Looking for something sweet to bake this weekend? Check out these copy-cat soft batch cookies! I recently made a batch for my husband's birthday (he's a sucker for Keebler soft-batch cookies), and we were both really impressed with how they turned out.
The recipe comes from Serious Eats and was developed by none other than Stella Parks of the blog Bravetart. This is smarty-pants baker lady behind the incredible macaron-making tips and those insanely clever homemade sprinkles. She has been lending her culinary magic to Serious Eats these past few weeks with a series on childhood classics, remade in our very own kitchens. I couldn't be happier.
But back to these soft batch cookies. They are, quite frankly, brilliant.
I admit that I had my doubts. How could that awesomely fake industrial cookie flavor possibly be re-created at home without industrial-strength fakeness? The answer is with eleven basic pantry staples, plus the optional use of orange gel food coloring for that special "glow."
The flavor is achieved through a combination of melted milk chocolate, powdered milk, and dark corn syrup. The texture is also dependent on those ingredients with the addition of cornstarch, brown sugar, an egg yolk, and oil (instead of butter). I love that Stella stays true to the original and includes only a "stingy dose of chips" with a few held in reserve to decorate the tops. (I used M&Ms for the decoration since this soft batch variation was always my husband's favorite.)
There is one essential step in this recipe that should definitely not be skipped: letting the cookies sit for 24 hours before eating them. It's so hard (trust me), but so worth it. The just-baked cookies taste good, certainly. But also kind of...blah and unexceptional.
Wait those 24 hours and the flavors meld together, the texture softens, and the cookies themselves transform into, oh yes, Keebler-esque soft batch cookies. They are so addictively good.
If you or someone in your house has a similar die-hard love for soft batch cookies as my husband, this is the recipe to make for them. And if not, give Stella's "Better Batches" a try. Those are made with browned butter, a whole vanilla bean, and a dose of Frangelico for a grown-up flavor with that same soft batch texture.
• Read the Article: Make Your Own (Better) Soft Batch Cookies from Serious Eats
• Mock Batches: Soft Batch Cookie Copy Cat Recipe
• Better Batches: Soft Batch Cookie Upgrade Recipe
Related: Homemade Mac and Cheese That Tastes Like Boxed
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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Ok, so the important question here is, WHICH soft batch cookies does this recipe recreate? I grew up completely addicted to soft batch, which were in fact, soft. However, in the past decade or so, every single time i buy them, they are relatively crispy, more like a chips ahoy, and not at all soft like i remember. Ruins it for me.
So, which is it?? :)
These are much more like the soft cookies that you remember. Not a hint of crispiness in sight! I think you'll be very happy with this recipe. :)
There was a brand several years ago (maybe still around?) called "Almost Home." Very soft. They were almost good. I thought they had a fake, under-done quality, but then I'm a fan of a crispy cookie.
Instant vanilla Jello pudding was my secret ingredient for making soft batch cookies. Works every time, plus, you can use different pudding flavours to add to the flavour of the cookie!
This may be one of the most depressing posts I've ever seen - here's how you can make a homemade product that replicates the nastiness of industrial cookies! Powdered milk and corn syrup are key! Remember when everyone recognize how lousy industrial baked good are and were thrilled to get real homemade products? Yeah, it seems a long time ago - before people starting filling their "homemade" cookies with Oreos and butterscotch chips.