Crunchy, snappy chocolate cookie recipe?
February 23, 2021 8:27 AM Subscribe
Extremely persnickety, some might even say crotchety, request inside for the cookie recipe I seek and the ones that I do not want.
I want to bake crunchy chocolate cookies. The late-lamented Nabisco Chocolate Snaps were ideal.
Copy-cats for Snaps' surviving relatives -- Famous Wafers and Oreos (minus the cream) -- would be fine, but the one I tried (though very good!) was softer. (Deb acknowledges down in the comments that they're "softer than your typical Oreo.")
Over-baking softer cookies will not do. I've done that (such as the ones above, the one that used to be on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa tin, and those World Peace cookies that made the rounds a while back). Cooked correctly, those are all very good cookies, but over-baking leads to a dried-out, tough texture, not the snappy, evenly crunchy one I want.
I've googled this and of course there are lots of recipes, but most either look thin and delicate, or crispy-edged but softer in the middle. I do see some decent candidates I could try, so I don't need links to those unless you've got reason to select them (i.e., you've made them or read descriptions or comments, or something like that).
If I bake recipes suggested here, I'll follow up with the results!
I want to bake crunchy chocolate cookies. The late-lamented Nabisco Chocolate Snaps were ideal.
Copy-cats for Snaps' surviving relatives -- Famous Wafers and Oreos (minus the cream) -- would be fine, but the one I tried (though very good!) was softer. (Deb acknowledges down in the comments that they're "softer than your typical Oreo.")
Over-baking softer cookies will not do. I've done that (such as the ones above, the one that used to be on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa tin, and those World Peace cookies that made the rounds a while back). Cooked correctly, those are all very good cookies, but over-baking leads to a dried-out, tough texture, not the snappy, evenly crunchy one I want.
I've googled this and of course there are lots of recipes, but most either look thin and delicate, or crispy-edged but softer in the middle. I do see some decent candidates I could try, so I don't need links to those unless you've got reason to select them (i.e., you've made them or read descriptions or comments, or something like that).
If I bake recipes suggested here, I'll follow up with the results!
Best answer: I can’t compare them to the Chocolate Snaps, but try the Perfect Chocolate Biscuit at the longer end of the baking time range. Mine come out crispy in a good way. I live in the US so substitute Karo for the Golden Syrup. Like anything like this, the quality of the chocolate is important to the outcome.
posted by chocotaco at 8:35 AM on February 23, 2021
posted by chocotaco at 8:35 AM on February 23, 2021
Response by poster: EmpressCallipygos, the World Peace cookies I mentioned are sables, and DELICIOUS, and even one subcategory of crunchy. But the ultimately sandy, tender, shortbread-like crumb isn't the same as something to crunch up like Cookie Monster. So, if they're like that, they're so good that you might as well post them here for other folks, but it'd be great if you'd also say which side of that line you think they fall on.
posted by daisyace at 8:46 AM on February 23, 2021
posted by daisyace at 8:46 AM on February 23, 2021
Response by poster: Chocotaco, that link is broken and I'd love to take a look.
posted by daisyace at 8:48 AM on February 23, 2021
posted by daisyace at 8:48 AM on February 23, 2021
Best answer: Oh darn. It’s from the Guardian, Felicity Cloake’s “How to Cook the Perfect...” series. Does this link work?
posted by chocotaco at 9:01 AM on February 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by chocotaco at 9:01 AM on February 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Daisy, I know this isn't perfect, but when I think of this I think of cookie thins from costco. As well as brownie Brittle from costco. It looks like the name brand is thinsters, and searching thinsters cookie recipe has a lot of "thin" crispy cookie recipes.
Could you try adding thinsters, cookie thins, etc to your recipe searches?
In addition, have you had costco's brownie brittle? It's really something else and might help satisfy this craving. I won't tell if you pour it onto a serving dish and don't tell your houseguests if you won't tell.
posted by bbqturtle at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2021
Could you try adding thinsters, cookie thins, etc to your recipe searches?
In addition, have you had costco's brownie brittle? It's really something else and might help satisfy this craving. I won't tell if you pour it onto a serving dish and don't tell your houseguests if you won't tell.
posted by bbqturtle at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2021
Empress Callipygos is correct, these are chocolate sables. Here is my very best recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutched (not regular)cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 to 2/3 cup granulated sugar (less for a more bittersweet cookie)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped until almost powdery in a food processor
Coarse sugar for sprinkling
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda together onto a piece of waxed paper or into a bowl and set aside. (I almost always skimp on sifting wherever possible, but my cocoa is always lumpy, so this is unavoidable.)
Cream butter, sugar and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined, then scraping down sides. Add dry ingredients and grated chocolate together and mix until just combined.
Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up and chill it in the fridge until just firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. No need to get it fully hard, or it will be harder to roll out. Dough can be refrigerated until needed, up to a two days, or frozen longer, but let it warm up and soften a bit before rolling it out for decreased frustration.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough gently — it will still be on the crumbly side, so only attempt to flatten it slightly with each roll — until it is 1/8-inch thick (for thin cookies, what I used), 1/4-inch thick (for thicker ones) or somewhere in-between. Cut into desired shapes and space them an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle decoratively with coarse sugar if desired. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (for thinner cookies) or 10 to 12 minutes (for thicker ones). Leave cookies on baking sheets out of the oven for a couple minutes before gently, carefully transferring them to cooling racks, as they’ll be fragile until they cool.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Enjoy!
posted by ananci at 9:49 AM on February 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutched (not regular)cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 to 2/3 cup granulated sugar (less for a more bittersweet cookie)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped until almost powdery in a food processor
Coarse sugar for sprinkling
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda together onto a piece of waxed paper or into a bowl and set aside. (I almost always skimp on sifting wherever possible, but my cocoa is always lumpy, so this is unavoidable.)
Cream butter, sugar and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined, then scraping down sides. Add dry ingredients and grated chocolate together and mix until just combined.
Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up and chill it in the fridge until just firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. No need to get it fully hard, or it will be harder to roll out. Dough can be refrigerated until needed, up to a two days, or frozen longer, but let it warm up and soften a bit before rolling it out for decreased frustration.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough gently — it will still be on the crumbly side, so only attempt to flatten it slightly with each roll — until it is 1/8-inch thick (for thin cookies, what I used), 1/4-inch thick (for thicker ones) or somewhere in-between. Cut into desired shapes and space them an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle decoratively with coarse sugar if desired. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (for thinner cookies) or 10 to 12 minutes (for thicker ones). Leave cookies on baking sheets out of the oven for a couple minutes before gently, carefully transferring them to cooling racks, as they’ll be fragile until they cool.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Enjoy!
posted by ananci at 9:49 AM on February 23, 2021 [2 favorites]
Alton Brown's findings on varying the ingredient amounts of the standard Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie recipe:
For crispier cookies:
posted by Rash at 12:07 PM on February 23, 2021 [7 favorites]
For crispier cookies:
- Replace one egg with milk
- Use a higher ratio of white to brown sugar
- My own solution (since this is the kind I prefer): Make smaller cookies
- Use cake flour, baking powder and butter-flavored shortening
- Melt the butter first
- Use a higher ratio of brown to white sugar
- For crispy with a soft center: Use ½ baking powder and ½ baking soda
- Use shortening instead of butter to replicate store-bought
- For cakey cookies: Use more baking soda, since it releases CO2 when heated
- For butterscotch flavor: Use all brown sugar, no white
posted by Rash at 12:07 PM on February 23, 2021 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Stella Parks’ “fauxreos” might do the trick here. King Arthur has also taken a whack at this.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 12:59 PM on February 23, 2021
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 12:59 PM on February 23, 2021
Best answer: I agree with OneSmartMonkey. Stella Parks's Oreos are remarkably like the packaged ones--just make without the filling!
posted by TrarNoir at 2:08 PM on February 23, 2021
posted by TrarNoir at 2:08 PM on February 23, 2021
I like these chocolate chip cookies that are definitely on the thinner and crispier side (compared to regular chocolate chip cookies). Don't believe them, though about smaller pieces of chocolate. Large chunks (and lots of them) are better.
(Yes, I know you want chocolate, not chocolate chip, but in case you're looking for a bit of variety that's still in the chocolate family.)
posted by sardonyx at 2:08 PM on February 23, 2021
(Yes, I know you want chocolate, not chocolate chip, but in case you're looking for a bit of variety that's still in the chocolate family.)
posted by sardonyx at 2:08 PM on February 23, 2021
I'm not quite clear on what you're looking for because I'm not up on Nabisco cookies. Here are a few thoughts
- These are called crispy cocoa.
- Gluten-free cookies have more crunch to them than cookies made with wheat flour.
- I add a bit of magnesium powder to my pancakes to give their fried outer coating more crunch. Works great. Might work on cookies, too.
posted by aniola at 2:25 PM on February 23, 2021
- These are called crispy cocoa.
- Gluten-free cookies have more crunch to them than cookies made with wheat flour.
- I add a bit of magnesium powder to my pancakes to give their fried outer coating more crunch. Works great. Might work on cookies, too.
posted by aniola at 2:25 PM on February 23, 2021
The suggestions in Rash's post are what I do to get my Toll House cookies extra crispy. Mmm.
(I actually seem to be incapable of baking soft cookies from scratch, probably because my whole life of baking for myself I make them crunchy because that's what I like. When I baked professionally and followed their recipes, they would come out soft and gross like they wanted them to!)
posted by fiercecupcake at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2021
(I actually seem to be incapable of baking soft cookies from scratch, probably because my whole life of baking for myself I make them crunchy because that's what I like. When I baked professionally and followed their recipes, they would come out soft and gross like they wanted them to!)
posted by fiercecupcake at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2021
Response by poster: So far, the Stella Parks one (without the filling) is the first one I'll try. In chocotaco's link, Cloake says Parks' have a "satisfying snap," which sounds promising to me. Plus TrarNoir vouches for OneSmartMonkey's recommendation of it, and I've liked Parks' recipes before. If Parks' doesn't turn out to be The One, I like the looks of a few of these other recommendations, too.
I don't have Dutch process cocoa and I suspect that matters, so unless impatience makes me reckless, or a new comment comes in for a likely-looking recipe that calls only for ingredients I have, I'll wait until after my next grocery trip. If the timing works out, I'll make them at the MetaFilter online baking club, and either way, I'll report back. And until then, I'll keep an eye here for any more suggestions.
posted by daisyace at 7:00 PM on February 23, 2021
I don't have Dutch process cocoa and I suspect that matters, so unless impatience makes me reckless, or a new comment comes in for a likely-looking recipe that calls only for ingredients I have, I'll wait until after my next grocery trip. If the timing works out, I'll make them at the MetaFilter online baking club, and either way, I'll report back. And until then, I'll keep an eye here for any more suggestions.
posted by daisyace at 7:00 PM on February 23, 2021
Response by poster: I made crunchy, snappy chocolate cookies -- thank you! The supermarket didn't have Dutch process cocoa, so I forged ahead with regular cocoa, and with corn syrup instead of golden syrup. I forgot the baking soda and tried kneading it in at the end (good thing it's a kneaded dough!)... but then I liked the ones I left without baking soda. I'll definitely try again once I have Dutch process cocoa, but for now, these hit the spot!
posted by daisyace at 10:08 AM on February 28, 2021
posted by daisyace at 10:08 AM on February 28, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:32 AM on February 23, 2021