Comments on: Dangerous Chocolate Chip Cookies Dissected

By: Nina

Nina — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:40:28 +0000

So… I made the turbinado sugar variation with some Trader Joe’s organic. I liked it! For me, the granules brought back memories of sugar granules in iced tea, and for my boyfriend, they reminded him of pop rocks. And I liked enhanced brown sugar-y flavor and texture. I think it’s interesting that, really, the turbinado is kind of like a mix-in b/c the granules are so large, and the brown sugar is more integrated into the dough and gives the structure.

And I never really thought about it before, but it seems like turbinado sugar is like real brown sugar (such as C & H brand), but drier and with larger granules.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:10:06 +0000

Actually the sugar texture was still there, which is probably half because of the turbinado and half because I don’t have a stand mixer and creamed the butter and sugar together by hand (I do not recommend this!) but it was not an unpleasant texture; I think it caramelized a bit during cooking. One of my coworkers who bakes a bunch actually noted it as an aspect she really liked.

From Beranbaum’s sugars article you linked to (that article rules!) she says turbinado is 99 pure sucrose, although she does note that it cannot always be substituted perfectly because the moisture content is different, the granules are larger, and the molasses flavor is there. It would be disastrous used in confection, but for baking I find it substitutes pretty well, as long as you want those different flavors (which I did!) And I’m sure the moisture content differs from brand to brand. The kind I get is just from Whole Foods or Central Market’s bulk bins here in Austin and it’s a very light, pale gold color, nowhere near as dark as Sucanat, and very dry (plus the stuff I have is pretty old so I bet it’s drier still.)

By: Nina

Nina — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:18:35 +0000

Thanks, Brian! I’m so glad that the cookies came out well — and no exploding bottles of Scotch were involved. They look fantastic!

I like the idea of using turbinado. Frankly, I wouldn’t have attempted it b/c the granules seem large — but it looks like they melted in with the rest of the dough? The cookies must have a nice rich flavor. I happen to have lingering bag of turbinado around that’s ripe for experimenting with… Actually, I just checked the bag and it mentioned that it can be substituted 1:1 for white sugar. Huh. I had no idea.

And seriously, I wish that descriptions in cookbooks would describe the technical detail more; I was surprised that I couldn’t find a breakdown of ccc’s like the one in this post anywhere… Thank god for blogs. :). Cook’s Illustrated is usually good, but even they sometimes sneak some inexplicable elements in.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 05:58:04 +0000

Thanks for another awesome blog post, by the way. I was bored tonight and found I had all the ingredients for these around (well, except the maple sugar — had to use turbinado instead) and they came out super ell. Furthermore, all your technical detail was really fascinating. I wish I could find entire cookbooks with this kind of technical detail. It really teaches the “why” instead of just the “how” (and, coincidentally, I’m right in the middle of trying to progress from a chef-who-knows-how to a chef-who-knows-why!)

They came out really well.

By: Nina

Nina — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:24:16 +0000

I’d go to a specialty store or a gourmet market… or better yet, call around first. I used India Tree brand maple sugar, but on their website, it lists le gourmet chef in columbus and balducci’s in bethesda and alexandria as the closest places in your area to stock it; and then more in DC.

Whole Foods here had a maple sugar for sale, but its ingredient was “dehydrated maple syrup,” which should technically mean regular crystallized maple sugar even though it’s a funny way for saying it, but it looked slightly different than India Tree’s…. It should work, but I can’t completely vouch for it.

By: fattypr

fattypr — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:10:34 +0000

oh gosh. i love choc chip cookies, so i will def have to try this recipe. before i go to every grocery store in town looking for maple sugar, though, let me ask if you recommend going straight to a specialty store or if it should be everywhere.

By: Nina

Nina — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:31:09 +0000

Liz - Thanks, that sounds like a great idea — I sometimes want more texture but without adding the flavor/fat of nuts. I’ll try that.

By: liz

liz — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:19:22 +0000

If you ever want to add a little crunch without adding nuts, try adding a cup or so of Rice Krispies to your chocolate chip cookies. My mother used to do this when I was growing up and I’ve continued the tradition.

By: Nina

Nina — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:50:39 +0000

Tommy - Bummer! I haven’t worked much with juniper berries — did their flavor just not infuse well? Maybe a panna cotta would work? Or from the way it sounds, I guess just forget it and take consolation in a Gin & Tonic….

Jamie - Thank you! And dude, keep me posted on the spicy oatmeal cookies.

Emily - I hope you like it! It is a bit sweet, but it seems to work….

By: emily

emily — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:19:25 +0000

I’m always baking new recipes of chocolate chip cookies, but haven’t tried one with maple sugar. Luckily, I have some in the pantry.