Copycat Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe…and a Giveaway

I’ve never actually eaten a Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Ever.

But here is what I assumed: kinda hard, generic. Nothing to write home about. As a National Brand, famous, and sought after cookie it needs to appeal to the masses, not just foodies. Masses want something they can rely on – just enough chocolate chips, sturdy but chewy, not too much vanilla, nothing overpowering, no secret ingredients.

I was right, and wrong.

The cookies ARE generic. But they are surprisingly delicious. I liked the chewiness. I even left them out all night, uncovered, and woke to find still chewy cookies. They’d be great for shipping for this very reason. That Mrs. Fields was on to something.

Nice. Because I am lazy, and sometimes cookies don’t make it to a cookie jar. And sometimes, I want to mail cookies. Sometimes. Sometimes, I want to put ice cream in the middle of them. These are perfect for that.

On the negative side, I do wish they had more chocolate chips in them. Maybe a bit more oomph in the vanilla department. Browned butter? Yes please. But those changes would make this a Mrs. Whetzel’s Cookie, not Mrs. Fields, who Chef Todd Wilbur decided to clone.

Have you heard of Todd? He’s really quite brilliant. He’s made a name for himself, cloning recipes from chains and companies we all know and love. Dippin’ Dots. Cinnabon. KFC. In fact, he’s so good at it, he has his own show now on CMT, showing all of us how to do it ourselves.

Now, I’ll come right out and tell you, some of those recipes are easier than others. These Mrs. Fields Cookies, for example? You can probably go in your kitchen right now and make a batch. Happiness in under an hour. But the Cinnabon clone? You’re gonna need a credit card and gourmet food shop or internet access. The Dippin’ Dots? You don’t even want to know. But needles, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen are required. Plausible for the average Joe, sitting at home, kicked back watching a little CMT? Not likely. But the fact that you CAN make it yourself, if you decided to ? Well, that’s pretty darn cool. We have Todd to thank for that.

For years this food hacker has cloned America’s favorite foods for fun. Now CMT has given him his own show, “Top Secret Recipe,” and all the resources he needs to uncover famous secret recipes and share them with viewers. The new series airs on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. This week, he’s tackling a recipe from the popular Chili’s food chain. Wonder what it is?

It was last week that he revealed the Mrs. Fields recipe, and CMT posted the recipe online, as they do with each episode. Dig around their site! I’m sure you’ll find something you like. Until then, here is Todd’s Cookie Clone Recipe, courtesy of CMT. Give it a shot!

Copycat Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Rating: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 20 Cookies
Serving Size: 1 cookie

Ingredients

1 cup cold unsalted butter (cubed)
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Madagascar vanilla extract
15 ounces all-purpose bleached flour (3 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

It’s best to use a stand mixer for these cookies if you have one, although a hand mixer will also work fine. The quality of your chocolate chips is a big factor in these cookies, so use the best ones you can find. If the dough is tacky (it sticks to your fingers), you should add a little bit more flour. Cookies will seem undercooked when they first come out of the oven, but that is exactly what you want for the perfect clone.
Combine butter with sugars and salt in a large bowl using the paddle of an electric mixer on high speed until consistency of peanut butter.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
In a separate large bowl combine flour with baking soda and baking powder. Pour this dry mix into the wet stuff and mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out ¼ cup portions 3 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Place a 2 ½-inch ring mold (or biscuit cutter) over each portion of dough and press down on the dough with your fingers so that is molded into a circle around the inside edge of the can. Place the dough into your freezer for 30 to 40 minutes.
Preheat a convection oven to 275 degrees (or a conventional oven to 300 degrees). When you are ready to make the cookies, flip over each of the frozen dough pucks onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake (use top rack for conventional oven) for 20 to 22 minutes or just until a couple of the cookies show slight browning around the edges. Rotate cookies halfway through cooking time.
Immediately slide the parchment paper with the cookies on it off of the baking sheet to prevent further cooking. Allow cookies to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before handling.

See? Nothing too hard. Nothing you can’t handle. He’s done all the dirty work for you. It’s pretty foolproof!

The Giveaway

Courtesy of CMT, I have a copy of Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 Cookbook with even MORE Top Secret Recipes to give away. Who wants it?

You?

Leave me a comment here. Tell me what recipe you’d most like to know the clone recipe for! I don’t know if it will be in any of his books, but you never know! Besides, it may give him even more ideas! So, leave your comment, and maybe something good will happen.

You might even win this book!

You can check out more about Todd’s show through the following links:

• CMT’s Todd Wilbur
• Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/TopSecretRecipe

Contest is open to US Addresses only, and is open until November 26 at 11:59pmEST. Book is shipped by and courtesy of CMT. One entry per person only. Good luck!

Stop back by later today for yet ANOTHER great giveaway…I’m tackling that Gift Guide in a tasty way! Can’t wait for you to see!