Have you ever been at a bake sale, spied a stack of cookies wrapped in plastic wrap and excitedly grabbed them up because you can tell by the wonky shape and crappy packaging that they’re homemade and you’re all like, “Awe yeah, y'all, I’m about to get my eat on”. You’re totally expecting your mom’s Toll House cookies because they look just like them. And then you take a bite. And just want to cry. Because they're... not right.
You want to know why? Probably because somebody skipped the salt.
Listen to me: if you want to eat healthy, stop baking cookies.
Salt is a flavor enhancer. It’s just as important to sweet dishes as it is to savory ones. Maybe more so since most savory dishes have herbs or spices to help develop the flavor.
And you’re all thinking about sodium now and some of you are shaking your head at me but here’s the thing… if one teaspoon of salt in whole batch of cookies is going to be harmful to you, you might ought to skip the cookies anyway. Go eat an apple and stop ruining the cookies.
What brought this rant on (and you’ll have to forgive me for ranting like this… I, um… well, I’ve never gone off the deep end here before… so… yeah, errrr… sorry about that) is that I was reading the recipe for some chocolate chips cookies that are wildly popular on Pinterest right now and noticed that the recipe calls for a lot of salt. Hmmm… pinners claim recipe is the best they've ever made… recipe calls for ton of salt. Coincidence? I think not.
But since I haven’t tested that recipe yet, I will post my mostest favoritest cookie recipe in the history of EVER because, really, you can’t beat it.
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| Recipe and photo from Nestle Toll House |
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups Nestle Toll House chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes approximately 50-60 cookies.
Makes approximately 50-60 cookies.
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My only variation to the Tollhouse recipe is that I use the whole damn bag of chocolate chips. :P
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on the whole salt thing - makes me crazy when people leave out salt in baked goods.
Absolutely! And I throw in whatever leftover morsels I might have laying around (like butterscotch, etc.)
DeletePersonally, I can't handle people substituting crap (read margarine or lard) for butter. USE BUTTER PEOPLE!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd......we need salt to live you can't cut it out 100% that's just insane.
Agreed! Every now and again someone will tell me that the no-bake oatmeal cookies didn't turn out and my first question is, "Did you use butter or margarine?"
DeleteLOL, so true....salt is our friend! These are the best cookies, I agree:-) Take care, Terra
ReplyDeleteA Men!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, if I'm feeling lucky, I'll even add ANOTHER dash of salt.
I'm a rebel like that.
Anyone who would say or think to write "Hells yeah, hookers, I’m about to get my EAT on" is probably one of the bestest people I'll ever meet! I'm sooooo loving your site!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my site and pumping up my fish & grits on FaceBook :)
LOL! Thanks, I'm loving yours too!
DeleteI thought the EXACT same thing, Shawn!!
DeleteI third that Shawn! LOL
DeleteMe too! I'm from Vidalia Georgia, where farm folk know how to cook and eat. I live (very happily) in Atlanta now but sorely miss what I call "family reunion food"; I also miss the sass of real rural Southern women. I find both -- plus a lot of other great things -- on this blog. Thank you!!
DeleteLove these cookies! My only variation is I use 1 heaping cup brown sugar and a half cup of white sugar-people go crazy for them. I agree, I can't stand it when people skip the salt !!
ReplyDeleteBest blog ever! My kids keep looking at me like I'm a lunatic over here giggling and snorting.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what causes cookies to flatten? I used to make the best cookies but now they flatten during cooking. I have tried not to soften butter in microwave. Fresh boxed baking soda. Preheated oven. Anything and everything but to no avail. Please help. I want to make these tonight.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Terri. Try putting your dough in the fridge for a little while to make sure its good and cool before scooping out your uniform balls of dough! :-)
DeleteKeeping the dough cool is huge but I've also noticed that I just about can't bake good cookies on my favorite pan anymore because it's turned so dark (and lovely and seasoned and perfect like a good pan should). See my notes at the bottom of this post about the kind of pan I'm now using for cookies. http://www.southyourmouth.com/2013/01/chocolate-chunk-cookies.html
DeleteCookies made with baking soda will spread out. Add baking powder instead of the baking soda and you will see your cookies stand up better. Also, you should bake your cookies on a Doughmaker cookie sheet; they are the absolute best for cookies. Keep them clean every time and don't use them on stuff that drips. Also, cookies need butter; not margarine, too much water; not lard, no taste; no oil, too liquidy; BUTTER and ONLY butter.
Deletefor the flat cookie post: make sure the cookie dough is COLD before you put them in the oven and make sure they are a uniform size. Usually the cookies are flattening out because the fat is melting too quickly.
ReplyDeleteCREAM the butter with the sugars.... Most people do NOT understand this concept. It does not mean mix them together. Creaming means to combine until they butter changes to a light color. Do this test: mix the butter and sugar the way you normally do, now take a small 1/8 tsp sample and set aside; Now turn the mixer on and keep mixing for 5 minutes, and take another small sample; Compare the two samples and you will see a color difference, and the second sample will feel less gritty. When butter and sugar are properly creamed, the sugar has punched air into to butter and it will have a light airy texture.
ReplyDeleteYou surely can get away with leaving out the salt - hypertensives don't need any more, but the sweet-stuff fix is the stuff of life (sort of). Use salted butter (when did that whole unsalted-butter thing come in?)... commercial chips have salt... even baking soda is SODIUM bicarbonate. So yah, feel free to omit added salt. If the cookies don't taste right, I doubt it's got anything to do with the salt content. You want knockout cookies, of just about any type? Double or even triple the vanilla (paste or extract). Now THAT's a flavor boost that won't charge anyone's blood pressure!
ReplyDeleteI use the traditional Toll House recipe, but I have found that I can reduce the amount of sugar without ruining the cookies. Instead of 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of white sugar, I use 1/2 cup of each. Then, maybe to make up for it, I use an entire 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips plus about 1/3 of another bag. I also add about a cup of toasted pecans, chopped. I always use butter and good, expensive vanilla (the kind you can't get at the grocery store).
ReplyDeleteClaudia M., Greeley, CO