Chocolate chip cookies are arguably the best cure for just about anything, but when it comes down to the details, which chocolate chip cookie is actually the best? Many versions have come and gone, every celebrity now has their own recipe, and premade cookie dough is available in every grocery store, but as Phoebe Buffay taught us, "Nestle Toulouse" has the best recipe.
In order to find out which version is truly the best, we made a batch of Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies, following the directions on the back of the chocolate chip package and we also made a batch of cookies from a container of premade chocolate chip cookie dough from Nestle Toll House.
The Process
As a kid, my family and I would always bake cookies for parties, holidays, and any other event. I had always been taught that homemade is best and had rarely used premade dough. This time, it was fun to work together to make the dough and scoop out the cookies as a group. Plus, you get to lick the spatula at the end.
We had the ingredients at home so it took about 20 minutes to get the cookie dough ready. I had the recipe out to make sure that I followed it perfectly, and the directions are clear and easy to follow.
I had hoped to buy the tube of premade cookie dough so that I could have perfectly round cookies but Harris Teeter only had the squares, so we went with it. The whole thing only cost $3.50, and despite the warnings on the package not to eat raw dough, we definitely took off a few corners. The round trip to the store took just as long, if not longer than the time it took to make the dough from scratch.
Notable Differences
One thing that was notable between the two batches of dough was the difference in recipes. The recipe that I have always used calls for butter and both white and brown sugar, but upon reading the ingredients on the premade package, it uses molasses and vegetable oil instead.
The premade cookies baked at 350 degrees for 11 minutes and came out perfectly golden brown. However, while the cookies spread out and became round, several of them still had the outline of the original cube in the middle, which was a bit disappointing.
#SpoonTip: Make sure to check the cooking temperature in the directions before you start, since it varies from recipe to recipe. If necessary, make accommodations for high altitude as well.
The homemade cookies baked at 375 fahrenheit for 11 minutes and also came out perfectly. They were not uniformly round, but had a pleasing homemade look to them.
#SpoonTip: Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy transfer to cooling racks and clean-up.In Conclusion...
The homemade cookies were the unanimous winner. They were sweeter and while both batches were equally golden brown, the homemade cookies were chewier. They were perfectly round, with no lines in the middle. To us, the baking process was more fun, and the effort was justified by the results.
The premade dough tasted a bit grainy when raw and resulted in crispier cookies, which was not my preferred outcome. They weren't as sweet and, even an hour after baking, they tasted like they had ben sitting out for a day or two.
I'm just want to end this taste-test by making it clear that I would never, ever turn down either of these cookies. Both versions bring that sweetness and chocolatey goodness that is I desire in a chocolate chip cookie.
Based off of my taste-test, if you have the time and energy, I believe that homemade cookies are always the way to go. In a pinch, premade dough makes for a viable stand-in. Now that we've thoroughly examined the ins and outs of Nestle Toll House variations, it looks like it's time to move on to other chocolate chip cookie recipes. I'll take any excuse to keep eating cookies!