American

Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies From DoubleTree

by:
December 22, 2020
5
3 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Food stylist: Lauren Lapenna. Prop stylist: Sophie Strangio.
  • Prep time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • makes 26 cookies
Author Notes

Did you know this cookie was one of the five most searched recipes in the U.S. in 2020? And according to DoubleTree, 30 million of these babies are typically consumed each year collectively in the hotels. What's more, this was even the first cookie baked in space!

We can totally understand why. Chewy with oats and chopped walnuts, toasty and nuanced with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon, and gently leavened with baking soda and a touch of lemon juice to activate it, it's with good reason that folks are clamoring for the recipe. The hype is well earned.

A few things about this cookie recipe makes it a bit non-traditional, and thus, utterly delicious: The dough doesn't require chilling because we want them to spread out, resulting in the perfect combination of crispy and chewy cookie texture. For portioning, we'll use quite a bit of dough for each cookie (a hefty three tablespoons!), so the bake time on these are also longer than you might expect. Last—and this is the only bad news we'll deliver here—you'll want to wait till these cookies cool fully before digging in, about an hour. Your patience will be duly rewarded.

A cook’s note from DoubleTree: You can freeze the unbaked cookies, and there’s no need to thaw. Preheat oven to 300°F and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is still soft. —Food52

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 2 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chips, or chocolate chunks (DoubleTree recommends Nestle Tollhouse brand here)
  • 1 3/4 cups chopped toasted walnuts
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar for about 2 minutes until noticeably paler in color.
  3. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy in texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  4. With mixer on low speed, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Be careful not to overmix, or the cookie dough will be tough.
  5. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  6. Portion dough with a scoop (about 3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 2 inches apart (you might need to do this in batches, or on multiple sheets).
  7. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies' edges are golden brown and centers are still soft.
  8. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour before enjoying.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • SophieL
    SophieL
  • Joan Summers
    Joan Summers

2 Reviews

Joan S. January 13, 2021
I am thrilled that Hilton/DoubleTree released this recipe during the pandemic. Since I have been stuck at home, It gave me something creative to do. I have made these several times and my family loves them. I usually bake 1/2 the the dough and put the other 1/2 in the freezer. So after the 1st batch is gone and I am hungry for something sweet I head towards the freezer and pull out the frozen cookie log.
 
SophieL December 26, 2020
I've made these several times since Hilton/DoubleTree released the recipe and each batch has been delicious. A couple of times I left out the lemon juice and it was just fine. I make slightly smaller cookies and the yield is more than the recipe says. Then I give them to friends and family who have nostalgic memories of these cookies when they stayed at the DoubleTree (one of the best marketing plans ever!). Great recipe.