I’m going to go ahead and call myself a hypocrite here.
I know there was a time when I said that a bunch of smaller cookies were better than one or two larger cookies. A couple of you politely disagreed and we moved on with our lives. Until now.
Now I’m going to say you’re right, I was wrong. I can handle it when I say things that prove to be untrue; ain’t no thang. And apparently my grammar ain’t no thang either. So what? I can admit when that’s wrong too.
The other day Nate and I (hold on for this shocker) were craving cookies. I know we were both at the point of eating an entire batch if we didn’t control the amount of dough right off the bat, but every time I make smaller batches of cookies it still yields around 8-12 cookies depending on the size. And bikinis were not made for me to eat 4-12 cookies. Just trust me. It’s better this way.
So I took a chance and pulled out two miniature tart pans (I found mine at Home Goods) with the full intent of using them as our portions. I was a little worried that it wouldn’t turn out, the cookies wouldn’t be as good, or that we’d both say screw it and make more. But you know what? These mini tart pans turned out to be lifesavers! The cookies were crunchy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside and just the right size. You could also use a muffin top pan or just roll two balls of dough and bake them on a classic baking sheet.
The world’s your oyester cookie, kid!
Here’s the thing about the big cookies: you get a big cookie and break it into quarters. Voila! You now have 4 little cookies and the little cookie rule that I said previously now applies. Sure, if we’re getting technical it’s still one big cookie, but it feels like you’re eating more. And tricking myself is my newest thing, so that’s what we’re going to go with.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FOR TWO
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp beaten egg (egg substitute would work as well)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used a combo of chocolate and peanut butter chips)
In a bowl mix together the butter and sugars. I like to melt the butter since it’s such a small quantity to make sure everything mixes well and then just refrigerate it for a little bit to tighten back up. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 hour or so to let the butter solidify again. If using mini tart pans or muffin top pan spray liberally with cooking spray. Break the dough into chunks to fill the space and lightly press down. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. If using a traditional cookie sheet, cut dough in half and roll each one into a ball. Press down lightly on a sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before digging in.
I think I could get used to this one-cookie-a-night thing. Sort of like the apple adage, right? Keeps the doctor away? I think we could be willing to find out!
Oh, nevermind, I just read the comment above!
I can’t wait to make these!! I don’t have butter in the house though…is there any way I could use oil or butter substitute melted?? Thanks!
I love this idea! I have a few cute tart pans in different shapes but I never thought to make cookies in them. FAB idea! Thank you!
I like the way you think! I love this…I wonder could I sub in oil for the butter?
I actually don’t think you could unless the oil solidifies at room/cold temperatures. But it certainly never hurts to try!
Wow, now THAT looks like something I could get used to making. It’s so nice that it’s only 2 because whenever I make a batch I usually end up eating…a lot more… ;).
Thanks for sharing!
Two words—YUM ME!!!!
I love these! I’d be much better off/safer with smaller batches of cookies.
Hiii!!! 🙂
I do small desserts on my blog! I have lots of small dessert recipes. You should check it out 🙂
love this one! Fabulous!
great idea…thanks for sharing. And I love the chip combo.
Hmmmm, I am of two minds here. Sometimes small cookies are great, but one big gooey cookie really can’t be beat!
And when you break a cookie into pieces all of the calories fall out/evaporate/disappear. Right? Right.
Those cookies would only serve one in my house.
What a great idea! I love Homegoods!
I’m so drooling over that thick cookie. Yum!
Great idea!!! I always find myself eating all the dough and half the cookies when i make a full batch
Can’t wait to give this a try, my waistline thanks you 🙂
Love this idea!! I always over bake with cookies so this is the perfect solution 🙂
That’s such a great idea Heather!! It’s so hard for me to stop when I have a freshly baked batch of gooey cookies, but sometimes a girl’s gotta satisfy that sweet tooth 🙂 Definitely gonna try this this weekend.
Cute! Like little cookie/cakes. I’m going to agree with you on your previous statement of many small vs. one big cookie. A lot small ones trick my brain into thinking it’s more than it actually is 🙂
Great idea – so many of my desserts get shipped off to the office to avoid me eating a huge batch of cookies solo. Thanks for a paired-down cookie recipe!
great, great idea. but i would have to hide mine OR eat it right away without giving it any chance to cool. my husband is a cookie monster 🙂
thanks so much for this little cookie recipe! i get into trouble when i try to bake just a few cookies b/c i put the rest of the dough in the freezer for later…but later always comes while i’m waiting for my 2 cookies to bake in the oven! so i end up eating half a roll of cookie dough plus the two cookies that got baked in the oven. oops!
Great idea using the mini tart pans! I never would have thought of it.
I’m willing to try it out too, I could go for a cookie a day!
While I love making a few dozen cookies, this is genius and much much safer! Thanks for scaling down the recipe to the perfect size.