Conference turris::cooks

    Hi June,
    
    This originated in the notes file CHOCOLATE.  It is not the authentic
    recipe but it is a very good one.
    
    I modified the recipe a little.  Besides the butter, I added approx.
    a 1/2c. of Butter-Flavored Crisco.  I used 1 c. of sugar and 2/3
    c. of Fructose.
    
    They were very moist and chewy.
    
    

    Thanks Lynn!  Did you use the 1c sugar and 2/3 Fructose in place
    of the 2 cups sugar?  Or was that your total sugar (incl. brown??)
    Is this using all the ingredients or is this with the ingredients
    cut in half?

    I used it in place of the 2 cups of white sugar and that was using
    all the other ingredients (full recipe).
    
    I have since read in the notes file CHOCOLATE that the recipe is
    authentic.  I don't know who to believe but the cookies are very
    good anyways.
    
    

        Circulating cookie recipe is a fake, says Mrs. Fields

Daniel P.  Puzo
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES -- What appeared at first to be the work of a dissatisfied
baking buff has become a cookie caper of potentially damaging
proportions for one of the more successful food franchise companies in
the United States.

A leaflet of unknown origin has been distributed in chain-letter
fashion throughout the country during the past several months claiming
to reveal the Mrs.  Fields chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The formula
provided on the single sheet of paper purports to duplicate the one
used for the premium treats sold by the more than 375 Mrs.  Fields
outlets around the nation.

Not only did the flier provide the recipe, but it also claimed that
the information was being offered to all interested parties because an
anonymous consumer had been grossly overcharged by the Park City,
Utah, company.

There are several variations to the memo, but one of the more common
versions states that, "A woman who works with the American Bar
Association called Mrs.  Field's cookies and asked for the attached
recipe.  She assumed [the cost] was $2.50 and she charged it to her
Visa.  Its was not $2.50 but $250."

The flier goes on to state the because of the substantially inflated
price the recipe is being distributed free in retaliation.

Since its inception, the mystery flier has made the rounds of cookie
circles across America, been printed in more than a dozen newspapers
and even distributed to prospective home buyers by real estate agents.

It turns out that the recipe is only an imitation of the Mrs.  Fields
cookie and did not originate with the company.  In fact, the process
is a proprietary secret and, as such is protected by US trade laws.
Furthermore, Mrs.  Fields does not accepts credit cards, nor does it
sell recipes.

An executive of the cookie company is not amused by the long-lived
memo and has unsuccessfully attempted to track down the perpetrator of
the ruse.  At one point, a woman in Texas was offered $1000 to product
the receipt that purportedly had been given at the time of the
recipe's purchase.  The woman declined to produce the voucher.

In the meantime, signs have been posted in all Mrs.  Fields stores and
a disclaimer added to all the company's packaging denying any link to
the bogus recipe.

"It is not our recipe," said Randy Fields, the company's executive
vice president and spouse of the founder, Debbi Fields.  "That recipe
isn't even close.  We have made it and it's not a good cookie."

However, others who have prepared the mystery formula claim that the
cookies are quite enjoyable and found a similarity to the commercial
product.

Fields says that it is virtually impossible to duplicate his company's
cookie even if the recipe was disclosed.  Consumers would be unable to
obtain the commercial ingredients used by the company and do not have
the equipment necessary for the product.

"Virtually every one of our ingredients is specially formulated to our
specifications." Fields said.  "Even if you tried to buy them from our
suppliers you couldn't, and we won't reveal their names."

    Woman's Day magazine assigned their kitchen experts to come up with
    copycat recipes for Mrs. Fields and David's Cookies.  I've only
    tried one of the recipes, but I must admit it was very close to
    Mrs. Fields.  It makes a thick, soft, chewy cookie with the HUGE
    chunks of chocolate I love so much.
    
    There's a caviat in the article:  buy only top-quality dark Swiss
    chocolate bars, such as Lindt or Tobler's.  I used Lindt, and could
    definitely taste the difference between that and my usual Nestle's
    Toll House Morsels.  I also broke up the nuts by hand, so I'd end
    up with real big pieces.
    
    They also recommend using a 2-tablespoon ice cream scoop to drop
    the dough.  I did, and it was perfect -- and much quicker than using
    a spoon!

        		Chocolate-Chunk Pecan Cookies

    2/3 cup butter or margarine (10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons), at
    	room temperature
    2/3 cup granulated sugar
    1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
    1 large egg
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    3 bars (3 ounces each) Swiss dark chocolate, chopped in 1/2 inch
    	pieces
    2/3 cup (3 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans
    
    Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease two 17x14 inch cookie
    sheets.  In large bowl of electric mixer beat butter, sugars, egg,
    and vanilla at medium-high speed until fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed
    to low, add flour, increase mixer speed gradually and beat just
    until blended.  Stir in chocolate and pecans.  Drop heaping tablespoons
    dough 2-1/2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.  Bake 1 sheet
    at a time 17 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned
    and tops look dry.  Cool on sheet on wire rack 5 minutes.  Remove
    to rack to cool completely.  Makes 22 cookies (2 pounds).    

    I've tried a few of these recipes too and they are all very good.
    If you look at all of them you'll notice that all the cookies are
    the same base recipe with things such as coconut, oatmeal or baking
    chocolate added to give the different flavors plus the nuts and
    chocolate chunks. One thing I found unusual was that none of the
    recipes has any leavening (e.g. salt, baking powder, etc.) just
    flour and butter. This may account for the different texture always
    associated with Mrs. F's and David's cookies that is so hard to
    reproduce.
    

    This isn't a "Mrs. Field's" recipe, just a chocolate chip cookie recipe
    that sounds great (I haven't tried it yet myself).  It's from the April
    1989 issue of Cruise Travel magazine, of all places.  Apparently, these
    cookies are given to passengers on the Yorktown Clipper (a luxury yacht).

								-- Nina

			CLIPPER CHOCOLATE CHIPPER

		1 cup dark brown sugar
		1 cup granulated sugar
		2 cups butter
		1-1/2 tbsp baking soda
		1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur
		1/4 cup Tia Maria liqueur
		1 tbsp salt
		4 eggs
		5 cups all-purpose flour
		2 lbs chocolate chips
		4 oz pecans (chopped)
		4 oz walnuts (chopped)

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
	Cream together sugars, butter, baking soda, and salt until light and
	creamy.
	While creaming, add eggs and liqueurs a little at a time until well
	blended.
	Add flour, chocolate chips, and nuts; mix until well blended.
	Place on greased cookie-sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees until
	golden brown [sorry, no time is given; probably on a par with other
	similar recipes].
	Makes approximately four-dozen two-ounce cookies.
	

    I just came across an article in the Ft Lauderdale Sun newspaper about
    Mrs. Fields Famouse Cookies.
    
    According to this article, the recipe is a tightly guarded secret and
    has never been published.
    
    The article does give two recipes that come close along with tips to
    get more body in the cookie.
    
    -	KEEP THE BUTTER FAIRLY COLD.  IF IT GETS TOO WARM OR IF ITS
        OVERWORKED IT BREAKS DOWN.  CHILLING DOUGH BETWEEN BATCHES
        ALSO IS HELPFUL
    
    -	USE SLIGHTLY LESS SUGAR IN THE RECIPE.  THIS DECREASES SPREADING
    
    -	DONT GREASE THE BAKING SHEETS UNLESS DIRECTED IN THE RECIPE. 
        ALLOW BAKING SHEETS TO COOL BETWEEN BATCHES.
    
    I'll post the cookie recipes in the next note.  They are quite lenghty.
    

    Continued from previouse note....
    
    According to Mrs. Field company, Debbi Fields prepares a recipe in her
    own kitchen with her children.  It's a basic Toll-House recipe but the
    method of preparation results in a very tasty cookie with great body.
    
             DEBBI'S ALL-AMERICAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
    
    2 1/4 C. bleached all-purpose flour
    1 tsp.   baking soda
    1/4 tsp. sale
    1 C.     packed light brown sugar
    1/2 C.   granulated sugar
    1 C.     butter (2 sticks) DO NOT SOFTEN
    2        large eggs
    2 tsp.   vanilla extract
    1        (12 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
    1 C.     chopped walnuts
    
    Preheat over to 300 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking
    soda and salt.  Using a wire whisk, mix dry ingredients thoroughly; set
    aside.  In large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine sugars on
    medium speed until blended to a uniform color.  Add butter in 1 inch
    chunks and mix at low speed until butter is broken up.  Mix at medium
    speed until creamed.  (Do not overbeat or butter will break down.  Add
    eggs and vanilla; mix at medium speed until well blended.
    
    Add dry ingredients; mix on low speed until batter has formed with a
    light dusting of unblended flour.  Add chocolate chips and walnuts; mix
    by hand with a wooden spoon until blended.  Drop dough by heaping
    tablespoonbuls onto ungreased baking sheet, spacing about 2 1/2 inches
    apart.  Bake in preheated over for 17-22 minutes or until tinged with
    brown.  Do not overbake.  Reverse baking sheets from front to back
    halfway through baking to ensure even browning.  With a metal spatula,
    transfer from hot baking sheet to cool surface to cool.  Allow baking
    sheets to cool between batches and wipe them clean.  Makes about 2
    dozen large cookies.
    
    
    Enjoy!

    Well, this recipe is different from all the other "alleged" Mrs.
    Fields/Neiman-Marcus recipes. No "powderized" oatmeal for example. From
    the opeing paragraph, it sounds like this is what Debbi Fields makes
    for her kids, not necessarily what you buy in her stores. Sounds like a
    decent recipe. I might give it a try.
    
    Debbie
    

Has anyone seen the Mrs. Field's Semi-Sweet morsels in the stores yet?  I've
been noticing ads in several magazines, but have not found them for sale in
the stores in my area.  FYI, one ad specified that they are available by mail
order by writing to Mrs. Fields Baking Chocolate Chips, P.O. Box 168, Milwaukee, WI
53201, and are also available in *some* stores.

If anyone has already tried them, please let us all know how they are!

The following version of the story just floated across rec.food.recipes.
I believe it predates the version given in this note.

"Translated from the Undiscovered Scrolls of Xeroxites the Pedantic"
(DATED June 31, 1512 B.C.)

THE 250 SILVER PIECE HONEYCAKE RECIPE - OR THE INCAUTIOUS TRAVELER
==================================================================

A good Greek citizen, when travelling among the savages, happened on a
seller of "Ephesian Fields"honey cakes. The traveller, being sore of
foot and hungering greatly, begged the purchase of the sellers cake. The
seller proffered the cake to the Good Traveller and the Traveller ate
it, marvelling at its sweetness and density.  Upon completing his
repast, he remarked again at the goodness of the vendor's product and
requested as to its making.

Responded the seller, "For a mere 250, I will give thee the secret of
its making."

Thinking that the Seller meant 2 and 50 copper pieces, the Incautious
Traveller held forth his purse and requested the the vendor extract his
fee - as the Unwary Traveller's hands were covered with honey. The
seller told the traveller that he would place within his purse the guide
to making of the honeycake.

The Traveller walked until he got to a stream, where upon he washed his
hands and opened his purse. To his dismay, he found that the seller had
taken 250 SILVER PIECES!

Not wishing to be thought a FOOL, he told everyone far and wide of the
deviousness of the seller and the method of making the of

250 SILVER PIECE HONEYCAKE... A story never to be forgotten.

    :-))  :-))

    Can the batter be frozen for future use?  If so, how long?
    
    

    Not sure about freezing the batter but I have been successful with
    freezing the cookies and thawing at a later date.  They are good but
    not as good as fresh out of the oven, same day cookies....

    Grocery stores sell frozen cookie dough, and I've seen several recipes
    that give you the option of freezing the dough for later use.  The
    recipes don't seem to have any special ingredients or preparation to do
    in order to freeze them.

I've frozen chocolate chip cookie dough without any problems.  I froze it
in cookie-size balls, so I could bake whatever number of cookies I wanted,
or even snack on the raw cookie dough :-)

--Sharon

    Mrs. Field's cookies are baked from frozen dough.  (The batter is 
    made at some regional place and shipped frozen to your local outlet
    where they are baked and sold "fresh".)
    
    

    As to how long you can freeze it, the most sensitive ingredient is the
    egg.  Whatever guidelines you follow for freezing other raw egg recipes
    (recommendations anyone?) would apply to your cookie dough.
    
    Remember to wrap it very well to prevent drying.
    
    L
    

    re: .0
    
    I made these this weekend. They got RAVE reviews. My only comment would
    be: make sure you have a VERY large bowl! I have a fairly large one,
    but could certainly have used one step larger.
    
    I made 'golf-ball' size balls and got 6.5 dozen out of it. 
    
    (I froze 3 dozen "balls". Only have to pluck them out of the freezer
    and pop them in the toaster oven when we want a few!)
    
    ~beth

    I am looking for the choc chip
    recipe that has 5 cups oatmeal.
    The oatmeal is put into a blender
    and comes out like flour.Makes 100
    Thanks,Brenda

re: freezing dough

I freeze chocolate chip cookie dough all the time.  For as long as 4-6 weeks.
If it is rolled in wax paper, it doesnt take up as much room in the freezer,
and since it doesnt get to be a rock, is still easy to slice into cookie
thickness.  Plastic wrap works, but you need to be more careful with it.  I
havent tried freezign the Mrs Fields knock-offs, but am wary since they have
oatmeal in them.  Regular oatmeal cookie dough does not freeze very well since
the oatmeal absorbs the moisture and makes for very dry cookies.

--Roger

    Actually, when I freeze cookie dough, I ball it up into cookie size
    balls.  I place a dozen balls in aluminum foil, then place that into a
    zip-lock freezer bag.  That way I can just take out a dozen cookies at
    a time and bake them.  I just take out the bag, break apart the balls,
    and pop them on a cookie sheet!  Easy!
    
    That reminds me ... I need to make more cookie dough!!! (-:
    
    Holly
    

    I was wondering if anyone has a recipe for white chocolate, macadamia nut 
    cookie by Mrs. Fields????
    
Thanks,