…

It’s usually a butter vs. margarine issue with chocolate chip cookies. Try your favorite recipe using one and then the other (or a mixture of the two) and see if you like the results. (File under “Things Martha Taught Me”)

Part of the issue is the creaming/mixing of the sugar and butter (or shortening or whatever you use). It’s amazing how different the same recipe can turn out depending on how you execute that step. I don’t have any suggestions for the “right” way, but try some variations to see if your cookies turn out better.

The Beatbox guy was AMAZING!

As for chocolate chip cookies…….Do you have a 5 quart crock pot? That’s the big oval kind you could wash babies in. I just ran across a recipe for crock pot chocolate chip cookies (really, no lie) that are just yummy and infinitely chewy/gooey.

The recipe:

1 cup unsalter BUTTER, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts (I prefer lightly toasted pecans, instead)

Before you start, plug in your 5 quart crock pot (the removable crock kind) and set on LOW, grease the crock with butter or oil. Put a piece of wax paper cut to size on the bottom inside of the crock, and grease that too.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together REALLY WELL (this is a success key) add the eggs and beat well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt, mix well. Fold in the chocolate and nuts.

Pour the cookie dough into the crock pot. Smooth out the top and cover. Cook on low for about 2 and 1/2 hours. Set the lid ajar for another 30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when they are done.

NOTE: My crock pot has a hot spot and and tends to cook faster. It only took mine about 1 hr, 15 to 20 minutes for the lid on cooking phase and 20 minutes for the lid off phase.

After the cookies are done, remove the crock and let the cookies cool in crock for 30 minutes. Then remove the cookies from the crock, let finish cooling and then cut into bars. YUM!

NOTE (PART DUX): YOU CANNOT DOUBLE THIS RECIPE, UNLESS YOU HAVE A 10 QUART CROCK POT!

Alton Brown Chocolate Chip Cookies = YES! I make them all the time and they’re a staple in our house. I’ve always got a bunch on hand in the freezer. They’re amazing. I make The Chewy ones, but he also has a recipe for The Thin and The Puffy, both of which I have never tried. Try the Alton recipe, I promise that they’ll turn out perfectly!

Add a bit of fresh grated orange zest… gives it that “hmmm” factor since you can’t really detect what it is, but it tastes heavenly.

I haven’t read through the comments, so this is probably already up there, but Swistle’s recipe was incredible. I made it and they were baked, but tasted like chewy crispy almost like fried heaven (but not fried) And it is lard, only she calls it Crisco. here’s the link to the post: http://swistle.blogspot.com/2007/10/cookie-tutorial-oatmeal-scotchies-and.html#links
oh so good!!!!

Absolutely put in more brown sugar than refined, always use real butter (and I always put in an extra pat – in addition to whatever the instructions are). Also I trade the full dose of vanilla extract for half vanilla and half lemon extract. For some reason that really lights up the richness.
I’m off to try the kahlua version now! (GREAT IDEA!)

by the way – any of these versions will be delectable sandwiched around a squoochy scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream!

I love your new banner AND that beatboxer! (and after reading all the other comments, I’m getting really hungry, too!)

3 ways to get chewier cookies:
1. Use colder butter. It calls for room temperature butter for fluffiness.
2. Use margarine- I would recommend nucoa brand. Margarine tends to be a little more oily in a warm state. I know this flies in the face of popular belief, but my granny always makes cookies and cakes that tend to be dry with margarine instead.
3. Use extra butter and brown sugar. Beware of cookie spreading though.

I use the recipe off the back of the tollhouse chocolate chip bag, but add two tablespoons of flour. The trick (I think) is to remove them from the oven just before you think they’re ready. That’s what they said on america’s test kitchen, anyway.

Someone already posted Alton Brown’s Chewy Recipe, which is good, but around here we use the puffy version. Makes delcious cookies everytime. I sometimes play around with the type of chips we use or mix it up with some dark and some milk. I promise they will be gone in record time.

Love the new banner!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_13616,00.html

I too love love love your new banner!!! Dog is in it lookin’ FAB as usual. I need a banner like this for my blog…

Have you ever made no-bake cookies? You totally should because it takes no time + they are peanut buttery + chocolatey. All the things Super Fetus needs most. PLUS since you don’t need an oven for them, you can bake chocolate chip cookies @ the same time. :)

Love the banner, but I suggest replacing the joyful red bird on the right with an image of Cat, crawling stealthily towards the border. You need the whole family in there!

The magic ingredient is Bisquik.

No, seriously, stop looking at me like that. You do, and you’re making fun of my momma, who passed on this recipe to me:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened (i.e. melted)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup (8 oz) semisweet chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together your dry ingredients (sans chips). Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix into dry ingredients. Stir in chips. There may be too many; eat the extras so they don’t feel left out.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet (I like to put the silpat down on mine, though — makes ’em nice and brown on the bottom). Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown.

crisco sticks!!!

Love the new banner!

Here’s my famous chocolate cookie recipe – enjoy!

http://thatsnotgreat.typepad.com/bethany/2007/11/take-two-of-the.html

The cookie recipe I was using called for 1 egg, but the cookies got dried out and crumbly faster than I wanted. Then I started using 2 eggs, and that was much better. Now however I’m going to have to look into some of these other suggestions.

The new banner is cool.

According to my husband, my sister makes the best cc cookies. She says the trick is cheap ingredients – flower – butter – sugar – chocolate chips.

Ok…use the recipe on the Tollhouse chocolate chip package but instead of doing 3/4 c. of brown sugar and 2/4 c. granulated do 1c brown and 1/4 c. granulated. Make sure butter is at room temp and add a small package of instant vanilla pudding mix. Chewy goodness! *drool*

One trick to helping cookies stay chewy: line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then, when you take the cookies out of the oven, just slide the whole piece of parchment, cookies still on it, right onto your counter to cool. Don’t take the cookies off the parchment and put them on a rack to cool– if you do that, all the moisture evaporates out of them and they get crispy. Letting them cool right on the parchment seems to trap all the moisture inside and they stay chewy for… actually, I don’t know how long, because in our house chocolate chip cookies never survive longer than 24 hours. But the parchment trick does work!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or substitute milk/dark)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Place parchment paper on top of cookie sheet. (Spray will help it stick.)

In mixing bowl, whisk together baking soda and flour. Set aside.

Add butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar into mixer. Beat on medium until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to slow and beat in vanilla, salt, eggs.

Add flour mixture to wet mixture. Mix just to combine. Don’t overmix.

Add chocolate chips. Again, don’t overmix.

Chill batter for at least 15 minutes before baking.

After 15 minutes is up, place small spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Place unused batter in fridge to chill.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies have a light browning on the edges and are lightly gold in the middle. Allow to cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet, then move to cooling rack.

This recipe is a hit wherever I bring them:

Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

The trick is to let them beat for a while in the mixer – it makes them light and fluffy ;)

Make the Nestle Toll House Recipe with 1/2 butter and 1/2 margerine. Bake for the minimum amount of time listed. Try it.

Because I am a nerd, and I think you’d probably appreciate not only the title, but the results as well, I give you:

Wookiee Cookies
(http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101653)

Eat. Enjoy. May the force be with you.

Oh, and I believe the “1 tsp. cinnamon” to be a typo. (And yes, it’s wrong in the book itself, too.) It should be 1 Tbsp. Really.

Uh, I’m copyin every damn one of these recipes down! Thanks Sundry! You don’t need my recipe, obviously. ;)

I have just spent an hour and a half reading your blog. I think it is great. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don’t have a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies though I do have a pretty good one for “sugar” cookies.

what do you do if you don’t have a mixer? I want to make cookies, but I have a very pathetic kitchen.

Love the new header! I’m not sure if anyone has suggested it but you should check out CookieMadness.net http://www.cookiemadness.net/ . Anna has won the Pillsbury bake off and bakes everyday. She has tons of great recipes. :-)