The Chefs Black Book

Great American Cookies® Snickerdoodles

Rather than trying to beat the competitors - especially
if they have an exceptional product - Mrs. Fields Famous
Brands waves the cash at 'em. With the acquisition of
Great American Cookies in 1998 by the company that made
chewy mall cookies big business -- Mrs. Fields is now
peddling her baked wares in more than 90 percent of the
premier shopping malls in the United States. That's how
you make the dough! One of the all-time favorites you can
snag at any of the 364 Great American Cookies outlets is
this clone of the classic snickerdoodle. Rolled in cinnamon
and sugar, it's soft and chewy like the other cookies, and
will seem to be undercooked when you take it out of the oven.
When it cools it should be gooey, yet firm in the middle.
And a couple bites will make you wonder: "Got milk?!"

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Topping
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with
an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and
beat until smooth.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and
cream of tartar.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the
topping.
6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a
ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies
may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are
removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be
soft and chewy in the middle.
Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

American Cookies® White Chunk Macadamia.txt

Great American Cookies® White Chunk Macadamia
When Arthur Karp shared his grandmother's favorite chocolate
chip cookie recipe with Michael Coles, the business partners
knew they had a hit on their hands. They opened their first
Great American Cookies store in 1977 in The Perimeter Mall
in Atlanta, Georgia. Now with more than 350 stores in the chain,
these cookies have quickly become a favorite, just begging to
be cloned. The chain bakes the cookies in convection ovens at
the low temperature of 280 degrees for around 16 to 17 minutes.
But since most of us don't have convection ovens and may have
a hard time getting the oven temperature to this odd setting,
we have made some adjustments. Just be sure, when you remove
the cookies from the oven, that they appear undercooked and
only slightly browned around the edges. This will give the
cookies the perfect chewy texture when they cool.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut flakes, finely minced
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces solid white chocolate, cut into chunks
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with
a mixer on high speed.
2. Add the coconut, egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well.
3. In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder,
and salt.
4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until dough
forms. Mix in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for
30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Measure out about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and form a
ball. Drop each ball of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet
Cookies should come out of the oven appearing slightly browned,
yet undercooked. When cooled the cookies will be soft and chewy
like the original.
Makes 16 to 18 cookies.