Cookies: Choclate chip cookies battle- Toll House versus Ghiradelli
Last Friday, I had a hankering for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. In my bin of chocolate (yes, I have a bin of chocolate varieties), I pulled out a bag of Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. Goodie bags were distributed to family members that would hopefully last longer than a day. Then, I found out that that batch was done rather quickly and some (ahem, Neil) was pleading for more. This time, I had a bag of Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips to work with.
Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields: 5 dozen cookies
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
* 1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
* 11 1/2 ounce(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
* 1 cup(s) butter or margarine, softened
* 3/4 cup(s) sugar
* 3/4 cup(s) brown sugar, packed
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
* 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted flour
* 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1 cup(s) walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
*
Directions
Heat oven to 375ºF.
Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at meduim speed until creamy and lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
The verdict? Neil likes both for different reasons. The Toll House version is crisp and melts in your mouth. The Ghiradelli version is soft and chewy. Milk chocolate works differently than semi-sweet chips and it's hard to compare. It's like comparing Texas oranges versus naval oranges. The same thing to many people, totally different to few. So, the verdict is still out but I'm leaning a little more towards the Toll House version.