Soft, Soft, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Like Entenmann's, only better
I grew up eating Entenmann’s baked goods. Their signature blue and white box with the see-thru window was a staple in our house. My mother favored the raspberry twist coffee cake, although I definitely preferred the cupcakes that in the before times had 2 inches of icing on top. There were 3 vanilla and 3 chocolate and I don’t need to tell you which I ate first. My mother kept the golden fudge cake in the refrigerator, which made it easy to peel the frosting off and leave the cake, which my brothers did frequently, leaving naked cake for the rest of us. The donuts, which I crave as I write this, even if my father referred to the crumb-covered ones as “goat dropping donuts.” And there was the chocolate chip cookie: the gold standard of supermarket chocolate chip cookies.
Chewy and soft, each bite was filled with mini chocolate chips. Something about the texture, the petiteness, the artificiality, I dunno, but something in them meant they could easily be glormed up in a sitting. Have one, have ‘em all.
Today’s recipe is my copycat version of the Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookie. I think I’ve gotten as close as I can without relying on the industrial magic (and chemicals) Entenmann’s does.
My kids pronounced them the best soft cookie I’ve ever made, without my even asking their opinion. And their comments weren’t even followed by a request to borrow the car.
These cookies employ a few ingredients that help make them soft and chewy:
Golden syrup: Lyle’s golden syrup is a British product that can be found at fancy stores like Whole Foods. It’s worth buying two, cuz pecan pie season is coming up, and mine relies on it. Don’t have Lyle’s? Substitute honey or light corn syrup
An egg, plus an egg yolk: You’ll see this in a lot of my recipes for soft cookies, as the lecithin and fat in the yolk improves texture and adds richness to the flavor.
Corn starch: This is another one to keep in your baking arsenal. A couple of tablespoons added to batter absorbs liquid like flour does, but won’t develop gluten, so the result is a more tender cookie.
Baking time: Okay, so this one is up to you. At 325 degrees F, the oven temperature is lower than typical for cookies. To get them to look and feel like an Entenmann’s cookie, bake for about 10 minutes (ovens vary!). The cookie will be pale on top, but just beginning to get ever-so-slightly golden on the edges. The cookies will be puffed, but will collapse into their gorgeous wrinkly selves shortly after coming out of the oven. Let them sit for 5 minutes on the baking pan before removing them to a cooling rack. The result will be a gooey middle and a soft edge that will remain so for a few days. (I prefer them cooked a few minutes longer until they’re uniformly golden, but to each his own. Please note, thanks to the golden syrup they will brown very quickly. Keep an eye on them! This is not the time to read the indictment.)
Soft, Soft, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
An Entenmann’s copycat recipe
Be prepared: These need to be refrigerated at least 1 hour before baking
Yields about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies
What You’ll Need:
2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (6 ounces,169 grams) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (128 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup (can substitute honey or corn syrup)
1 large egg
l egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 generous cup (about 170 grams) mini chocolate chips
What You’ll Do:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt.
In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, light brown sugar, white sugar and the golden syrup until well-blended. Stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the mixture for at least one hour, but, honestly 8 hours would be better. I understand. Waiting is hard.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes until still pale on top, but just beginning to get ever-so-slightly golden on the edges. See the notes above for baking tips.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool further on a wire rack. Enjoy.
Did you ever peel the icing off the golden fudge cake? What’s your most irresistible store-bought treat?
Bosco had a treat today, too. A complimentary pup cup complete with a dog biscuit on top from Sawyer’s Ice Cream in Saugerties, NY.
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Thank you! BTW, the golden syrup tin is ultra cute, but it comes in a bottle at more plebeian stores like Publix.
We always got Entenmann’s coffee cakes and danishes and such, but upstate, there was only one store-bought chocolate chip cookie for us - Freihoffer’s!