Question about making chocolate chip cookies

[Marty W.]

Was looking at a few recipes yesterday, and some called for melted butter. What affect does making the cookies with melted butted versus creaming the butter and sugars?

BTW - Anybody have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe?

[fladd]

If you go to www.8legged.com, there is an online episode of Deep Fried Live about chocolate chip cookies that is really super!

Link: http://www.8legged.com

[Coyote]

I prefer versions made by creaming the butter. Better texture in the cookies in my opinion.

[Lisa Z]

Can you be more specific about the differences in texture with different methods (e.g., chewy, crispy, cakey...)

[James T.]

The creaming method (which should be done with a room temperature solid fat) allows the fat and sugar to create what my cooking school instructor calls “air cells.” When you add the eggs (after you cream the fat and the sugar, one at a time, slowly), you are creating an emulsion. When baking, air cells leaven the cookies and heat causes them to expand. The result is a more cake like cookie (which is typically preferred for something like chocolate chip). (We haven't gotten to "crispy" or "chewy" yet!)

[lynn]

i'm a big fan of the melted butter version. adding some hazelnut butter (or almond) makes a very chewy cc cookie.

here's my recipe:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons nut butter (see above)

mix all of the above ingredients; add the dry ingredients and mix. stir in chocolate chunks. 375-degree oven. baking time depends on who big you make them

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped in chunks

[Samantha]

I have found this to be the best recipe for CC cookies. I just brought in about 4 dozen to work today. They were gone within 15 minutes (there are only about 15 of us)

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup gran. sugar

Cream together

1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Blend with butter mixture

3 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Add to above

mix in chocolate chips (I find Nestle Milk Chocolate to be best)

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

They will be soft, chewy cookies, very little crunch to them