This is a good idea.
I really love chocolate chip cookies — who doesn’t? I use the recipe from the back of the Nestle Toll House bag, just like my mom does. I like the ratio of brown sugar to white sugar (half and half), I like the good amount of butter, and I honestly like the way the cookies spread in the oven. A couple of years ago the New York Times published a very popular article about the best way to make chocolate chip cookies, and it recommended letting the cookie dough chill in the fridge for a few hours — up to 24 — to give the cookie a more cake-like, puffy texture. Letting the dough rest reduces the spreading and some of the greasiness.
Ok, but I like the spreading, and I like the greasiness — buttery-ness, to put it more nicely (if less grammatically). When I make cookies, I may let the dough rest for a few minutes before scooping and baking, but not that long. I don’t mind a thinner cookie, if it means that I get some nice buttery sweet-and-salty flavor.
What I don’t like are nuts, those crunchy interruptions in the smooth buttery texture of my chocolate chip cookie. I am really selective about where I like nuts, and my choices almost never include baked goods. I can handle the occasional peanut (especially when accompanied by peanut butter), but put a walnut in my brownie or a pecan on top of my hot fudge sundae, and I just won’t touch the stuff.
So when it comes to getting some texture variation into my cookies, my options are limited. I don’t want dry, and I don’t want nutty. However, a little bit of tasty crunch, or a slightly taller cookie, might interest me. Enter Rice Krispies (… or generic rice puff cereal, I used the Aldi kind).
Putting just a cup and a half of rice krispies into my favorite chocolate chip cookies didn’t detract from the buttery texture I love, and it didn’t necessarily introduce a new flavor, but it did add a nice crunch and some body into the cookies without drying them out. Try it!
Rice Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Nestle
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375˚ F
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, both sugars, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in cereal and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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Sounds good, but I still want soft and chewy more than crunch. Nice to have a variation though.