Morning Call
Morning Call winners prove: There are new chocolate chip cookie recipes
By Diane Stoneback | Of The Morning Call
June 4, 2008
Just how popular are chocolate chip cookies?
Very popular .
We were amazed by the number of bakers who entered The Morning Call's
annual Mayfair Recipe Contest with their variations on the original
Toll House cookie recipe that's printed on every package of Nestle's
chocolate morsels.
The top three winners, selected during the final judging on the
grounds at Mayfair, included Jo Ann Sheesley of Allentown, who won
first prize and a $100 Weis/Kings gift card for her Signature
Chocolate Chip cookies; Joanne Heller of Bethlehem, who won second
prize for her Chocolate Chip Patties, and Diane Toomey of Allentown,
who won third prize for her Chocolate Chip Graham Cookies. Other
finalists were John Joseph Yanek of North Catasauqua, fourth, and
Melissa Marsh of Bethlehem, fifth.
More than 100 recipes were submitted and considered before the final
three made it to the cookie winners' circle.
There were cookies containing malt, loads of cherries, pineapple and
coconut and liqueurs, too.
There were bar cookies and drop cookies, crunchy cookies and soft
cookies.
There were lots that shared the concept of peanut butter and
chocolate chips and some that also combined the taste of coffee and
chocolate.
We kept narrowing the field, finally getting our choices down to the
15 recipes that sounded the best. Then, the 15 cooks who had sent us
those recipes were asked to submit a plate of their homemade cookies
for a preliminary round of judging at The Morning Call.
A dutiful tasting team made it through sampling all 15 kinds of
cookies submitted for the semifinals. We debated. Tasted again and
again. Finally, five cookies emerged as contestants for the final
contest at Mayfair.
The judges included Frank Tipa and Paul Petruzzi of Weis Markets,
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Cynthia Litzenberger, who is an
assistant professor in Northampton Community College's culinary arts
program, and Alan Pitotti of Dolce Patisserie, Hellertown.
Here are the top five cookie recipes from the contest.
JO ANN SHEESLEY'S SIGNATURE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla
12-oz. bag Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet mini chips
Combine flour, oats, cereal, baking soda and salt in one bowl.
Combine butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla in another bowl.
Gradually stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in
chocolate chips. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Drop batter onto
greased sheets or sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350
degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway through the
baking time. Cool on wire racks.
JOANNE HELLER'S CHOCOLATE CHIP PATTIES
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups soft unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 tsps. vanilla extract
4 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsps. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 8 oz. bag mini milk chocolate bars
1/2 of 12-oz. bag semi-sweet mini morsels
1 8 oz. bag York mini peppermint patties chips
In a large bowl, mix sugars and butter till smooth. Then add the eggs
and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour and baking soda. Mix well and
then stir in all of the types of chips.
Refrigerate the dough for half an hour.
Form the dough into 1 to 11/2-inch balls. Take a small juice glass
and dampen the bottom. Then, use it to flatten the cookies to make a
thick disc.
Prepare cooking sheets with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for
10 to 12 minutes. Tops will be light brown. Remove to cooling rack by
simply sliding the parchment paper onto the rack.
DIANE TOOMEY'S CHOCOLATE CHIP GRAHAM COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
For the top:
2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
2 Tbsps. creamy peanut butter
For the garnish:
3 Tbsps. crushed peanut butter chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar,
egg and vanilla until smooth. In medium bowl, combine flour, graham
cracker crumbs and cinnamon. Slowly blend dry mixture into butter
mixture until completely blended. Stir in 1 cup milk chocolate chips
and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips.
Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Flatten balls to about 1/2-inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to
12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a small microwavable bowl, microwave 2/3 cup milk
chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for 1 minute. Stir until
smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mixture in center of cooled
cookie. If desired, sprinkle crushed peanut butter chips on top of
melted chocolate mixture. Makes about 3 dozen.
JOHN JOSEPH YANEK'S YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 stick of butter-flavor Crisco
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 Tbsps. granulated white sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. organic honey
1 Eggland's Best egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tsps. Kamora Coffee Liqueur
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (heaping) of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup (heaping) Ghirardelli bitter-sweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine shortening, brown sugar and white
sugar in large metal bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer
until well blended. Beat in sour cream, honey, egg, vanilla and
coffee liqueur. Beat until blended and fluffy.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another mixing bowl. Mix
into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended. Stir in
chocolate chips. Drop slightly rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 2
inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Do
not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove onto wire rack.
Makes about seven dozen cookies.
MELISSA MARSH'S CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
8 ozs. cream cheese
One cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 ozs. milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cream cheese, butter and sugars.
Blend in egg and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold
in chocolate chips. Grease cookie sheets and bake 15 to 18 minutes or
until lightly browned around the edges.
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