Hint: It's all about some good whipped cream.
I have to admit, a basic chocolate chip cookie is not really my favorite. Gasp! I know, I know. Please set down the pitchforks and hear me out. I like chocolate chip cookies just fine. But if I’m going to bake a cookie, I want to give it a little more oomph. I like to use browned butter or add butterscotch or peanut butter chips. Actually, my ideal chocolate chip cookie is the silo cookie that Joanna Gaines makes. Her recipe includes chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, oatmeal and walnuts. It is absolutely divine.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Waco, Texas and get a tour of Joanna Gaines’s actual test kitchen. A dream! And what made that trip even more special was that Joanna herself was there to guide us through her new line of Magnolia Table products at Target. At one point, she broke out the chocolate chip cookies and told us about the special way her dad eats them. Now, I’ll never eat a chocolate chip cookie another way.
What is Joanna Gaines’s chocolate chip cookie hack?
The chocolate chip cookie lore runs deep in Joanna’s family. Sweets were something that her mom never really baked, but her dad loved them. “One day he threw this bag of chocolate chips on the counter and was like, ‘Let’s figure out how to do this,'” she said. “I was 10 or 11, and that’s when we baked our first batch of cookies together, and I’ll never forget that memory.”
Joanna went on to say how something really clicked in her brain from that moment on. She realized that she could make baked goods and sweets for her dad as a way of showing her love for him.
So, what’s this incredible cookie hack I’ve been working up to sharing? It actually started with Joanna’s dad. He dips them in fresh whipped cream, then dunks them in a mug of black coffee. While in the Magnolia test kitchen, I gave this a shot.
The Verdict
I was worried that the whole endeavor would be too messy—but I was wrong. The warm coffee and cool whipped cream tasted so good together, and that touch of moisture on the cookie made it a really delicious bite. As I kept dunking my cookie in my coffee, I realized that some of the whipped cream had started to swirl around my mug. Once my cookie was done, I had a cup of coffee with a little whipped cream and a slight cookie flavor to drink. It was really genius.
Leave it to a dad to figure out how to elevate a simple cookie and a cup of black coffee. It may not seem like much, but it was a game changer for me. It felt warm and cozy, like it would be a nice treat to enjoy sitting by a fireplace. This might become a new holiday tradition in my house for Christmas morning. Joanna really has a way of making a simple moment turn into one full of love.
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