Cookies
Final idea + Recipe
Through a series of ideas and iterations, Fudge Cookie Dough Bites came to be. Filled with fudge and wrapped in eggless cookie dough, these treats are highly indulgent. The recipe below explains how to recreate them.
Dough: In a large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. In a separate large bowl, beat together 2 sticks of softened butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 5 tsp vegetable oil. Slowly combine flour mixture with the other ingredients and beat until even. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and mix well for the final edible cookie dough.
Fudge: In a microwavable bowl, add 2 cups of chocolate chips and 16 oz of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for one minute, then remove and add 1 tsp vanilla. Stir until an even color and let cool in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Presentation: Once fudge is hardened, cut into even squares and mold into spheres with the palms of your hands. Flatten cookie dough and form it around each fudge sphere, then roll in the palms of your hands once again.
Idea Generation
I wanted to start my creative process by asking the question “What is a cookie?” I thought of as many cookies in the diverse range of forms that I could to think about what makes a cookie a cookie.
I decided on the general rules that defined a cookie and saw a pattern in the types of restrictions. This pattern allowed me to form three cookie features I could look into questioning or stretching for my innovative cookie.
Within these three categories, I brainstormed ideas for how to innovate.
I was drawn to the ideas that were spins on the classic chocolate chip cookie because of how iconic they are; any variation would allow for more chance of recognition as a cookie because they are the archetypal cookie.
Idea Test 1
My first idea to test was a spin on the classic chocolate chip cookies. They would be shaped like sticks so as to easier dip in a glass of milk.
My recipe is the same as my favorite cookie recipe, except with mini chocolate chips because the circumference of the stick is so small I figured the scale would work better.
The dough making process was pretty standard, not too experimental yet.
The baking is where it got interesting. For some reason, I had not quite grasped just how liquified cookie dough gets in the baking process before it hardens, so when I went in with salad tongs to rotate the cookie logs, there was no luck. The product was just elongated cookies. I could reattempt this idea by baking the dough while wrapped in a tube of parchment paper and tin foil, but the next cookie idea seemed more promising.
Idea Test 2
My second idea is the most self-indulgent possible recipe: edible cookie dough wrapped around fudge.
The dough is the same except without eggs, which did make it very dry and crumbly. I took samples of the dough to test other liquids in: vegetable oil and milk. Both of them worked to make the dough the ideal consistency, so I ruled out milk since it is more likely to spoil. I added 5 teaspoons to this half-portion of standard eggless cookie dough.
Next step was to make the fudge. I didn’t have a candy thermometer, so I found a microwave fudge recipe to try out. The fudge turned out and needed some time to harden in the fridge before it could be formed into balls. Lastly, I built cookie dough around the fudge balls to form the end results. A better success this time!
Iteration
The first round of fudge dough balls turned out passable, but there were a few things that needed to be refined.
- The scale: My first cookie dough balls were too huge to comfortably eat. A half of one was enough to make one’s stomach hurt.
- Chocolate chip ratios: Since the center is already so chocolatey, there seemed to be some chocolate overkill in the first draft. I needed to use less chips.
- Presentation: The first round had a range in sizes and shapes; they were lumpy and misshapen. The cookies need to be more consistent and smoother.
Here are the final fudge cookie dough bites!
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