Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

What is "imitation butter"? You mean margarine? You mean the spreadable margarine that may have water or something added?
America's test kitchen found that their testers could not tell the difference in cookies and pudding made with one vs the other. Epicurious agreed. Baking breaks down the more subtle compounds in the real stuff, so maybe save that for other purposes.
I remember years ago (1990s) Giardelli's were way cheaper than the brand name chocolate chips in grocery stores (MJB coffee same thing). They were soooo good. Now they're both more expensive.
But for me a chocolate chip cookie is not that big a deal. My mom (5 kids, working class) used half a bag of chips in a batch (actually doubled everything else) so I grew up used to the chocolate being less dominant than people expect. But a good molasses cookie (crinkles and just the right amount of give in the middle, not cakey and not hard) is my fav.

Anonymous wrote:Good ingredients make a difference too. I’m so picky at this point with my baking I really only want to use very fresh flour/eggs/butter.

High quality chocolate also makes an enormous difference.

Hm...how do you determine the freshness of flour?
Whole grain will get rancid due to the oils it contains (I keep it in the fridge and buy small packages). OTOH wheat can be stored in grain bins for years (they circulate air to control moisture). But also flour is actually AGED before it is sold. I buy a 25t lb bag (I store it in an ice chest so bugs can't get it it, but my mom had a big tin bucket with a tight lid and a Pillsbury label she always put the flour in, and fill the canister from that. Might have actually held 50 lb). I'm sure it takes me longer than a year to go through that 25 lb bag.

https://foodlab.nutrition.tufts.edu/milling-and-storage/

AGING FLOUR: FRESH VS. AGED FLOUR: WHICH IS BETTER?

At the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, we are most obviously concerned with nutrition. But that’s not the only thing we care about! The Tufts Food Lab wants to make sure that our research and recommendations ultimately translate to food that is delicious and accessible. If that means that we sacrifice a small bit of nutrition for a net gain, then we understand. Technically, from a nutrition science perspective, fresh, straight from the mill, whole grain flour offers the most beneficial nutrient composition.33 It also provides the most flavor since the grain’s nutrients are the source of the flavor.

The practice of aging flour goes back centuries. Historically, bakers would store flour for months, allowing oxygen to get to it, which in turn would improve its strength and gas-trapping abilities, ideal for breads.34 You’ll notice in our Storage section above that we offer tips on how to help prevent the oxidation of flour, contrary to the purpose of the aging process. This is because there is a fine line between flour that is purposefully aged and flour that is rancid, and there are variables including the variety of wheat and the temperature at which the aging occurs. As soon as the grain is split open, its nutrients become vulnerable to degradation and rancidity.

When flour is aged for several months, oxidation restructures the proteins within the flour while starch remains rather consistent. With aged flour, the influence of gluten becomes more pronounced, forming stronger bonds which lead to a more elastic dough.

So many people use salted butter and then don’t adjust salt accordingly

Anonymous wrote:Are most people terrible bakers?

I know I will get crap for saying this, but here goes.

I went to a neighborhood cookie exchange over the weekend and of the dozen or so cookies only 3 were edible. One cookie was hard as a rock and other just didn't taste good. Even my kids threw them in the trash after one bite.

I consider myself a baker and get a lot of compliments on my cookies. But I don't do anything special when it comes to baking or making cookies. I just pick out good recipes and following directions. So it surprises me when other make such terrible cookies.

1 - people mix cookies that have peppermint extract in them with cookies that don't and then seal up their container of cookies. This guarantees all the cookies will taste gross. Cookies need to be separated to maintain taste.

2 - cookies have to be properly stored to maintain freshness but it's a pain so most people don't

3 - many people purchases ready made cookie dough or mixes and these just don't produce the highest quality cookies

4- sugar cookies are especially prone to freezer taste. I have had cookies from upscale bakeries in this area and on the first bite I can tell the dough was frozen and then baked. I know this because I have tried and failed many, many times to make the dough and freeze it at home. Doesn't matter how well it's wrapped and sealed for storing, it has a taste.

5 - cookie exchanges are for socializing. Nibble a cookie, box some up, take them home and someone in the family will eat one or two and then you throw away the rest

6 - No bake cookies can actually be a better choice

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)

All chocolate chip cookies have a basic recipe and it's the one on the toll house bag. You can look up hundreds of chocolate chip cookie recipes and they are all the same and once in a while you will have variation in ratio of brown sugar to white sugar.

And the chocolate chip brand or chocolate makes very little difference. For chocolate chip cookies made at home, the difference is made in browning the butter, slightly underbaking, properly cooling the cookies and proper storage.

Are these people with young kids? If so, beware-they may be cooking with the kid which is just gross for anything that is for outsiders. Think dirty hands, fingers sampling, snot, sneeze particles, hair, eggshell. I was surprised how many people bragged about making cookies for an exchange with their toddler or young kid. Don't risk eating that stuff.

Guilty - Im a decent cook but a terrible baker. I would never sign up for a cookie exchange. I just don't make cookies and don't really like them either - which I suppose is a blessing all around.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)

Oh i was more saying the chips themselves are vile. I wouldn't even have the bag to make the recipe because I wouldn't but toll house chips.

There's thing called the internet. You can google recipe.

Nah i have a recipe that is better than this one.

I did brownie bites with salted caramel filling, because normal holiday cookies suck - I hate gingerbread! They went fast!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)

Oh i was more saying the chips themselves are vile. I wouldn't even have the bag to make the recipe because I wouldn't but toll house chips.

There's thing called the internet. You can google recipe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)

Oh i was more saying the chips themselves are vile. I wouldn't even have the bag to make the recipe because I wouldn't but toll house chips.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)

And extra salt. I think that CC cookies really benefit from being a little salty. I use salted butter and leave the salt in the recipe as-is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subbing cheap ingredients

cheap imitation butter for real butter

cheap imitation vanilla for real authentic vanilla

cheap chocoloate chips for giardelli chocolate chips

I laugh when people say "I just follow the recipe on the bag of Toll House Chocolate chips"...uh no, those things are vile.

I'm a food snob, but that actually is a good recipe. (Even better with Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, though, I concede.)