Tate's (crispy) chocolate chip cookies

So far, this spring is passing by in a happy blur.  There's always something on the calendar and it's good to be busy and have things to look forward to so I can't complain. 

Even with things going on, we make time to cook, bake, and of course - eat! Nothing could be easier and more relaxing than making cookies so I'm dropping off a batch of chocolate chip cookies today.  I seem to be on a chocolate chip cookie kick lately but as far as I'm concerned, it's always fun to try another chocolate chip cookie recipe and one cannot live by strawberries and raspberries alone no matter how good they are right now!

This time, I tried to take a step back for a moment from those much-loved soft and chewy cookies to something different - thin and crispy cookies, studded with dark chocolate chips.  Its dark brown hue hints at its deeper caramel flavor.

These cookies were made from Tate's chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Are you familiar with Tate's?  They are known for their thin, distinctively crisp and crunchy, chocolate chip cookies and this is the recipe the owner, Kathleen King, shared in her cookbook for them.  

I've wanted to try this recipe at home for a while now because my son loves those Tate's cookies.  I remember he first tried them a couple of years ago when we were out shopping and he was given a sample.  He really took a liking to them.  I was a little surprised but I shouldn't have been when I think about his preference for Oreo cookies and crunchy snacks in general (I think most of us can relate). 

So we're happily munching our way through this batch of cookies and leaving crumbs in our trail but are these homemade cookies like Tate's?  Frankly, no.   At least my batch wasn't.  They sure are good cookies, with that nice familiar caramel flavor, but as far as comparison to the "real" thing, it's in the texture.  Mine didn't have that same uniform, all-through serious crunch you get when you bite into one of those thin Tate's cookies.  Baking a few extra minutes may be in order though I have to admit to a fear of veering too close to burnt rather than browned!  But though the recipe doesn't turn out the same thing as the cookies from a Tate's bags, I can't say it was a wasted effort given the tasty flavor and well, the general goodness of homemade chocolate chip cookies, period.  No one complained.


A little further comparison...Tate's cookies, like the example you see below, have a very uniform thinness that I didn't quite achieve with mine.  And they are indeed so crispy that it's usually hard to find a package without any broken cookies!

My at-home version following the recipe is a bit thicker in the middle.  The cookies are crispy, more so at the edges.  If you're really looking for as much crunch as possible, be brave (braver than I am) and bake the cookies until they are more evenly browned in the center.  

The recipe calls for dark brown sugar, which didn't surprise me given the deeper color and flavor of the cookies, but I was surprised by the equal ratio of granulated to brown sugar.  I expected more granulated sugar for a crispy cookie but I suppose brown sugar provides a lot of valuable flavor and we have to rely on the bake time to give us the texture we're looking for.

All in all, I think baking chocolate chip cookies is always a good idea!  You learn a little something new with each recipe, and you get a great snack in the bargain.  

Recipe:

Tate's (Crispy) Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook

- Approximately 3 dozen cookies, depending on size - 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks salted butter (I used unsalted and added an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt to recipe)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together.  Add water and vanilla, and mix until just combined.  Add eggs and mix together lightly to incorporate.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Do not overmix the dough.

Drop cookies (I used a 1 1/2 tablespoon measure ice cream scoop) onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until edges and centers are brown (this may mean an extra couple of minutes bake time to ensure a crisper outcome), rotating the pans halfway through.  Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.