So what makes a chewy chocolate chip cookie? Usually lots of butter, less flour, and a lot of brown sugar. Here I compare two "chewy" chocolate chip cookie recipe and determine which is chewier and tastier, not only just after baking, but the next day as well.
If you want to see the other chocolate chip cookie "battles":
Part 1 (Soft and Melty)
Part 2 (Thin and Crispy)
Part 3 (Thick and Cakey)
Part 4 (Chewy)
Part 5 (Top Rated Recipes)
Part 6 (Joshua Weissman vs. Chris Morocco)
Part 7 (Browned Butter)
Recipe 1: Tasty
Ingredients:
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt (After trying the recipe I recommend 1/2 tsp salt)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (115 g)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps (mix for about 1 minute).
Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula (Be careful not to overmix, which will toughen the cookies and make them cakier).
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches (10 cm) of space between cookies and 2 inches (5 cm) of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown.
18 cookies
Recipe 2: IheartEating
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (113 g) melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 of an egg white + 1 whole egg yolk
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (360 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add brown sugar to a large bowl. Pour melted butter over sugar.
Stir to combine butter and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.
Add in the vanilla, egg white, and egg yolk; stir to combine.
Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Using a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon), drop scoops of dough 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. They don't get very flat, so when they're done baking you can press them down with a spatula to smoosh them and increase the chewiness.
Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
My review (comparison)
Cookie dough: I prefer the Tasty recipe. It had a rich caramel flavor. Definitely quite sweet though. In contrast the IheartEating recipe cookie dough was lighter in flavor, smoother, and more flour-y (so more like a sugar cookie dough).
Fresh baked taste and texture: The Tasty recipe had quite a caramel flavor. The outer edges were lightly crisp and chewy. It was definitely rich, sweet, and buttery. The IheartEating recipe had a slightly crisp exterior exterior but the inside was much softer than the Tasty recipe. The IheartEating recipe was also lighter in sweetness and saltiness compared to the Tasty, so overall had a more delicate flavor. The tasty recipe slightly outdid the IheartEating recipe in this case.
Room temperature taste and texture: The Tasty recipe was definitely chewier than the IheartEating recipe. However, the sweetness and saltiness of the Tasty recipe were quite strong, it sort of felt like they were fighting each other. In comparison the IheartEating cookie had a more balanced flavor profile, although it was still quite sweet. I think more flour, less sugar, and less salt in the IheartEating recipe helped with this balance. Both cookies were lightly crispy on the outside. However in this area I think the IheartEating recipe took first.
Next day taste and texture: The Tasty cookies are less salty and sweet than they were the previous day, and they are still quite chewy. However, the salt is still too strong in my opinion, cutting it to 1/2 tsp. may help. Also the sweetness can be a bit overpowering, but making the cookies smaller could help with that. The IheartEating cookies are still fabulous and well balanced, very soft. They are more cake-y than chewy but are quite delicious.
Next day milk test: When dipped in milk the day after baking, the milk mutes the flavor of the IheartEating recipe but enhances the flavor of the tastie cookie.
Overall verdict:
Overall, I prefer the IheartEating recipe. I think if you reduced the salt in the Tasty recipe it would be a little better, but perhaps still too sweet. Although the tasty recipe was "chewy" it just didn't taste as good as the IheartEating recipe.
The following are pictures of the process (Tasty recipe top pictures, IheartEating recipe bottom pictures):
Before mixing the sugars and melted butter together.
After mixing the sugars and butter together.
After mixing in the egg and vanilla.
After mixing in the dry ingredients (salt, baking soda, flour).
After mixing in the chocolate chips.
Before baking
Before baking.
After baking.
After baking.
Both gorgeous!
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