The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies: Exciting New Ways to Enjoy Everyone’s Favorite Dessert, written by Marissa Rothkopf Bates, features a comforting collection of 60 nostalgic and innovative recipes, all inspired by the chocolate chip cookie. A few highlights include Ginger and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle, Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins, and Maple Orange Chocolate Chip Granola. I will also be sharing her recipe for Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
Marissa Rothkopf Bates
Marissa Rothkopf Bates is a professionally trained chef, journalist, and host of The Secret Life of Cookies podcast. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, Food52, the BBC, and Publishers Weekly.
Marissa is currently based in Montclair, New Jersey. This is her debut cookbook.
The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Marissa begins The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies with a short introduction, a few helpful tips to get started, and the origins of the chocolate chip cookie from its creation by Ruth Wakefield to early marketing and rise to fame.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Myth and Mrs. Wakefield; Chunky; Soft and Lush; Thin and Crunchy; Crun-Chewy; Chocolate Chip Celebrations; Blondies, Muffins, Snack Cakes, and More; and Cookies for Breakfast. The contents page has a list of included recipes for easy reference.
The photography is provided by Amy Roth. Every single recipe is paired with a vibrant, full-page photo of the finished treat.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric, though she does recommend measuring ingredients by weight for consistent results. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, yield, helpful tips, and personal memories.
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
To pair with the review, I made Marissa’s recipe for Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies! These soft chocolate chip cookies are packed with ground freeze-dried strawberries for a fun variation of the classic treat.
The dough does require an overnight rest (or up to 2 days for a make-ahead dessert) to develop the flavors, but otherwise comes together relatively easily with mostly pantry staples.
We especially enjoyed the Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies warm from the oven alongside a couple glasses of milk.
A Few Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookie Tips
Marissa mentions she uses a food processor with a metal blade attachment to pulverize the freeze-dried strawberries. I did the same.
There may still be some small pieces of the strawberries that don’t completely turn into a powder. This will add small bursts of a concentrated, tart strawberry flavor to contrast with the chocolate chips.
Another option is to use a blender or clean coffee/spice grinder.
I used 2 cups (340 grams) semisweet chocolate chips. You can swap for milk or white chocolate chips or use a combination of all of the above.
More Chocolate Chip Cookies
We also made Matcha Latte Chip Cookies, Slice-and-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies, Stained Glass Chocolate Chip Cookies, and S’cookies!
Inspired by the Matcha Latte, these Matcha Latte Chip Cookies pair a sweet green tea cookie dough with white chocolate chips. They were such a favorite with the family.
The Slice-and-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies can be found in the Thin and Crunchy chapter. This fun treat brings together the flavor of a chocolate chip cookie and the texture of shortbread. Marissa mentions they would also work well as the base for a sandwich cookie with frosting, jam, or Nutella.
I was immediately drawn to the unique style of the Stained Glass Chocolate Chip Cookies. Marissa states, the “cookie looks like the edible version of a cathedral’s rose window. If you’ve ever had a French tuile, this is the sturdier, more American version.” They are especially exciting to watch in the oven as the round of dough melts down into the crunchy, caramelized stained glass texture.
The S’cookies from the Blondies, Muffins, Snack Cakes, and More chapter blend together the chocolate chip cookie with the flaky texture of a scone. They are such a unique addition to brunch and come together in about 30 minutes.
The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies is a fun and exciting pick for those interested in chocolate chip cookies prepared in a variety of classic and more unique ways. Most of the recipes center around cookies, but there are also a few chocolate chip-inspired muffins, cakes, granola, and other treats. You will even find a handful of vegan options (plus others that can be made vegan with substitutions).
Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store. A few items may require further searching such as oat flour, tahini, ground flax seed, nondairy semisweet chocolate chips maple extract, golden syrup, chickpea flour, hazelnut flour, white miso paste, vegan butter, lemon extract, and nondairy yogurt.
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Excerpt from The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies
Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 13 tablespoons (185 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 ounces (34 grams) freeze-dried strawberries pulverized to a powder
- 3/4 cup (160 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (340 grams) semisweet chocolate chips or a combination of semisweet, milk, and white chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a hand mixer), cream the butter, freeze-dried strawberry powder, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times during mixing to make sure the strawberries don't clump up.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until the eggs have been absorbed.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just blended.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the chocolate chips on low speed until they are evenly distributed.
- Transfer the dough to the refrigerator in a covered container for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
- When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop or roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch (4 centimeter) balls, about 1 ounce (28 grams) each, and leave 2 inches (5 centimeters) between cookies on the baking sheets to allow for spread.
- Bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back once. Cookies should be light golden brown on the sides and crackly on top. If you touch the center of the cookie lightly, you should not be able to leave an imprint.
- Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
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