It’s been raining cookies here at Food Network Canada headquarters. I’m just overwhelmed by all the response for this month’s Cooking Club Recipe Challenge: Chocolate Chip Cookies a la Anna Olson. Big thanks to everyone who participated! 99 per cent of you loved this recipe. If you haven’t baked them already, these pictures are sure to motivate. Don’t forget to read the helpful tips sent to us from the cookie creator, Anna Olson herself. I’ll post next month’s Cooking Club Challenge (CCC) and recipients of Anna Olson cookbooks tomorrow. In the meanwhile, sit back and enjoy all these batches of beautiful cookies. Don’t forget batch I, batch II, batch III and batch IV. (If by any chance I missed one of your submissions, please let me know and I'll put it up ASAP!)
From Regan who called them yummy, yummy :
I am among the many people who struggle with producing chewy chocolate chip cookies - thanks for the very yummy no-fail chewy chocolate chip/ chunk cookie recipe! I substituted chocolate chips as I thought I had a dark chocolate bar to cut up, but I didn’t! Next time I am going to use dark chocolate as I think they will then achieve perfection for my taste buds! Somehow my husband knew there was a new, yet indeterminable, ingredient in the cookies. Despite this foreign substance he too absolutely loved them! Another great recipe!
From Jennifer D. who called them the greatest cookie ever:
My sister and I baked Anna Olson’s chocolate chip cookies last night. The cookies were chewy, chocolate-y, and delicious. I used semi-sweet baker’s chocolate, and I loved the change from my usual chocolate chips. The large chunks seemed to stay melted even after the cookies were cool, and the small slivers of chocolate permeated the cookie dough. I also loved the chewy texture of the cookie, and I’m planning to experiment with cornstarch in some of my other cookie recipes. Between eating the cookie dough, sampling the first few out of the oven, eating the less photogenic ones, and my boyfriend getting his fair share, this is all that what left when it was time to take the picture!
From Amy who said this recipe was the perfect way to get involved in the Cooking Club:
I followed Anna's recipe exactly, though I only had mini Hershey's Kisses on hand, along with one square of bitter sweet chocolate, so I chopped everything up and threw them in the batter. They came out great!! My husband and I couldn't stop eating them!! I love chewy chocolate chip cookies, and these were definitely soft and moist. Unlike some other participants' experience, I baked them for the specified 8-10 minutes and they came out perfectly. It was also great to see Anna Olson's comments. It's nice to know that she has an interest in normal, everyday people using her recipes. The Foodtv.ca Cooking Club is a great idea! I love getting tips and ideas from other home cooks. Keep the challenges coming!
From Henry who found baking success:
Baking and me do not get along very well but I wanted to give this recipe a try. I first followed the recipe as it was laid out, and it turned out great. It was moist, chewy and very difficult to not eat them all. I had some chocolate chunks leftover however, and thought I do the reverse chocolate chip cookie by adding the chocolate into the batter and use white chocolate as the chips, which also turned out quite well. Thanks for easing me in to baking!
From Sarah B. of Winnipeg Eats blog:
I loved how these cookies turned out. As advertised, they are chewy and rich, even after several days of storage. (I hate it when cookies turn into hard little pucks after a few days in a cookie tin.) I only made a few changes to the recipe: first, I used 60 per cent dark cacao chocolate chips, since my husband and I are both fans of dark chocolate. Secondly, I baked them on a silicone baking mat rather than on a greased cookie sheet. Our oven seems to dislike whatever cookie sheets we use, but we've been able to get better results using the baking mats. The cookies didn't spread out as much as they might have otherwise, but the overall results were excellent. This recipe is going into my cookie cookbook as a substitute for the old chocolate chip cookie recipe.
From Gretchen, a blogger from Peru, who sent this submission:
Who isn't looking for that oh-so-perfect chewy-center & slightly-crispy-exterior chocolate chip cookie? These chocolate chip cookies include a secret ingredient - cornstarch - to make them "chewy-centered cookies." I was ready for the challenge. Although incredibly tasty, I did not find them to be very chewy. Actually, not chewy at all. I am not certain I would make the same recipe again since I like the kind of cookies that your teeth sink into, the kind that don't shatter as you bite into them. The dough itself was exceptional though!
From Carrie of Kitchen Vixen blog who offers these healthy substitutes:
You would think I could just follow a recipe, especially when it comes to Anna Olson. I tinkered with this recipe almost every time I made it. We had them with half whole wheat flour. We had them with oats and pecans. We had them with just the chocolate chips. I have to admit that, although I like trying to sneak in something healthy into cookies, the whole wheat flour just didn’t do anything for the recipe. If you want to add a healthy hit, try the oats instead. They add great texture and work better than the whole wheat flour. I liked the addition of pecans; it balanced out the flavours the sweetness of the recipe. Although, if you’re a die-hard chocolate chip cookie fan, the original recipe won’t steer you wrong. The closer I stayed to the original recipe, the better they turned out, even though I couldn't resist making it my own by adding cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.
From Lori who couldn’t resist the call of chocolate chip cookies:
Let’s be honest – cookies aren’t exactly good for you so I truly tried to resist participating in this month’s cooking club. However, I couldn’t help myself after seeing the third batch of submissions. The cookies looked *way* too yummy (in part due to amazing food photography!) so I caved and made a batch last night. I didn’t make any fundamental changes to the recipe—Anne Olson knows her way around a cookie—but it being so close to Halloween, I decided to substitute the chocolate chunks for Reese’s Pieces...the brown and orange ones only of course! And while I may have over baked them just a tad, they were still delish. Needless to say, the recipe is definitely a keeper and I will continue to look to Anna Olson for ways to satisfy my sweet tooth.
From Candice who’s plans to make them again using Anna’s tips:
I was happy to see October's recipe was for chocolate chip cookies, as they are one of my favourite treats. I’ve actually used this recipe in the past, but couldn’t remember if I’d liked it or if it needed some modifications. I decided to just make the recipe as written. Verdict? Delicious, but more cakey than my husband or I usually like. Next time I'll use Anna Olson's tip for making the cookies crispier; omit the corn starch and replace the baking soda with baking powder.
From Mandy who shared them with her loved ones:
I'm not much of a baker, and truth be told, I don't think I've made cookies from scratch since my last high school sleepover, so I'm always a little more concerned about trying them. Feeling adventurous though, I gave this one a try, since the instructions seemed very straight forward. To make the recipe my own, I used no-sugar-added chocolate chips (only about 4oz) and melted 4oz. of white chocolate into the batter before I added the chips. I was SO IMPRESSED with the outcome. The white chocolate made them extra creamy, and there were just enough chocolate chips and I wasn't up all night buzzing from the sugar. The cookies also stayed chewy and moist for a lot longer than my store-bought cookie dough version tends to. I gave the cookies to my loved ones and they were a huge success (though my dad made me eat one first, clearly aware of my lack of baking skills). I will definitely keep this recipe for future use.
From Cordelia, a nutritionist (BSc, RNCP) who loved the recipe:
These cookies were probably the best chocolate chips cookies I ever made! I followed the recipe closely, except used 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour, used dark chocolate chips, and used arrowroot instead of corn starch. They came out perfectly chewy, and lasted well for a few days. I am looking forward to trying some modifications with this recipe, like trying to use part applesauce for some of the fat, using gluten free flour, and cutting down on the sugar. Definitely a go-to recipe from now on!
From Genny who is hoping for better results on her next try:
This recipe made it to my radar just in time for a charity bake sale at work. (I made them a couple weeks ago, but don't have a digital camera so I wasn't able to take a pic.) For the sale, I wrapped them in wax paper rolls of 6 and tied the ends with curly ribbon so they looked like large candy rolls. I sampled the extras - they were tasty, but not as chewy as others got them to be, nor did they spread. I will have to try making them again. Perhaps my oven temperature was a little high. Alternatively, my cookies may have been too small & cooked before they had a chance to spread.
From Christine who’s a compulsive baker:
I live quite far from my family so when they visit, I like to send them home with "a little baked love." I intend for the love to last through the week but most of it is gobbled up by the time they get home! I am always on the look-out for a new cookie or bar to send and these were perfect. I substituted semi-sweet chocolate for bittersweet (to satisfy my sweet tooth) and they worked like a dream: perfectly soft and chewy. They even froze and defrosted well!! And the love in the form of chocolate chip cookies? As soon as my folks got home they phoned asking for more. Perhaps these cookies are the perfect leverage in my negotiations for more frequent visits!!
Don't forget:
(I'll be posting all your beautiful pictures, in larger format on our flickr group).
Be sure to check out past Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Results:
- May Cooking Club Results:
Michael Smith’s Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad Part
I and Part
II
- June Cooking Club Results:
Laura Calder’s Crisp Chewy Meringues Part
I and Part
II
- July Cooking Club Results:
Rob Rainford’s Smoked Salmon with Strawberry Salsa Part
I and Part
II
- August Cooking Club Results:
Janet & Greta Podleski's Batter Be Good to Me Pancakes Part I and Part
II
- September Cooking Club Results: Tyler Florence’s Chicken Paillard with Fresh Fig Salad & Blue Cheese Part I and Part II
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