Baking the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie: Every Ingredient, Every Decision | Epicurious

[@snakecake-mw7vw]

I would like if this was like the science cuisine videos where they explain every outcome because everyone has different tastes.

[@TheRealMacSavage]

There is a tasty video that talks about the different ingredients and the effect they have on the end product on chocolate chip cookies

[@KittyNinjaMew96]

Just a little too thin for me, if she chills the cookie dough balls then put them in the oven they will have a little thickness to them. It kinda defeats the purpose of a leavener.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

She did chill them, but then let them warm up to room temp before baking completely defeating the purpose of chilling But at least her hands didn’t get dirty

[@jonfuku5097]

13:20 Vanillin is literally the chemical that gives vanilla the flavor and taste and imitation vanilla is just a higher concentration of that. It's not "just kind of chemicals developed to kind of taste like vanilla", it's the main chemical in vanilla that they were able to synthetically reproduce at a lower price point.

[@TianaMay2001]

Key word "synthetic"

[@HT-pl8du]

It's the main flavor so you won't get all the other flavors, complexity no

[@Killem-Dafoe]

Seriously though, between the buckwheat flour, the organic fair trade sugar, the half pound of butter, fancy block chocolate, two different types of salt, and real vanilla extract, this is a $20 batch of cookies. That's not an exaggeration.

[@PeaceRose96]

i agree lol i totally understand the unbleached flour but she lost me after that😅 organic sugar vs regular sugar is a dramatic comparison bc it has a "better texture". you can use cheaper ingredients and still get the same end product, it's the recipe itself that matters

[@Mrbink01]

and they look awful

[@fernandomata678]

Idk about yall but cookie shops around the us charge like 2-5 dollars a cookie so i think its worth it

[@vazanere]

She's a professional baker, this isn't about the cheapest cookie you can make, it's about the perfect cookie you can make.

[@Mrbink01]

@@vazanere perfect is subjective

[@hughjanis4555]

Honestly not a fan when the dough and the chocolate becomes homogeneous like that. I like a lighter dough sprinkled with chocolate not a fudgy chocolate-y mass.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... the dough and the chocolate (two items) become* homogenous

[@josephhelms2362]

Trust me the chocolate is not that homogenous with the dough. It’s probably just the buckwheat that gives it a dark color like that.

[@micah1754]

I was just about to write exactly the same thing! Same - I prefer the cookie part to remain quite light and vanilla /butter flavoured, with the chocolate chunks distinct and meltys. I wouldn't cut it up with the chocolate dust like that. For my taste, they're also way too thin and the dough should have been colder and firmer when it went in the oven to keep some rise on them and a bigger variation in textures.

[@firmanang9132]

I could listen to natasha talk all day

[@augusts1]

I much prefer thick chewy cc cookies. Flat ones like that are not it for me. I certainly wouldn't turn hers down though since I'm sure they taste amazing!

[@Balletyeah72]

The comments on this video are heavvyyy y’all it’s not that serious. Thanks for the cool video!

[@ellam3442]

no fr like bro it’s a video on baking cookies not world politics

[@selina6408]

@@ellam3442 Look, I've watched dozens of choc chip cookies recipe videos using a variety of ingredients and methods, and I've never seen negative comments. Congrats to this video.

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

It's a corporate video, not a homemade thing.

[@GlassMunky]

I love how she thinks the organic brown sugar is somehow different when ALL brown sugar is refined and then has molasses added back into it…. Exactly like the brown sugar she didn’t like. 😂

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Yeah because she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, she just knows buzzwords

[@user-ji8ge1wb4k]

She chose the organic one not because it's organic but because it had a coarser texture. She acknowledged that all brown sugar has molasses added but to varying degrees.

[@jondoe2960]

if she chose the organic brown sugar solely on the basis that it's organic, she wouldn't have gone with the run-of-the-mill white sugar, she would have gone with an organic white sugar also. the texture and consistency difference between the brown sugars was very apparent, even through a screen

[@davidschwartzman2986]

@@dantethunderstone2118 - You really know nothing at all.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@davidschwartzman2986 and you can’t pickup on someone trying to fool you with flashy words

[@vazanere]

Alright bought the ingredients and tried to follow along while using traditional chocolate chip cookie measurements since the channel hasn't provided the recipe (at least not obviously). Gotta say it got really messed up and I assume it happened with the buckwheat flour and unbleached flour. Was extremely dry and crumbly, spent an hour trying to get it back into dough while retaining it's flavor. The Buckwheat has a noticeable flavor profile. Anywho, it would be best if you guys could provide a link to the recipe, probably won't try this again otherwise.

[@CRMSEagles7thGradeFootball]

Have you found the recipe, I’m still looking.

[@riverbankchristmas276]

Wheres the written recipe?

[@MartinNunez-hc3gx]

in her book :D

[@danieljordan7975]

I mean I'm sure it's delicious, chef clearly knows her stuff. But I feel like the buckwheat is totally gratuitous. Just makes it way more expensive, and idk if it's the camera lighting or whatever, but I don't know how I feel about the color of the cookies

[@MartinNunez-hc3gx]

i think it's either the camera lighting or color correction. i've made these a few times and they don't look so green in real life

[@Daramgaria]

.. buckwheat is a cheap staple grain eaten i.e. by a lot of eastern europeans. surely buckwheat flour cannot be that expensive, whole buckwheat costs as much as rice does if not less in my area in new york. it is just a grain yk

[@danieljordan7975]

I can appreciate your perspective, everywhere I've lived buckwheat has been treated as a "specialty" grain and comes at a premium compared to other grains. And with respect, just because it's a staple grain in many areas doesn't mean it has a place in the "perfect chocolate chip cookie". Corn and quinoa are both staple grains in many areas too, but they have no place in the perfect cookie.

[@dhbfsidfuishfnsl]

I could listen to Natasha talk about her baking choices all day. Love that she doesn't gatekeep and truly wants to share her experiences/tips! Pls do more of these! That specific brand of recommended sugar is a GAME CHANGER. Yes, it's more expensive, but it takes the structure of the cookie to another level.

[@selina6408]

The buckwheat flour I'm willing to keep an open mind about, but the misinformation about organic brown sugar and her choice of American butter over that block of European butter... nah.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Eh no reason to use European butter, you’re not really going to taste the difference

[@aravindvissamsetty]

Unless you're in Europe

[@xanderscookingschool1497]

This video pissed me off just with one scene. She basically just poured the "brown" butter in the bowl, but kept most of the brown bits in the pot. I don't believe her when she says the cookie is nutty.

[@MatthewKellerCA]

I noticed this as well, but I think that’s all in the editing. Check 14:43: when she puts the cooled brown butter back into the mixer, you can definitely see the browned bits in the solidified butter. So those little bits of gold made it into the cookie, I’m fairly certain.

[@xanderscookingschool1497]

@@MatthewKellerCA Ok. Now pause at 8:50 and look at the inside of the pot and the bowl.

[@loicbergeron8188]

@@xanderscookingschool1497she very well could put it back off camera

[@johndough321]

😊

[@peachiori]

Yeah its an obvious fact that the prices of this one batch is crazy but this is more of a what to look for while picking your ingredients rather than this is the only option, there should always be the "best" way to make something, this is ofc her take

[@johnselwitz5362]

Her take is pretentious and asinine.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... the price* (...) is crazy

[@naveenmagapu4670]

I just used Bread flour and All Purpose Flour and a 70% Lindt dark chocolate bar and it turned out great. Thinking of topping with the Godiva trufle chunks next time because I do wanna see some "chips" on top of the cookie.

[@Vidar33]

Why does this feel like an advertisement for various brands of ingredients?

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Because she said the brand names. I doubt it actually is but there’s definitely some bias

[@robertthomas9043]

Or maybe you are just a cynic.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@robertthomas9043 the way she was speaking definitely made it seem like there was money involved

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

@@robertthomas9043 Cynics believe in virtue, you must know that.

[@rachelarnold8839]

This is great, please have Natasha Pickowicz on Epicurious again

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Please do not have her on Epicurious again, especially when there’s so many other better cast members

[@craigwattie6110]

Liked their choices, so why do those cookies look just… off? Roasted buckwheat maybe?

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Roasted flours (specifically the buckwheat) the chocolate shavings being mixed in and instead of creaming the sugars with the butter and then adding the eggs she mixes the the eggs and the sugars then adds the butter

[@hoanganhphan7292]

brian largerstrom has the best chocolate chip cookies recipe imo

[@abcdisaster]

Great video but where's Dan tho? 😭

[@Lhikan634]

Prompt: Chocolate chip cookies. Chef: So, I'm going to ignore that and not use chocolate chips.

[@greendragon0009]

My gosh that was incredible. Natasha great effort. I can't wait to try making these. :)

[@Killem-Dafoe]

Ain't nobody got money for organic fair-trade sugar.

[@augusts1]

There are plenty who do. You just don't know them. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

[@keys2467]

never heard of anyone saying flour has great flavor 😮

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Thought the same first, then thought she probably meant the flavor a type of flour can provide to the dough. Some flours are indeed quite bland.

[@janetbetz2790]

I can’t wait to make these! Breaking down the decisions was exceptionally helpful. I want more videos of ingredient categories and what is the best use of each type.

[@mydogspillow]

Wow she knows her stuff and presented it well! I’m not sure about this recipe but Ill give it a try.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

She really doesn’t know her stuff, she just knows buzz words that make it sound like she does

[@davidmelgar1197]

​@@dantethunderstone2118What a useless comment. What exactly indicates she doesn't know what she's talking about?

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@davidmelgar1197 you really think you notice the alcohol in any way if you use real vanilla? Artificial also uses alcohol as the solvent too and you don’t notice just like you don’t notice a flavour difference when you use vodka instead of some of the water in a pie crust. That on top of her just throwing in buzz words makes it pretty obvious

[@guillermo9256]

Also toll house morsels are definitely chocolate. The word morsels is indicative only of their shape, she’s just wrong about that. She also got a few things about the fats a little wrong science wise. Still informative but not entirely accurate.

[@Daramgaria]

tell me. what buzz words. talk to me. ur the expert

[@findingfoodfluency]

The buckwheat addition transports me to Brittany, France... but then, it also puts me in the mood for crêpes. Interesting add!

[@zenobiavyas9568]

Where r the ingredients list???

[@johnyesjustjohn]

My go-to recipe says soften the butter and then mix it with the sugar until blended, then the eggs, then the dry ingredients. Anyone have yeas or nays for this?

[@QeeqsPlays]

Yep this is perfectly fine! It's really the traditional way of making cookies. Still yields amazing cookies!

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Creaming butter with sugars then adding eggs is the best start to making cookies

[@oldcowbb]

the "alternative" Ingredients are so ridiculous in this one, almost like the multiple choice questions in DMV tests

[@astraldoeu]

Where are the quantities?

[@plokiju8876]

Honestly that was too fancy for me. Not gonna lie, I did enjoy the whole explanation and science but I’m not at that level.

[@jimfeger2391]

Let me recall all the complaints about the classic toll house cookies I’ve had over the decades: Yup, that’s all of them. If you want to complicate the cookie for what may be a slightly better experience, have at it.

[@ASZHanazaki]

Instead of showing us all the packaging and talking your head off, just show us the difference in the products...

[@ryderopals8397]

Wheels or whatever that horror movie is about killer car tires.

[@danip.3245]

It’s the perfect chocolate chip cookie, yet per this woman she doesn’t like chips. What?

[@fredfromfrance6594]

I am often not convinced by recipes on Epicurious. But I love this one . 👍

[@TTatitalks]

I never learned so much about cookies, till now!

[@ianrhile]

Hm. Baking soda requires an acidic ingredient to make the carbon dioxide. Baking powder is far more standard as it generates the carbon dioxide without added acid. So I find this very odd.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

When heated sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) breaks down into sodium carbonate and releases steam and carbon dioxide On top of that some the other ingredients like the butter and the eggs are slightly acidic which could assist in the decomposition of the baking soda Baking powder would provide too much lift and make the cookies more cakey and fluffy

[@KimberlyState]

Soda is always used in cookies not powder

[@spacerae191]

The molasses in the brown sugar is acidic.

[@lisahodges8299]

I'm so pleased that she has managed to find her perfect recipe. I wonder if anyone else likes it? Birdy

[@mommyofkittens4809]

I use generic products and make fantastic cookie. Smug is an ingredient you need to leave out.

[@margeoconnor166]

Well said!

[@augusts1]

Quit projecting. She wasn't smug at all but you definitely are.

[@hoangminhluu8851]

I dont know why when i melt butter it break into milk ?

[@roselovesmakeup]

Recipe? Thanks 😊

[@jamescooper1968]

Thanks for the class.

[@isaiahtan7787]

Nice.

[@kha0s616]

I'd just asked for that on a video of 5y ago

[@karachunelson]

I had to stop watching because of the buzzer sounds. So jarring 😂

[@carolynbotkin9903]

Because I bake hundreds of cookies for Christmas gifts, chocolate chip is the favorite. That is the one that I make the most of. I love giving delicious cookies but won’t this chocolate break me?

[@KimberlyState]

My only comment is on the assembly she never says to what or when to add the sugars

[@Anthony-hu3rj]

All that analysis and then she doesn't care what kind of eggs she's using.

[@alexchan3932]

Super informative

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Not really, she threw up a bunch of word salads and buzz words and gave you an average cookie recipe

[@NanaCooking.]

😍

[@blesstyou]

Loveeeeeeeeeeee

[@carlovincent]

Wow. Looks great.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Organic does not make a difference, ingredient quality does. Higher quality ingredients will be better and usually organic ingredients are higher quality but not because they’re organic but simply because they’re smaller operations that can focus more on quality than quantity. That whole spiel was just economic discrimination, same with the vanilla bit because unless it’s a very dominant flavour in whatever you’re making(which it’s not in chocolate chip cookies) then you will not notice a difference. If you’re going to make a “how to make a perfect ___” series then consider switching to a format more like Benjamin the baker where instead of having a guest throw their (often times bad) opinions at us, you have someone knowledgeable show how different ingredients or methods will effect the final outcome and then give suggestions on what will actually give you the best results instead of the most buzz words like ms chemicals here

[@rjmari]

I don't understand how that's your takeaway. I don't think she once said that an ingredient is better simply because it was organic. She gave her specific reasons why some of the organic options were better for this recipe, mainly texture and moisture. She explained how each ingredient would affect the final result exactly the way you're asking. It sounds like you agree with her, but wanted to say she's wrong anyway.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@rjmari the reason that brown sugar was better had nothing to do with it being organic but simply the quality of it but she was implying that it was superior because it’s organic

[@rjmari]

@@dantethunderstone2118 Yes she mentioned to get that specific organic brown sugar because it is better. But she pointed out the specific traits that made this specific product better. And if you want to go out and try to find a non-organic ingredient that has the same traits, then you're now equipped with the reasoning behind it. You're purposely being dense if you're interpreting her overall message as "only use organic ingredients because they're better than non-organic".

[@selina6408]

@@rjmari You need to watch the video. She said: "People love to debate if organic is really necessary when you're shopping for your ingredients. When it comes to dark brown sugar, it matters a ton." At 3:55

[@rjmari]

@@selina6408 Yea and then she explained what the properties were that made it better. If you can find a non-organic version that has the same properties, feel free to share with the class. Please stop trying to jump down her throat about her phrasing while conveniently ignoring her overall message and explanation. It's not helpful.

[@novariverstone8973]

I'm sorry but this seems to be really unfair against people that are poor all those ingredients are organic or branded and I'm sorry but I've made plenty of great foods without all the brands and organic produce since I can't afford that neither has my family so we learned how to build flavor with what we had

[@monsterb0x]

Great, post your video with your recipes

[@ellam3442]

bro no one said you had to do it this way it’s just her interpretation and she’s giving some science info too

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

No doubt there are quality differences between various brands of a product but having the skill to use the products you have to their maximum is just as important. Case in point, browning your store-brand unsalted butter instead of using it as-is greatly improves the flavor of a chocolate chip cookie. Same inexpensive butter, different outcomes based on how you use it

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@ellam3442 none of what she said was science based

[@spacerae191]

She’s breaking down the decisions behind why she chose the ingredients for the recipe she developed for her book. No one is forcing you to make this lol.

[@Crayfish-]

A head's up to this Pastry Chef; I would Never use ANY PAN SPRAY because if you Smell the Propellent you will Notice That It Smells Like " Propane " ! I would Never " want to Ingest " Any " Petroleum Product " into my System !

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Relax bud you inhale more petroleum products going to the gas station

[@dianaharper3853]

Can you guys make a spaghetti pie in one of your videos?

[@laineyweiss864]

Yum

[@cambooj]

How to spend too much on simple recipes.

[@VIP-ry6vv]

Nestle and betty crocker fans better run cuz this vid is controversial af, but I love buckwheat so let's goooo!

[@danip.3245]

This woman is clueless. Seriously, vanilla extract with alcohol to get that alcohol burn in the cookie dough? Seriously??

[@MaddieGracep]

Literally all vanilla extract contains alcohol. That's how vanilla essence is EXTRACTED.

[@danip.3245]

@@MaddieGracep I don’t know if your agreeing or arguing, but vanilla extract does not carry over any alcohol burn or flavor in the finished baked product. No one is arguing that it’s in there.

[@auburok]

@@MaddieGracep Cool your jets. At-14:00 She has no clue what she is talking about. The alcohol evaporates out. Not sure why you're defending this garbage.

[@Crayfish-]

I would like to try that with a Top Flight Milk-Chocolate Ingredient such as Cadberry's or Hershey's Symphony bars ! I don't know if That would be Practical in the Cooking, but if it worked out THAT would be a " Fantastic Chocolate Chip Cookie " !

[@NomaD_203]

I'm disappointed Epicurious. Don't cloak an organic agenda with pseudo-expertise. That was a lot of words to say nothing substantive or verifiable.

[@beachforestmountain4269]

To get a chewy cookie using almond flour, just add gelatine to the recipe. That way you have a chewy cookie that is low carb, but you also need to swap out the sugar for either erythritol, allulose or monkfruit sweetener to make it low carb. Just add 1 tablespoon of gelatine for every 1.5 cups of almond flour.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

No reason to go low carb on a cookie, just learn moderation and use the cookie to your advantage

[@likewhatizzy1323]

@@dantethunderstone2118some people have diabetes

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@likewhatizzy1323 please, we all know that’s not the intended audience of low carb recipes Its people who don’t understand how weight loss works so they seek fad diets

[@winscho2014]

Still the Marketing will never approve this recipe, the look is not even acceptable. I'm thinking of a restaurant called Epicourious where you can serve all of these fancy and posh recipes ❤

[@StingBear]

lol so many whiny comments here

[@dominicsondrini3099]

Will you go out with me?

[@TheTink54]

No offense to this presenter but I did not like this video. Part of the reason I like Epicurus videos is because they don’t judge or moralize. This felt like it was moralizing “clean” “organic” bs buzz word ingredients that are so expensive that this recipe isn’t even accessible to the average American. No thank you.

[@kashmirichai123]

those are some flat cookies

[@clearmenser]

Nothing about baking powder? 😢

[@birdmasterthecaffeinatedowl]

Ave to say tasty 101 does it better

[@XxKingCraZyxX]

Wow the comments are awful. Most people seem to have shut their brain off after reading organic on one of the packages lmao

[@jamesm5148]

😍😍😍 she's amazing, and beautiful 🤭🖤

[@melbapeach162]

Could do without the added unnecessary pretenciousness

[@CMarkem]

Guranteed nobody will be wanting to rush over to try a cookie like that, rather eat me a chips-a-hoy.

[@firstnamelastname9631]

Your hair gets in the way. What's wrong with a chef hat?

[@Szajbulec]

flour got me bored, sorry too long

[@tzadik.]

😍