The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (Experiment)

At the risk of making this appear a dessert-oriented blog, I am adding yet another incarnation of cookies to my archives. That said, I have a valid excuse this time! ... Well, an excuse. Besides, who needs to rationalize the production of cookies?

The inspiration for this experiment (the purpose of which will be explained shortly) stemmed from two major sources: The Kitchn, a delightful blog that I frequent daily, posted an article written about a column in the New York Times that claimed to have the secret to the best chocolate chip cookies ever. Now, aside from providing me a number of links to rattle off in a rapid-fire sequence to confuzzle my sparse readers, these sources pushed me to settle for my own satisfaction just what makes a great chocolate chip cookie. To summarize the experiment, the article in the Times claimed that the secret to making these cookies traverse the distance that separates "good" cookies from "better-than-sex" cookies (quotes added for dramatic effect) is the extra 24 hours of time spent chilling the dough after all the ingredients have been mixed. Upon reading this (and the subsequent rationale, which does indeed attempt to make decent sense), my patented bullshit alarm went off and demanded that I verify this claim for my own satisfaction.

For those too lazy to read the linked articles above, the recipe is rather complicated (at least as far as cookies go) and includes a variety of ingredients taht do not make common appearances in my kitchen (such as both bread and cake flours). Consequently, I made some substitutions. Now to those who have alarm bells going off after that remark, allow me to explain. The original recipe calls for a hefty helping of cake flour with an additional dose of bread flour to balance it out. Since the article doesn't explain the basis for this ratio, I'll fill in my own understanding: cake flour has less protein than other flours (e.g., bread, All-Purpose, etc.) and therefore contains less gluten, which will make for a lighter and "less-chewy" dough. Bread flour, conversely, generally contains what leading food experts refer to as a "crapload" of protein (and gluten), and thus produces the opposite effect. It can thus be assumed that the ratio of cake to bread flour called for in the recipe is carefully calculated to produce the desired texture and consistency in this cookie. However, I'm of the opinion that since the recipe is using both, substituting the All-Purpose ("AP", henceforth) flour that I currently have two 10-pound bags of in my kitchen will still produce a nice medium between the two flours. The difference in protein content should be rather negligible, and if nothing else, it's small enough that I don't want to go out and buy two bags of flour for a single experiment when I have tons of AP stuff at home. That said, those of you who feel this is an inappropriate substitution for this particular recipe can go run your own experiment and prove me wrong. My experiment (not to mention my money), my rules!

But back to the experiment itself. To explain my BS alarm mentioned previously, I don't disagree that resting the dough would produce a difference in the cookies. What I take umbrage at is the fact that if I want to make cookies, I'm not going to put things together and then wait until the following day to get my fix (a sentiment that seems to be reflected in the comments to The Kitchn's post), and I truly doubt that allowing "the flour to take time to absorb the liquid in the dough" (as is explained in the Times' article) will make any noticeable difference in texture, let alone flavor. But of course, that is the entire rationale behind this test. ... Which reminds me that I still haven't explained my experiment. I propose to make two batches of these heart-attacks-in-waiting: one batch will be made exactly as directed by the recipe (aside from the substitution described in the previous paragraph) while the other batch will simply use the same ingredients as the original recipe, thus eliminating the wait period and allowing me to get my cookie on quicker. Two doughs enter, 40-odd cookies leave, and whoever I can persuade to help me gets to be the judge.

"The perfect chocolate chip cookies"
Ingredients:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips
Sea salt (for topping)

Procedure:
Since I'm making the same recipe twice, I'm not going to write out two different procedure sections with separate photos for each. Just trust me that the process looked the same both times.

Preheat oven to 350F.

1) Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt in a bowl until well mixed and set aside. It should be noted that this process doesn't only mix the ingredients--it also aerates the dry ingredients, allowing for more "fluffage" of the mix. This results in a lighter cookie texture.

Yes, I used a fork instead of sifting. I hate sifting. I don't own a sifter. Fork it.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy.


3) Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing the first to fully incorporate before adding the second. Top off with the vanilla. The mixture will become creamier, in a sense.


4) Slowly incorporate the dry mix into the bowl, either by using a mixer on its lowest setting or by adding a little at a time and mixing by hand. It's important to do this slowly so that the dough doesn't develop too much gluten and become overly chewy.


5) Finally, add the chocolate chips and try to distribute them evenly throughout the dough. At this point, the dough will be frustrating and difficult to work with (by my standards, at least), and you'll probably be glad to set it aside to rest.


6) Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Note: From my experience, I'd recommend flattening the dough into a square before refrigeration. This way, upon removal from the fridge, you can easily slice it into individual cookies. Chilling it in a ball (as I show below) results in a hard block that must be attacked repeatedly in order to break it into chunks.

The labels, I trust, explain themselves.

7) After the dough has chilled, remove from the wrap and divide into balls about the size of an ice-cream scoop (with the chilled dough, the ice cream scoop itself doesn't work, as it's hard as a rock. The unchilled dough, however, scoops perfectly).

Note my highly sexy silicone baking mat. Ugly appearance, fantastic functionality.

8) Place 6 cookies on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle them with a little sea salt on top. Bake at 350F for 19-20 minutes. Note that the cookies will expand, so leave enough room for this. Remove them when they are slightly golden on top and just browning at the edges.


9) Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move the cookies to a cooling rack to finish firming up. Place in the transport vehicle of your choice (mine shown below, violating company trademarks in the process) and consume as necessary. Makes somewhere around 20-25 cookies, depending on how exact you are.

Tell me that without the labels, you could tell which was which. I dare you.

Results:
As I mentioned before, I didn't expect any noteworthy differences in the flavor of the cookies, but did expect some differences in appearance. Since the refrigerated dough's butter had a chance to re-solidify after mixing, I expected the chilled cookies to be puffier, as they would have less time to spread in the oven. Much to my surprise, both batches came out looking virtually identical. Furthermore, they tasted the same! Texture, flavor, appearance, all identical! It would appear that my BS detector had indeed properly identified yet another pointless waste of time in the culinary world, but of course, I couldn't let myself be the only test subject. After soliciting opinions from roommate and coworkers alike, I received the following opinions:

• Can't tell the difference
• Unchilled is "buttery-er"
• Chilled is "saltier"
• You're lying; these are the same cookies
• Is this a social experiment to see who will attempt to find differences that aren't there?
• Are you sure you're not lying?
• You're a liar!

... So aside from continuing to develop my reputation as someone who cannot be trusted, it would appear that the overwhelming opinion sides with me, in this case. Now I realize that since I modified the recipe to a small extent, the whole process might be considered invalid. That said, it's valid enough for my tastes, as I simply wanted to find out if being lazy with my cookie process was really hurting my cookie flavor. Other blogs have done a much more in-depth analysis (from what I've seen, at least), but I figured this would be a fun way to prove my baking instincts correct as well as to fatten the wallets of my coworkers' doctors. As I'm currently working my way through my fifth cookie today, I can safely say that I can literally feel my arteries hardening up as I type.

Fried Chicken

Few foodstuffs photograph better than fried chicken, in my experience. It *always* looks tasty.

During one of my recent shopping excursions to the yuppie mecca that is Whole Foods, I determined that although I was loading up for a pending barbecue, some more immediate food was in order, as I had managed to make it until early afternoon without eating. Thankfully, the place always has a huge variety of sandwiches, stir fries, burritos, and most anything else one could desire for immediate snacking contentment. As I was waiting for my sandwich to be made, I spied a fried chicken thigh that could not be ignored. Consequently, I demanded they fork it over forthwith and happily made my way back home for some snacking goodness.

Imagine my surprise when, upon biting into my deep-fried and crusty goodness, I was greeted with an unpleasantly chewy texture that was oddly reminiscent of--nay, completely identical to!--that most feared of poultry-related foodstuffs: raw chicken! Sure enough, closer inspection revealed that either the person running the fryer that day was a bit overzealous or they simply didn't understand the complexities of frying large chunks of potentially hazardous meat. (Of course, this is a complicated process that most people don't think completely through, but I assume when I pay for a fried piece of bird flesh that the person handing it over would at least err on the side of *over*cooking it.)

Unfortunately, while my ironclad stomach probably would've churned through the leg with only minor complaints, my mouth could not abide the texture of raw chicken sliding across my teeth and I had to throw the thing out. (I initially made some attempt to salvage it by quick-cooking it in the microwave before realizing I was full and no longer cared to try.) As one might imagine, this left me with a completely understandable craving for some fried chicken that I could ensure was at least mostly-cooked before it met with my mouth. This craving, much like one for bacon, would not be denied, and I set about preparing myself for my first attempt at frying in anything deeper than a thin film of oil. You might guess that this led to a learning experience; the chicken (as seen above) turned out quite pretty and very tasty, but could (and will) definitely be improved with my next attempt. Nonetheless! You've come here for a recipe, and one shall be provided!

Note: This obviously isn't so much a recipe as it is a procedure, which was mostly stolen from Good Eats (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fried-chicken-recipe/index.html). That said, I'll list out all the components I used anyway.

Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, sliced up into its operative bits (I reserved the wings for a future buffalo wings attempt)
2c buttermilk
2c flour (for dredging)
Chicken seasoning of your choice
14-16oz of shortening, depending on pan size

Procedure:
1) After eviscerating and dividing the chicken into its more fryer-friendly components (read: 2 thighs, 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks), place it in a sealable or liddable container with the buttermilk for 24 hours (refrigerated, of course).

2) Place the shortening in a cast-iron or other style skillet that's suited to frying and bring it to 325F.

Note: It is extremely important to keep the oil above 300F in order to ensure that the food doesn't get oil-logged. However, it is equally important that the oil does not exceed 325-330F, lest it start smoking. I'd strongly recommend that after the oil reaches 325F, you let it stand at that temperature for a while to ensure that it has reached equilibrium before placing the chicken in.

3) While the oil is heating, allow the chicken pieces to drain in a colander or on a wire rack.

4) Liberally season the dredged chicken pieces with the selected seasoning (I don't know what mine is, as I stole it from a coworker).

Yes, that's a disposal in the picture. So I rested it on a rack in the sink. So what?

5) Dredge the chicken in flour, making sure to shake off any excess that can be removed. You want a thin coat, as any flour that can easily fall off probably will during the frying process. Allow the pieces to rest for a few minutes and verify that the oil is at the desired temperature.


6) Increase the heat slightly on the burner (about 1 number higher, on my burners) and place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down (if cooking with the skins). Try to place the thighs in the center of the pan, as they take the longest to cook.

Note: Increasing the heat at this point is designed to compensate for the colder meat being added.

As you can see, I have my probe thermometer in the oil to ensure that the temperature stays where I want it to (also worth noting: it didn't)

7) After 2 minutes, lower the heat back to the original level and allow the chicken to fry for about 12 minutes before flipping each piece and frying for an additional 12 minutes.

8) Remove the chicken from the oil and allow it to drain on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Although fried chicken is best served cold (in my opinion!), it can be served immediately without many complaints, in my experience.

Lessons learned:
Keeping the oil at the listed temperature is extremely important to ensuring that the crust is .. well, crusty. My chicken came out *slightly* undercooked, although certainly not to the extent of the purchased chicken leg. That said, the pieces were also oily, as I didn't maintain the temperature carefully enough. A friend mentioned that her dredging process was much more complicated, involving several different dredging steps which might add additional flavor. I think next time, I'll marinate the meat in a more flavorful liquid, then season, flour, egg white, and additional seasoning to see if that comes out more favorably. Then again, this tasted pretty good already, so I may decide not to mess with semi-success!

Pecan-Encrusted Salmon

Fish rarely seems to be the most appetizing food to photograph.

In my experience, it is a relatively common occurrence for me to become hungry and have absolutely no inspiration as to what I should conjure forth from my the depleted stores tucked away in my pantry. It is also rather common for me to buy stuff that is supposedly healthy and then proceed to ignore it for months at a time as I consume my usual fare. Now on their own, these two problems are not all that interesting; having random stuff I don't care much for doesn't provide any additional inspiration, and indeed tends to encourage me to seek out external establishments from which to purchase my meals. However, on this particular evening, these two forces combined with a third (and a significantly more powerful) force: convenience.

I can see some explanation is in order. As anyone who has read a handful of my recipes can observe, some of the culinary "tests" I put myself through are designed to stretch my kitchen's horizons and broaden my repertoire. Consequently, when a trial recipe calls for an ingredient I don't really keep on hand (e.g., pecans), I am forced to buy a half-ton of them (because if I buy in bulk, I can save a quarter or two) and am subsequently left with an abundance of what I call "recipe fillers" and no idea how to get rid of them. I'm sure this gives one the picture of my cupboards chuck-full of miscellany and my trash can filled with take-out bags (which is only sometimes the case!). Nonetheless, I am always vigilantly seeking new inspiration from various websites and magazines to help me get rid of both the monotony of sandwiches for dinner and the clutter of my cupboards.

As one might be able to decipher by now, this long-winded buildup is a means of stating that in this particular instance, I managed to find a recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alaska-Salmon-Bake-with-Pecan-Crunch-Coating/Detail.aspx) that utilized ingredients that I have been attempting to eliminate from my pantry with only a few items that I did not have on hand (the only noteworthy one being dijon mustard, which I have since decided will be a permanent fixture in my refrigerator). Furthermore, the end result was actually rather tasty and allowed me to finish off the accursed bag of frozen salmon fillets that had been mockingly staring back at me whenever I opened the freezer.

Recipe:
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter, melted
5 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs*
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste

* I didn't have bread crumbs on hand, but I did have some saltines that had been sitting in my cupboard for the better part of a decade. I crushed these up into something pretending to be crumbs that called it even. Since this obviously added some salt to the recipe, I simply reduced the amount of salt added directly later on.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

1) In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. To help the honey dissolve, I heated the entire mixture in the microwave for ~15 seconds or so and stirred again.

Somewhat dull in appearance, but its flavor was terrific!

2) In a zip-top bag, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley. Since I had to crush my crackers and pecans by hand, I did both in the bag before chopping the parsley in.

Actual levels of crumblage may vary depending on the tastes and level of frustration of the cook.

3) Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper and place them in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet. Be sure not to use too much oil here; the goal is not to fry them, simply to keep them from sticking.
4) Brush each fillet evenly with the mustard-honey mixture.

I bet just cooking them like this (without adding the crumbs) would be even better than the actual recipe.

5) Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the fillets to coat.

No, the bag didn't explode in my kitchen; this was a deliberate and careful effort.

6) Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork.

I should note that although this recipe helped me discover I don't think I'll ever really care much for salmon, it was actually very tasty, most especially the honey-dijon glaze. I might consider altering this recipe for use on chicken breasts or even pork chops as I think the sweetness would compliment those meats particularly well. That said, I don't know that it would be suited to most types of fish due to the strength of the dijon flavor.

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Note: Since this recipe is basically the same as the previous glutenized incarnation, I didn't bother taking pictures. So there.

Due to the fact that my previous batch of peanut butter cookies had been a splendid success with the coworkers, I became curious about how easy it would be to convert the recipe for one of my fellow drones who could not process gluten. As it turns out, it's perfectly simple, so long as one has gluten-free flour and a modestly-priced supplement.

It should be noted that this recipe is virtually identical to its all-purpose flour brother, but if it works, why mess with success?

Recipe:

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1.5 cup brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

3 cups gluten-free flour*

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. Xanthan Gum

1 tsp. vanilla

* Although my batch was a premade mix, this can also be created by using one cup each of corn starch, tapioca flour, and rice flour

Simply follow the same steps as listed in my previous recipe and bake at 375 for 14 minutes or so. It's worth pointing out that these cookies did not come out *as* good as the originals, but that might be due to the peculiar blend of flours I had. My coworker mentioned that garbanzo flour (which made up a portion of my mix) adds something of a metallic aftertaste to baked goods, which I noted in these. This flavor came through much stronger in the raw dough, so on the bright side, you probably won't be tempted to eat all the dough before cooking!

All things considered, I might blend my own gluten-free mix next time instead of using the pre-bagged stuff, but as a proof of concept, this worked rather well indeed.

***
Update: After another recent attempt at this recipe, I've decided there are some things that could bear further modification to enhance this recipe. Two major notes: the flavor and the texture. For flavor, the cookies aren't "peanut-buttery" enough for my taste, so I'd increase the amount of peanut butter used and decrease one of the fats (probably shortening). For texture, I'm uncertain how to fix things; the gluten-free version feels grainer or crumblier than the regular variety. Perhaps using all brown sugar instead of a 3 to 1 ratio of brown to white would help.