Thick,
chewy
, soft, crunchy... When it comes to cookies, there is something for everyone.
Whether it was a happy coincidence or a genius idea, this cookie originated in the hands of Ruth Graves Wakefield, head chef at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, United States.
One day in 1930, she slipped chocolate chips into her biscuit dough and gave life to a formula that would be revisited a thousand and one times, adopted by the biggest names in pastry making as well as by Sunday cooks.
A seemingly simple recipe, which in reality hides a few pitfalls: “All it takes is a slight change in weight, temperature or ingredient for the final result to differ,” explains Déborah Dupont-Daguet, author of the book
The cookie of our dreams
(1) and owner of the bookstore specializing in culinary arts,
La Librairie Gourmande
(2).
Fascinated by the making of this little cake, she gives us the techniques to use to prepare… the cookie of our dreams.
To discover
Download the Le Figaro Cuisine app for tasty and authentic recipes
Also read: Cyril Lignac: his best recipe for chocolate cookies for snack time
For a thick and decadent cookie, called “American style”
A thick cookie, crispy on the inside and melting at the heart.
Screenshot Instagram / @be.my.cookie
For many of us, the perfect cookie is thick, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and studded with generous chocolate chips.
At least, it's Déborah Dupont-Daguet's favorite cookie: "What's important to remember is that the recipe doesn't change, only the techniques used."
To obtain an “American-style” cookie, the specialist recommends paying particular attention to the weight: “Everything is excessive in this cookie.
Each individual piece must weigh at least 100 grams, which allows for a nice thickness.
To avoid a stiff result that risks breaking a tooth, she recommends taking out the batch when the biscuit is still slightly undercooked.
To ensure this texture, “the dough must be very cold, which allows gradual cooking and consequently, a crispy exterior and a melting, almost raw center.
I therefore recommend preparing the cookie balls in advance and placing them in the freezer.
When it comes to shaping, Déborah Dupont-Daguet favors an ice cream scoop which allows you to obtain a uniform size.
For a chewy cookie
A chewy
, almost raw and decadent cookie
from Laura Todd.
Screenshot Instagram / @laura_todd_paris
An English term that cannot be translated into French, a chewy
cookie
is dense in the mouth, as soft as a semi-cooked cookie and has an exterior that almost sticks to your teeth.
According to Déborah Dupont-Daguet, there is no secret to obtaining such a texture: “We tend to modify recipes when we believe that they contain too large quantities of sugar.
In reality, it is essential to respect the recommended weights, so as not to disturb the balance between dry and liquid materials.
On the other hand, we owe the fondness of this cookie to its rapid cooking: “Only its 1 cm circumference must be perfectly cooked, it is eaten almost raw.
You must therefore let the biscuits rest on the baking sheet which is still hot after taking it out of the oven.
We then take the opportunity to do a second shaping: “Using a cookie cutter or a bowl with a diameter slightly larger than the cookie, we will enclose the biscuit then make circles.
By bumping against the utensil, the edges of the cookie will retract and the cookie will have an almost cracked surface, which will provide this characteristic texture
,”
concludes the specialist.
Selection of cookie recipes
In images, in pictures
See the slideshow12 photos
See the slideshow12 photos
For a classic and soft cookie
Regressive and ultra-gourmet, chocolatey and buttery, the soft cookie is undoubtedly a great classic.
To obtain this characteristic soft texture, you must pay particular attention to the sugars used: “In the majority of recipes, we use white sugar, and brown or brown sugar.
Both will react differently to cooking.
Brown sugar or brown sugar allows you to obtain a softer texture and better coloring.
So, if we have to, for example, use 160 g of sugar, we favor 120 g of brown sugar versus 40 grams of white sugar to obtain a soft cookie,” explains the specialist.
A thick, chocolate-filled cookie.
Screenshot Instgram / @lafabriquecookies
As the cookie is rich in fat, it is also possible to add egg yolk to its preparation, provided you pay attention to the proportions used: “It is said that an egg weighs 50 grams without shell and that it is composed of 30 g of white and 20 g of yellow.
However, some eggs weigh up to 65 g.
If we do not compensate with dry matter, we risk not obtaining the desired texture.
To ensure precision, Déborah Dupont-Daguet beats the eggs into an omelette before weighing them.
“We can also clarify the egg and compensate for the lack of white with yolk, while respecting the quantities of egg requested.”
Finally, to benefit from its soft texture, the cookie must be eaten within 24 hours.
For a thin and crispy cookie
Thin, crispy cookies studded with chocolate chips.
Screenshot Instagram / @laura_todd_paris
Although it is less popular with Déborah Dupont-Daguet, the thin and crispy cookie has made a place for itself in the culinary scene.
To ensure that you obtain this texture at home, the specialist recommends using white sugar alone.
On the other hand, to prevent it from spreading like a pancake, we make sure not to overwork the dough: “When we no longer see traces of flour in the dough, we stop mixing at the risk of developing the gluten network of flour.
The idea is to only combine the ingredients once the dry matter is added,” explains the specialist.
It remains to be seen which cookie you prefer.
(1)
The cookie of our dreams
, by Déborah Dupont-Daguet and Géraldine Martens, First Éditions, 160 pages, €18.95.