Double Tree Chocolate Chip cookie

Ask any member of the Hilton chain of hotels and they will tell you that it is the exemplary service which keeps people coming back time and again. Earning points during one’s stay which can be redeemed later are ways in which the guests feel like they are investing time and money in something which offers better value in terms of service ,care and hospitality.

Of all the many kinds of Hilton stays, the Double Tree experience stands out .It all has to do with that warm cookie that appears discreetly from a drawer tucked away under the receptionist’s work space and is offered in a homely brown paper cover,after the guest checks in.

The warmth of the oven permeates through the paper and clings to the inner skin of the fingers getting the insides of the mouth into an excited (bordering on panic)  overload.  The calm ,controlled panic which has the mind only thinking one thing ; “will we be able to get to the room soon enough to eat this cookie while it is still warm?!” 😀

Once safely inside the room away from prying eyes,while the tendency is to gobble, one first needs to take pleasure in the aroma…vanilla with a hint of something and something ..I now know it is cinnamon and lemon. Then pull it apart and it comes away feeling like one is tearing a thin cake. The melted chocolate bits peep through ,glistening and velvet like and that does it !

The warm chocolate must be reunited with the memory cells on the palate .When that happens, it is best to keep the eyes closed and zone out for a few seconds.  Eating this particular cookie is that kind of experience.

During this period of isolation we are all looking at reaching out and staying in touch. What else can one do  to make sense of it all.  Everyday we have to be grateful to have the opportunity to stay safe while one hears of so many atrocities taking place around us.

When Hilton decided to share it’s recipe for the ‘Double Tree chocolate chip cookie’, I was pinged soon thereafter (by one special cookie monster) , to look it up and have a go at it. I took my time until a dear friend made it at her home after seeing the post on my Instagram story and texted me saying how good it was.

I am so glad I did because this cookie with it’s precise instructions which follow time and speed and an interesting mix of ingredients was a joy to make.

The reason I share it was because despite not having oats at home, I was happy that it turned out the way it did. We kept all the measurements (except the nuts)  the same, the ingredients like the sugar & flour are the kind we use at home. The original recipe for the nuts is 1 3/4 C but we used 1 C because that’s about all we had. It was fine. I did wonder if it would take away from the texture of the cookie but it did not. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Also please use dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet because milk chocolate chips are too sweet for this recipe. We had about a half cup which we added in so a few cookies ended up being sweeter. I have also never used vanilla, cinnamon and lemon together.  It gives a lovely well rounded fragrance. The cinnamon seems to cling to the salt and baking soda whereas the lemon juice ,it certainly does add something to the texture,in my opinion. This cookie is arguably one of the best chocolate chip cookies to have come out of our oven at home. The cake like chewy texture is delicious and half a cookie more than satiates.

We didn’t take as many pictures as we wanted because we were too excited that we actually got to bake the Double Tree chocolate chip cookie at our own home !

If you love cookies and think they must have chocolate, do try these. You won’t be sorry.

Original recipes has;

Oats-1/2 C

Walnuts- 1 3/4 C