Mission: Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

While most people refer chewy chocolate chip cookies, my family prefers the crispy kind. There are not a lot of choices for crispy chocolate chip cookies. Most gourmet bakeries tend to sell the more chewy kind. Therefore, most of the time, we just get the ones from President Choice. They are one of my favourite afterschool snacks but I still find that something is missing from these readymade cookies. While the cookies are crispy, you can never get that fresh out of the oven feeling.

I did a search online and found Anna Olson’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The original recipe is intended for chewy-centred cookies but I have modified it based on her recommendations for making crispier cookies.

Anna Olson’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (Crispy Version)

Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
8 oz (224g) bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.
4. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for around 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

*She recommends adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and replacing the baking powder with baking soda if you prefer more chewy cookies. The baking time can also be reduced to around 8-10 minutes in order to get more cakey cookies.

The recipe is rather simple and it produces great results. I have made chocolate chip cookies a few times before using different recipes but they tend to be very cakey (kind of like an elaborated muffin top). However, this recipe definitely gives me the kind of cookies that I enjoy. These tips will help you along the way if you are a crispy cookie lover like me.

Tips for Making Crispy Cookies:

• Don’t add water to the dough even though it might appears to be really dry. Just use your hands to knead them together.
• When shaping the cookies, use the back of the spoon to make the cookies a little flatter. Thinner cookies tend to be crispier.
• Bake the cookies for a little bit longer but make sure you get them out before they get burnt.

Happy Baking!