Update: Apparently there was an error in the original Rob’s Radical Chocolate Chip cookies recipe. The original recipe had way too much sugar, when the correct amount is actually 1/2 cup. Food Network has since fixed the problem and the recipe works.
Ten minutes before heading out the door for an Easter egg hunt, I whipped up a batch of Rob’s Radical Chocolate Chip cookie dough. I was pretty excited about it because the technique and ingredients were unusual. When we returned from the hunt, I baked up a dozen cookies. They were absolutely gorgeous – a little on the pale side, but handsome nonetheless.
But I threw them out. They were too sweet — off the charts sweet. I tried to like them and kept taking little bites just to make sure I was being a fair judge, but even with the walnuts (which I thought might tame the sugar) they weren’t right.
So something’s up. Rob calls for “Baker’s Sugar” and since he’s from California, where C&H is big, I’m guessing he used theirs. We don’t have C&H Baker’s Sugar in South Texas and Val, who lives in Connecticut, didn’t have any either. You’d think superfine sugar, which is what we used, would have been a good substitute since according to the boxes, both have the same weight per teaspoon. But they must not have the same weight per cup due to rounding issues.
So based on the results I got, I think C&H “Baker’s Sugar” must weigh less per cup than Superfine sugar or granulated sugar (7 ounces). It should be interesting to watch the reviews roll in. Meanwhile, I’m going to try making these with less sugar.
Muffy says
March 23, 2008 at 11:37 pmThe judges thought Rob’s cookies a bit sweet, too! Good to know. Frankly, I think those Oxaca bars sound like they rock and will probably be making them soon.
Anna says
March 23, 2008 at 9:30 pmJust finished watching the show.
Congratulations to Camilla. I thought the bars would win, but her spice cookies stole the show.
As for the chocolate chip cookies, Rob seemed like such a nice person and he obviously put a lot of thought into his recipe. I guess it’s evidence to how sugar tolerances vary. A few of us found the cookies too sweet to eat, but others (including 2 out of 3 judges on the show…Russ Parsons commented on the sweetness) didn’t mind. Mostly, they liked the walnut flavor and texture.
Anna says
March 23, 2008 at 9:17 amMichelle, let me know if you try the Baker’s sugar. People seem to really love it.
Maggi, I just saw that review. I am hesitant to review for some reason. I think I want to see what Rob does on the show tonight….there must be some mistake with the recipe.
Randi, I think it might have to do with the type of cookie sheet I use. I use an insulated cookie sheet lined with a Silpat.
Randi says
March 23, 2008 at 9:05 amYours look nice and puffy. The other pic makes them look very flat. Did you chill the dough first?
Maggi says
March 22, 2008 at 9:16 pmWell, if it any consolation, someone from Michigan rated the recipe on FoodTV.com and also concurred. She found them too sweet as well.
Michelle W. in Calif. says
March 22, 2008 at 7:53 pmI THOUGHT that seemed like an awful lot of sugar! Yeah, we’ve got C&H Baker’s Sugar here, in the grocery store right next to the regular sugar. I’ve never used it though….
Those cookies you made WERE pretty!
Anna says
March 22, 2008 at 4:05 pmSue, I did and they look great! Joe knows how to pick recipes. He takes nice pictures too :).
Angie, mine weren’t flat either. I think they were the perfect thickness. And like you, I used the food processor to pulverize the sugar. People all over the country are going to have to do the same thing because not everyone has access to the special sugar and no doubt, people will want to try the cookies.
Angie says
March 22, 2008 at 4:01 pmI thought the batch I made was yummy but much sweeter than I am used to. I just used regular sugar and tossed it into the food processor to make it a little finer. I was glad that I hadn’t used the milk chocolate because I thought they would have turned out even sweeter than they did. I will not make these again but it was interesting to try something different. Mine came out the same as yours did…they looked magnificent instead of flat. happy Easter to everyone on this fantastic site!!!
Sue says
March 22, 2008 at 3:06 pmI’m glad you won’t have to waste the ingredients making another batch! Too bad they’re so sweet though!
Did you see the molasses sandwich cookies Joe made this week? I think they look good, and different!
Anna says
March 22, 2008 at 2:30 pmThanks for the weights!
Unfortunately, that’s equal to the amount I used –give or take a few grams. The C&H Baker’s Sugar sounds like great stuff, but since I used proportionaly the same amount of sweetener, it means the cookies were just too sweet for my tastes. Oh well.
Joe says
March 22, 2008 at 1:40 pmI use 196 grams per cup when I’m using C&H Bakers Sugar.
Sue says
March 22, 2008 at 1:37 pm1 c. C&H Bakers sugar on my very cheap kitchen scale weighed about 190 grams. The outside of the box says 1 tsp.= 4 grams. If you do the math and there are 16 T in a cup, then there are 48 tsp. and 48 tsp. x 4 grams = 192 grams.
Hope that helps.
BTW, I’ve made superfine sugar in my food processor too, but it never seems quite as fine as the C&H Bakers sugar.
Too bad those cookies were too sweet because they are gorgeous!
Alicia says
March 22, 2008 at 1:37 pmThat’s too bad, they certainly are pretty!