Great American Cookies are the perfect combination of soft-baked goodness and sweet, sugary goodness.
It’s hard not to love the taste of freshly-made cookies that bring a smile to your face.
They are the perfect treat for any occasion: from birthdays to holidays to just a regular day, these cookies are sure to make your mouth water.
You may have also heard them referred to as “America’s favorite cookie”, and it’s hard to disagree with that statement.
The key ingredients in a great American cookie recipe are butter, sugar, and flour.
The first two are an obvious choice, but there is another ingredient that can be overlooked: the third one.
Sugar is the key ingredient in these cookies.
There are sweet and thin varieties, as well as thick & chewy ones.
Although there are many recipes for great American cookies, the common baking time is 20-25 minutes at 350°F.
That’s due to the fact that the cookie recipes should set in the oven for 2 to 4 hours, giving them time to harden.
This is what gives them their signature “once-baked” texture.
There are several types of cookies and other baked goods that are unique to the United States, but when you think about them, they all seem to follow the same basic rules.
Jelly Doughnut
- Jelly doughnuts are a big part of the American cookie tradition. These sweet, sugary treats come in a variety of flavors and shapes, such as jelly doughnuts with chocolate frosting and jelly doughnuts with chocolate icing. They were first introduced in the early 20th century by Italian immigrants in Boston. Today, these sweet treats can be found throughout the United States as well as other countries.
- Biscoff cookies are a favorite at Biscoff Chocolates, which is a European-inspired confectionary company based in Belgium. These crunchy cookies contain plenty of butter and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla.
- This is a truly American classic. The traditional recipe for this cookie is what we know today — but it has evolved over time. This recipe calls for only 8 ingredients: sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, eggs and pecans (in varying proportions) — with pecans being an essential ingredient.
Cheesecake Oreo Cookie
- There are many variations on this classic cookie and they all taste amazing! There’s no cheese in this recipe, but you can use cream cheese or other cheeses such as ricotta or mascarpone instead. This cookie base is topped off with additional Oreo cookies pressed into small mounds and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.
The flour used in great American cookie recipes is all-purpose flour, which is basically a blend of all the other types of flour.
The best way to understand the four basic types of flour is by identifying the color and texture they have. Here are some tips:
- Whole wheat flour: This is the wheat flour with the bran and germ intact. It has a coarse texture and contains more fiber than regular white flour.
- White flour: Basically refined grain, this type of flour is practically without any nutrients. It is produced by refining wheat and removing the bran and germ.
- Whole-wheat pastry flour: This is made from whole-grain wheat or unbleached white wheat. It has a coarse texture, but plenty of nutrients to give it structure.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: In its unrefined form, this type of flour lacks nutrients and fiber. Hence, it is refined to retain nutrients and fiber.
The first step in making a great American cookie recipe is to determine what type of flour you’re going to use.
When it comes to the process of creating a great American cookie recipe, the type of flour you decide to use will have a huge impact on the final flavor and texture of your cookies, so this decision is something that should be carefully considered.
There are three main types of flour used in the creation of great american cookies:
- Flour made from corn (corn flour)
- Flour made from wheat (wheat flour)
- Flour made from soybeans (soy flour)
Corn-based flours are sometimes referred to as “bleached” or “enriched”.
Corn-based flours are made by adding the bleaching agent niacinamide and preservatives such as calcium propionate and sodium ascorbate to white cornmeal.
The addition of these preservatives creates a more consistent product overall, and also prevents spoilage by keeping the dough moist.
Wheat-based flours are often referred to as “unbleached” or “whole-grain”.
White wheat flour is milled into white flour, which is then mixed with colored wheat gluten, bran and other binder agents in order to create whole-grain breads.
While it’s true that whole grain wheat flours contain more naturally occurring minerals than those found in the “refined” white flours, the difference is not enough to make a noticeable difference in taste or nutritional value.
American cookies are a great way to satisfy your sweet cravings without worrying about excessive calories or fat content.
This recipe is gluten free and vegan, therefore most of the ingredients will be suitable for vegetarians.
However, if you have allergies or food restrictions, then it’s best to check with a dietician or nutritionist before making substitutions.
When baking cookies, there are a few techniques that you can use to achieve the perfect flavor.
Let’s take a look at them.
a. Custard:
The most basic technique for getting great baked goods is a combination of a large amount of butter, egg and sugar that is heated until the mixture reaches a full-on custard state.
b. Creaming:
This is when your cookie dough is stirred in one direction after it out of the mixer, and you allow it to return to its original state before continuing to add ingredients.
c. Folding:
It’s when your dough is folded over itself a few times before adding additional ingredients.
The trick to baking a great American cookie recipe is using the right ingredients.
It’s also to bake them at the right temperature, and make sure that they are rolled into balls instead of cutters.
The procedure starts with mixing the dough together.
The ingredients you need can be found in your pantry or fridge.
You will need butter (or margarine), sugars, eggs, flour, and vanilla extract.
Eggs should be room temperature, so if you are in a hurry, either take your eggs out of the fridge or use an egg-tempering device to get it to room temperature in minutes.
After taking the eggs out of the fridge, let them sit out for 30 minutes so they warm up to room temperature.
Making sure that all these ingredients are kept at room temperature is crucial.
If they’re chilled, everything gets clumpy and won’t mix properly.
Here’s what you do next:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) while you prepare the egg mixture.
- In a large bowl or mixer bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they become stiff peaks. This may take 10 minutes or so.
- When the egg whites are done being beaten on high speed, add in 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar at a time until you have a stiff white meringue that is light in color and forms soft peaks. Add more sugar if needed.
- In another large bowl or mixer bowl, beat the butter and remaining sugar on medium speed until it is well combined. Once it is well combined, add in the egg mixture.
- Combine all your ingredients together until you have a nice smooth and even dough.
Great American Cookies should be in a cookie sheet, or if you are baking them in a cake pan then they should be arranged in rows rather than in a grid.
This is to allow for maximum air circulation and make sure the cookies don’t stick together.
This also prevents any moisture from getting trapped inside which can result in them sticking together after cooling.
If you are going to serve Great American Cookies with ice-cream, milk or some other type of beverage, then you should let it sit out for about an hour or so before eating them.
This allows the cookie crumbs to absorb some of the liquid, so that it is not too soggy or sticky when eaten.
Equipment
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Butter should be microwave-melted and then allowed to cool in the refrigerator. I advise allowing it to cool for ten to fifteen minutes.
- Set your oven's temperature to 350.In a sizable mixing basin, add the dry ingredients, and then whisk thoroughly with a big spoon.
- Add the butter and vanilla (make sure it has cooled in the fridge or the cookies will turn out way too thin).Add the egg, and then blend well with a hand mixer for a further two minutes. Avoid overmixing.
- Use a big spoon to incorporate the chocolate chunks.Measure out the dough with a medium cookie scoop (approximately 1 1/2 tbsp).Roll into tall, cylinder-shaped balls as opposed to rounds. They will circle up as they bake.
- Keep in mind that the cookies will spread somewhat when you place the dough on the baking pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
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Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.