How do they crumble? Sizing up some local cookiesDate: 8/7/2020 It is the essential American cookie – a ubiquitous presence in American cuisine. And chocolate chip cookies deservedly have their own day of recognition.
That day, according to the National Day calendar, is Aug. 4. It is a day of making and eating chocolate chip cookies.
For the staff of Reminder Publishing, it is another excuse to celebrate food by highlighting local sources, in this case, some of the locally owned bakeries that routinely make this treat.
According to Jon Michaud, writing in The New Yorker, chocolate chip cookies started out with a more proper name, signaling their origins: Toll House Cookies, coming from the Toll House Restaurant in Whitman.
Yes, the chocolate chip cookie is a Massachusetts invention.
Michaud wrote, "The recipe, which has been tweaked over the ensuing decades, made its first appearance in print in the 1938 edition of Wakefield's "Tried and True" cookbook. Created as an accompaniment to ice cream, the chocolate-chip cookie quickly became so celebrated that Marjorie Husted (a.k.a. Betty Crocker) featured it on her radio program. On March 20, 1939, Wakefield gave Nestl?e the right to use her cookie recipe and the Toll House name. In a bargain that rivals Peter Minuit's purchase of Manhattan, the price was a dollar – a dollar that Wakefield later said she never received (though she was reportedly given free chocolate for life and was also paid by Nestle? for work as a consultant).
Nestle included the recipe for Toll House Cookies on the package of its semi-sweet chips. I know my mom, like millions of others, followed that recipe.
While mass produced cookies are acceptable, there is nothing like a small batch cookie and that's what local bakers do.
Because of COVID-19, we could not gather as a group and evaluate the merits of all of the cookies assembled, as we have done with other local offerings. We urge you to celebrate National Chocolate Cookie day by either making your own cookies or keep the kitchen cool by going to one of the following bakeries.
From the National Day website:
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions: Preheat oven to 375¡. In a medium bowl, combine butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients. Gradually add to the wet ingredients. Incorporate the chocolate chips. Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Our picks
The Apple Place
540 Somers Road,
East Longmeadow
theappleplace.net
East Longmeadow's The Apple Place has long stood as a favorite for locals to chow down on delicious homemade ice cream varieties, to pick up a scrumptious pie around the holidays or to pick apples or frolick in a corn maze in the fall. When I think of the Apple Place, I'm reminded of the fantastic pumpkin pie The Reminder staff ate from there last fall.
What local readers may not realize, though, is how many baked goods The Apple Place offers on a daily basis – including an impressive variety of cookies.
As I stepped up to the counter at The Apple Place around 9 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, I was pleased to see several people pulling in and out of the eatery's stand to order coffee and more. When I approached the counter, I saw at least six different cookies available for my selection along with countless other baked goods. Keeping with our plain chocolate chip cookie theme – I selected two chocolate chip cookies. One of the cookies, however, was The Apple PlaceÕs gluten free chocolate chip, whereas the other was a normal chocolate chip cookie.
I recruited my mother to dine on cookies for breakfast, as I wanted someone else's opinion aside from my own on these scrumptious morsels.
First, we dove into the gluten free cookie. Upon first glance, we noticed that the gluten free cookie is the size of what we would classify as "normal cookie size." Sizeable enough to get about four bites out of it, but nothing too big. We also noticed that the cookie was incredibly soft – so much so that by looking at it I thought it might be undercooked (it wasn't, it was just deliciously soft.)
My mom said that eating the gluten free chocolate chip cookie reminded her of eating cookie dough – it tasted doughy, but it was fully cooked. We both agreed that if we didn't know the cookie was gluten free, we wouldn't have thought it was. Often gluten-free goodies tend to overcompensate in sweetness, but we were happy to find this wasn't the case.
When it came to The Apple Place's regular chocolate chip cookie, we were not disappointed. It was much larger in size and darkercolor than the gluten-free cookie. To the touch, the cookie gave off the impression that it might be hard. This was not the case – on first bite, we both instantly noticed how deceptivley soft the cookie was.
The first word that came to both my mom's mind and my mind with the regular chocolate chip cookie was "traditional." It tasted like grandma's chocolate chip cookies, except without chips – The Apple Place used chunks. The chunks were evenly spread throughout the cookie, and I didn't have one bite without a delicious, large chunk of chocolate. With that said – either bring your appetite or someone to split the cookie with when you dig in – it was easily the size of my hand!
Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters
60 Shaker Road,
East Longmeadow
shelburnefallscoffee.com
Prior to heading over to Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters, I perused their menu online. I quickly learned that if I downloaded the store's app, I could order ahead on the app and pay ahead, and then upon arrival, I could pick up my order from their newly created pickup window. This was a plus in my book – as I know this business is usually incredibly busy in the morning, and I don't love waiting in line for too long with a bunch of people.
When I arrived at Shelburne Falls, unfortunately they didn't have any chocolate chip cookies. With that said, they offered me triple chocolate instead. Who am I to refuse?
While it doesn't follow all of our traditional chocolate chip cookie comparisons, there were chocolate chips in the chocolate batter, and it was halfÐdipped in chocolate, so it kind of counts right?
The cookie was beautiful – it was thick, large, and had a high–rise to it. On the chocolate dipped portion of the cookie, there were rainbow sprinkles which added a fun touch.
With triple chocolateÐstyle cookies, I always get a little nervous, as three times the chocolate can be too sweet. I was happily surprised, though – my mother and I both agreed that though the cookie could have been dangerously sweet, it shocked us by being more tame. The batter was a dark, not bitter chocolate. There chocolate chips within the cookie were still melty despite eating the cookie at least four hours after I purchased it.
The cookie was soft to bite, and even softer on the inside. While we both expected the chocolate dipped portion of the cookie to be harder, it was also shockingly soft and easy to munch into. We both noted the most mild and nearly not detectable taste of licorice or star anise that was pleasant and welcome.
Payton North
Koffee Kup
1293 Liberty St.
Springfield Plaza
https://koffeekupbakery413.com
Koffee Kup is a Springfield icon when to comes to bakeries. My mom bought me birthday cakes from it more than 60 years ago. It has made news regularly when Gov. Charlie Baker fell in love with the bakery's Boston Cream Cupcakes.
Their chocolate chip cookie measures more the five inches in diameter and is loaded with chips. It's clearly made for sharing or multiple snacking opportunities.
In general, cookies either have a crisp texture or soft and chewier. The original Toll House recipe produced a crispier cookie.
This cookie is crisp, but not overly. It has a very satisfying texture for someone who grew up with crisp cookies. Give one to a little kid; they will be occupied for hours!
Granny's Baking Table
308 Bridge St.
https://www.grannysbakingtable.com/
Springfield's newest bakery produces a wide variety of baked goods, as well as offer up delicious sandwiches.
The type of cookie offered is rotated, so chocolate chip is not always offered. My suggestion is to call co-owner Sonya Yelder and ask. Everything there is baked fresh from scratch.
A bite into her cookies reveals a great butter flavor, along with plenty of chips. Texture wise, it straddled the fence, a nice crisps finish outside and a chewy inside.
Generally, The Reminder news staff has learned you cannot go wrong with anything from this bakery.
Russo Bakery
739 Enfield St. (U.S. Route 5)
Enfield, CT
http://www.russosbakeryct.com/
This Italian bakery seems to have about a hundred Italian cookie varieties or so it seemed. The showcase dazzled me, as did the one with many cannoli variations. I didn't have time to count, but the bakery's website lists 21 different cannoli!
I really didn't expect to find something as common as a chocolate chip cookie, but there was a whole display of standard American cookies as well.
Their chocolate chip cookies aren't as big as Koffee Kup, but they are substantial and didn't skimp on the chips. Texture wise, there is a crisp to it that satisfying.
Clearly we are have to go back there as a staff for the cannolis – research purposes only!
Bob's Bakery
218 Exchange St. , Chicopee
592-9416
Bob's Bakery is well known in the region for its Polish baked goods. People literally travel from all over New England and New York for their breads and pastries.
In this humble fat man's opinion, Bob's makes the best donuts in the area and I didn't expect their chocolate chip cookies to be anything less than stellar.
I'm happy to report their chocolate chip cookies were excellent. I think in many ways they came up to my mom's cookies in color – light brown – texture – crisp and chewy – and taste.
So, the nostalgia from my youth certainly colored my opinion of them, but I think you will find them delicious as well.
G. Michael Dobbs
Hot Oven Cookies
1597 Main St., Springfield
www.hotovencookies.com
I am a self-proclaimed dessert lover. Often if I'm not wanting to eat an entire meal, I will just order dessert if we go out, so when a comparison of cookies was suggested I was all in. My first stop was Hot Oven Cookies on 1597 Main St. in Springfield.
Hot Oven Cookies have been a favorite of mine since they were just a food truck I saw from time to time in Holyoke. Now with a storefront they've become my favorite spot to go if I have a spur of the moment sweet craving. The only downside is theyÕre everyone else's go–to cookie spot as well.
The day I went I was devastated to see their cookie case nearly empty when I walked through the door. The owner, Sheila Coon, told me they'd been incredibly busy all day and people had ordered multiples of several flavors as they'd stopped in. All was not lost though, as I was able to try their take and bake dough of their weekly staple: dark chocolate and sea salt chip.
The container is supposed to make about six large Hot Oven Cookie-sized cookies and between 10-12 normal sized cookies Coon told me. I only got seven out of the container, but I'm not the most consistent cookie scooper there is. The cookies were really easy to make, I just popped my oven on convection mode and they baked in under 10 minutes. Coon told me the trick to making perfect Hot Oven style cookies without a convection setting is to simply use two cookie sheets stacked instead of one.
The cookies were incredibly tasty- with gooey chocolate chips and a hint of salt they were what I needed. They had the perfect amount of crisp to gooey ratio too. One thing that stood out to me was that the chocolate was evenly distributed throughout the dough and stayed that way when scooped onto the tray. When cooked the cookies had a perfect amount of chocolate chunk in every bite. The dough also maintained it's buttery, sweet taste you find in Hot Oven Cookies.
However, despite how delicious they were, they just didn't taste the same as when I bought them fresh at the store. That being said, it was a fun experience to have a taste of Hot Oven Cookies in my own house and they're great to bring with you if you're traveling. I plan to bring some when I visit friends in a couple weeks. It's also a convenient way to have quality cookie dough at arm's reach when you've had a bad day (we've all been there). It'd also be great to use in sundaes, milkshakes or even if you're making brookies and don't want to make your own cookie dough.
Again- the dough was delicious, I'd get it again and again, and there are unending uses for a quality cookie dough (at least in my house). However, in my opinion nothing beats stopping in the Hot Oven Cookie store front, grabbing a cookie and chatting with Coon. I wholeheartedly think it's the experience and Coon's passion about quality cookies that makes them taste so good, which is something you cannot replicate at home no matter how hard you try.
Hot Oven Cookies is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Each week they have four staple flavors (guava cheesecake, conquito snickerdoodle, boozy cake batter sugar and dark chocolate and sea salt chip) and three to four new flavors. You can call head to check the status of available cookies at 880-4099.
Auntie Cathie's Kitchen
159 Main St, Agawam
https://www.auntiecathies.com/
I could smell the goodies coming from Auntie Cathie's Kitchen as soon as you walk in the door to the building, even through my mask. I called ahead to make sure they had cookies, and was in luck when I got there, there were still two chocolate chip almond cookies left.
The cookies were slightly darker in color than any of the other cookies. They had a nutty flavor, which probably came from the almonds, but didn't overwhelm or take away from the traditional chocolate chip cookie flavor. Typically, I'm not a fan of any nuts in a chocolate chip cookie (why fix what isn't broken, right?) however, I really enjoyed the scatterings of almonds that were baked into the cookies. There weren't too many, but just enough to add flavor and texture.
The cookie's texture was hands down one of the best I've ever had. If I had to I'd compare it to an M&M, it had a crispy shell, but a gooey, soft inside. It was great and helped ensure the cookie stayed moist. One other addition to the texture I appreciated was the sprinkling of sugar on top. It reminded me of the molasses cookies I ate growing up.
Auntie Cathie's cookies were another that impressed me with the sheer size. They're definitely bigger than your typical cookie, but in the best way possible. Another thing I appreciated about Auntie Cathie's is all the desserts are gluten free. I know many people that need to or simply feel better when following a gluten free diet. I also know it's difficult to find quality gluten-free desserts that are also delicious, Auntie Cathie's offers both. She also offers dairy free and vegan desserts upon request.
Nina's Cookies
541 Springfield St.,
Agawam
http://www.ninascookies.com/
My last stop of the day was Nina's Cookies in Agawam. I had never heard of Nina's prior to my visit, but will most certainly be visiting again.
Nina's has the most beautiful pastries and cookies you could imagine. The sugar cookies in the store were artfully decorated to resemble animals such as cows and dogs.They were truly works of tiny edible art. The store also sells cakes, cupcakes, scones, biscotti and other assorted pastries.
While all the cookies I tried were delicious, Nina's cookies may have been my favorite simply because they reminded me of the cookies I used to make with my grandma. While they were the smallest of cookies that I tried, they packed a delicious, buttery flavor that was balanced by the sweetness of the chocolate.
I called them deceptively chocolatey. Looking at the cookies, you wouldn't expect them to be really chocolatey, however, when I bit into it I was met with a mouth full of gooey chocolate. It wasn't overwhelming, though, and the dough was a perfect balance. The texture was also spot on. The outside of the cookie offered a slight crunch, but the inside was soft and moist - the trademark of a homemade cookie baked with love.
My husband, who came on my cookie tasting adventure, compared the cookies to those he often ate from the diner his mom used to work at. Like they had for me, the cookies reminded him of his childhood.
Because they were slightly smaller, I regretted just buying one cookie and was tempted to go back for another. If you're trying to fix a cookie craving, you'll definitely want to buy multiple cookies. Nina's can be reached at 304-2075.
Danielle Eaton
The Village Store Cafe,
462 Main St., Wilbraham
https://villagestorecafe.com/
The Village Store Cafe offers few varieties of cookies among the plethora of baked goods in their glass cases. While they did not have a pure chocolate chip cookie on the menu, they did have a chocolate chip and M&M cookie.
Despite my goal of staying true to the essence of chocolate cookies, I decided chocolate is chocolate, and as an M&M fan, I canÕt say I was disappointed.
At about 3 inches across, this was a good-sized cookie. The Village Cafe wraps their cookies in cellophane to keep them fresh. The scent of cookie is always a happy one and I was excitedly anticipating my first bite.
The cookie itself was halfway between soft and chewy and crisp when biting into it. The chocolate chips are deliciously melty in your mouth. The M&Ms made the cookie colorful, and added a crunchy texture.
At $2.99 for one cookie, I felt the price was a little high, but not too much. Overall, the experience is exactly what I expected at a quaint, local, small-town cafe.
Theme Cakes by Joelene
2341 Boston Rd., Wilbraham279-2253 (CAKE)
Don't let the name fool you. Theme Cakes by Joelene in the Wilbraham Shops has much more than cakes. There is a whole case of cookies and brownies. I had my choice of chocolate chip cookies, which were the size of a sand dollar and loaded with tiny bits of chocolate. Then, there was the Òchocolate chunkÓ cookies, 3 inches wide with massive pieces of chocolate. While IÕm sure both were delicious, I'm no fool. I went for the chunks.
The chocolate chunk cookie looked like it came from a commercial. That perfect light brown color and pieces of chocolate heaped on top. The aroma was that classic, grandma's-oven, fresh-baked cookie smell.
The cookie was crispy on the edges but then soft and chewy. The chunks weren't just on top of the cookie, but mixed throughout. Not overly sweet, the cookie lets the chocolate do the talking.
At $2 per cookie, the price was worth every bite. One chocolate chunk cookie is enough for even the biggest sweet tooth.
Sarah Heinonen
Small Oven Bakery
36 Union St. Easthampton
https://smallovenbakes.com/
Small Oven Bakery has quickly found its way into The Reminder staff's hearts with their bread and sandwiches, and their chocolate chip cookie only enhanced the affection with the small bakery in the heart of Easthampton's center.
When you get a Small Oven's chocolate chip cookie, make sure you bring your appetite or a friend. Not only are these cookies sizable in diameter, but are also hearty and thick.
The cookie was a delightful mix of crispy crunch on the outside and soft inside. The cookie itself had a pleasant sweetness to it, almost like a molasses. Traditional small chocolate chips were plentiful throughout, ensuring that every bite had a healthy helping of chocolate.
Small Table is currently not accepting customers into the bakery. Instead, they are accepting orders in advance at https://smallovenbakery.square.site/. Patrons can walk up to the door for service or request a curbside pickup.
Outlook Farm Barn & Eatery
136 Main Rd.,Westhampton
www.outlookfarm.com
Outlook Farm is one of those places that has a little bit of everything produce, deli, a butcher shop, even a brewery and winery and, you guessed it, a bakery.
Outlook's bakery counter was filled with the traditional varieties of cookie and a few unusual varieties as well. While I wanted to give some of the others a try, the mission was chocolate chip, so I made a note to go back soon for some more cookies.
Taking up the better part of a dinner plate, Outlook's cookie was pleasantly soft, light and buttery. It also pulled apart easily for sharing with an anxious 2-year-old. This cookie was also by far the gooiest with copious amounts of melty chocolate - and it hadn't even been warmed.
Outlook Farm Barn & Eatery is open to the public, including indoor dining seating.
Bashista Orchards
160 East St., Southampton
www.gotcider.net
Long a destination spot for apples, peaches, and plums as well as cider and cider donuts, Bashista Orchard and its bakery also make a variety of items from breads to pies and, yes, cookies.
Bashista Orchards' cookies upon first glance most represent the kind of cookies you'd make in your kitchen at home, at least in terms of size. Measuring about 2 1/2 inches across and about a half inch thick, these cookies are sold in packs of two. While they may not have the gargantuan size of those found at some other local bakeries, the cookies make up for it in the size of its chocolate chunks. It is literally impossible to take a bite of the soft but firm baked goods without sinking your teeth into a sizable piece of chocolate. These perfectly snack-sized cookies don't disappoint.
Bashista Orchards is open to the public.
Chris Maza
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