Cookies: Youtube Vs. My Grandma

Everybody LOVES chocolate chip cookies; there are tons of variables and preferences in ingredients, proportions, and even
how long they sit. For one thing, cookies could be generational, but easy to make. So, in this review, we will be reviewing two recipes of chocolate chip cookies, one from a YouTube video by Natasha Kravchuck, “Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe- Natasha’s Kitchen”, and another from my great-grandmother’s recipe book. 

We will be reviewing the texture, flavor, durability, recipes, and my experience in making each recipe.

Recipe

Kravchuck and my grandmother’s recipe were in a similar nature, as it is chocolate chip cookies after all. Though the proportions vary, Kravchuck’s proportions in her recipe follows for a smaller portion, while my grandma’s portions are for gatherings or to stand for a longer amount of time. The ingredients’ portions vary for taste and texture as well.

Natasha’s Kitchen	Grandma’s kitchen
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup granulated sugar 1 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams) 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips	1 cup of shortening ½ cups of softened butter 1 ½ cups sugar 1 ½ brown sugar 4 eggs 1 ½ tsp. vanilla 1 ½ tsp. salt 1 ½ tsp. baking soda 5 cups flower 3-4 cups of chocolate chips Bake 375F for 12-14 minutes

Texture and Taste

The texture of Kravchuk’s cookies was thick, crumbly, yet with a cakey center. Crumbling in your mouth as you chew. In contrast, my grandmother’s cookies were small, tough, and chewy little things, yet they melt in your mouth.

I found it easier to eat both the cookies accompanied by milk or water for different reasons. Kravchuk’s cookies filled the mouth and were hard to swallow once they mixed with my saliva, much like the texture of peanut butter, using the milk or water to wash the cookie down. While my grandma’s cookies were dry and hard, accompanying it with milk made it a lot easier to chew and moistened it.

The mixture when making Kravchuk’s cookies was unfortunately a bit uneven, giving each bite a different taste, yet the cookies were still edible and tasted nice. In contrast, my mixing for my grandma’s cookies had justice, evenly done and consistent. It had a more gingerbread-like taste though there was no ginger, according to my mother. The chocolate chips were a bit more consistent and clustered closer together among each of the cookies, possibly due to their smaller, and more compact size.

Durability

The durability of these cookies was surprising. Though Cravchuk’s cookies crumbled even by touch, they didn’t last long… in my family’s stomachs. Yeah, those cookies didn’t last long enough to conduct much experimentation for their durability. But for my grandmother’s cookies, they lasted about a month without getting stale and could handle being put in a Ziploc bag and used as snacks.

Process

The process of Kravchuk’s cookies was simple. Following her instructions that were shown on video was easy enough that even someone who would burn everything to a crisp could turn out with something edible and certainly good. Wait for the butter to turn room temperature, mix it with sugar until smooth, mix in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda and salt. When that’s all good and done, pour it into the main bowl and mix it together and place balls of the dough in a similar size into the pan to create the ultimate form of the cookie.

            Seems simple. Right?

In contrast, my grandmother’s cookies held no instructions behind them. And I, as someone who never touches the kitchen unless it’s to wash dishes or assist in some way in meals, had no clue on what order I needed to mix these cookies. I thankfully had my mother at my side to help me with the order of each ingredient and how long I should bake them.

            We softened the butter first in the microwave, then combined the shortening, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl from the salt, baking soda, flour, and chocolate chips until it was all ready to mix. And that was where the problem started. After about 5 minutes of mixing, I noticed that the mixer was slowing down a bit while also sounding like a piece of machinery being unable to move when it’s supposed to, with a slight creaking sound. Thinking nothing much of it, I kept on mixing, assuming it was because the dough had just gotten thicker. I was correct that the dough had gotten thicker, but I smelled something burning as smoke billowed out of the vents of the mixer. I was unaware that it was from the mixer until I heard a loud pop and immediately shut it off in confusion; my mother came over to check out what happened and turned it on again with that popping sound. I didn’t think that was safe.

Anyways, we used a spatula for the rest of the dough, putting the machine away for the dump, and got 75 cookies in the end once everything was baked and sorted from my grandma’s
batch.

 

What do I think..?

Though it highly depends on your preference for what you want in a cookie. I prefer a tough, yet chewy, flat cookie. While what my grandma’s recipe offers, and my mother prefers the cake-like texture of Kravchuk’s recipe. If you prefer a tough cookie that would melt after you dip it in milk, I would recommend my grandmother’s recipe.