Make Joanna Gaine's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe from her cookbook Magnolia Table!
FYI: Many of the comments below say this recipe needs to be updated but it doesn't. I will not fix or update the recipe below, because it is written exactly from her Magnolia Table cookbook. The video above the recipe shows her shaping the cookies by hand and her recipe states to scoop out by the spoonful. You can also use cookie scoops. There are multiple ways of doing something to get the end result. 4/14/20
I picked up Joanna Gaine's cookbook Magnolia Table Volume 1 (which was released back in 2018. Her newest cookbook is Magnolia Table Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gatherings and that was released on April 7th, 2020. A lot of you have been making this cookie recipe again since she showed how to make it on her new cooking show. Which is supposed to be airing on her own network. Recently, Food Network showed a special episode of that where she made her cookies. Did you watch it? Let me know below if you did!
If you are going to try this recipe of hers make it how it is exactly written from her book first. Do not try to make substitutions or anything. You can always do that after a second try if you decide you like them. 🙂
Baking Powder or Baking Soda?
Joanna’s recipe calls for baking soda. I’ve watched her make it on her show and it even states that in her recipe book. Many of you have commented below and said baking powder helps the cookies to rise. Here's the thing though...
Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents but one requires an acid to help it work. The acid in Joanna’s cookie recipe is from the molasses in the brown sugar.
Baking soda: Contains only one ingredient (sodium bicarbonate). It needs some kind of acid to help it rise like buttermilk, brown sugar (it has molasses in it), honey, lemon juice, cream of tartar, or natural cocoa powder. Adding too much baking soda to a recipe will cause a very bitter after taste and that is something you do not want in a cookie right? ALWAYS measure the exact amount.
Baking Powder: Baking powder already contains baking soda in it and cream of tartar is added to it. Since baking powder already has an acid added to it (which is the cream of tartar) you do not need to add any extra acid. Adding too much baking powder can also cause a bitter aftertaste.
Why didn’t my cookies rise?
If your cookies didn’t rise chances are your baking soda is already expired. Check the expiration date on your container. 🙂
Another reason why your cookies didn't rise, is because the butter is too warm and soft. That can cause the cookies to spread too much in the oven.
Try chilling the dough for 10 minutes prior to baking.
Here's the Youtube video where you can watch her make them...
Joanna Gaines Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Yield: 40
Description
from Magnolia Table
Ingredients
-
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
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½ teaspoon sea salt
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8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
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2 cups packed light brown sugar
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2 large eggs
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1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
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1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until blended.
- Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture. Mix on medium speed just until the flour is mixed in, then turn the mixer to high speed for a few seconds to pull the dough together; it will be chunky. Add the chocolate chips and beat on high speed to thoroughly and quickly mix in the chips, about 5 seconds.
- Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet; don’t flatten them. Bake until lightly browned on top, 10 to 11 minutes. Cool on the pan on a rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 6 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
1 heaping tsp means a little bit more than the level. I've made this plenty of times with only a 1 teaspoon of baking soda and they come out fine.
The cookies should flatten when they are done baking.
This recipe is written EXACTLY from the Magnolia Table Cookbook. In her video, she rolls out the cookies by hand. You can also use smaller size ice cream scoops.
- Category: Eash
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 16
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 21
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1
Kristin says
We loved this. I didn’t beat my sugar and butter long enough to get it light and fluffy, but it still worked fine; the dough was just a little more crumbly. Only thing I would adjust is the amount of chocolate chips. It was too much for me with a crumbly dough. Next time I’ll try to beat the sugar and butter longer.