Do you have one that always works for you?

In the Book "Baking Professional 4th Edition" If you want Crispy Cookies the ff. factors contributes to crispiness 1.Low proportion of liquid in the mix. 2.High sugar and fat content. This makes the low moisture dough workable. 3.longer baking time 4.Small size or thin so the cookies dry faster. 5.Proper storage Soft cookies are the opposite of crispy cookies so it has the opposite cause as follows: 1.High proportion of liquid in the mix. 2.low sugar and fat 3.Honey,molasses, or corn syrup in the formula.These sugars are hygroscopic, which means they readily absorbs moisture in the air or surrounding. 4.Underbaking 5.Large or Thick size so the cookies retain moisture. 6.Proper storage Chewiness Moisture is necessary for chewy cookies, but other factors are also important. In other words, all chewy cookies are soft, but not all soft cookies are chewy.The ff. factors contribute to chewiness. 1.High sugar and liquid content, but low in fat. 2.High proportion of eggs 3.Strong gluten development during mixing Because of the low fat content in the cookie batter the cookies will be chewy because the function of your fat is to shorten the gluten network in the batter. Sugar unlike fat that shortens the gluten structure by coating them, sugar creates a more tender baked good by weakening the gluten structure. The high proportion of eggs makes the final product tough or chewy because the protein in the eggs coagulate during baking and those create structure to baked goods.

I usually just use the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag (Nestle Tollhouse). I can never get my cookies to be soft and chewy though. I've tried adding my flour, cooling the dough between batches, etc. but nothing seems to work. I have some friends that use the same recipe and their cookies always turn out chewy, gooey and soft. I wish I knew how to get mine that way.

I always use the same recipe out of this old Betty Crocker cook book. It's a big orange cookbook that used to be my moms and she gave it to me. She has always used the recipe in there for her cookies too. I always use my mother in law's recipe for no bakes too. I'm not usually a big no bake fan but her recipe is good.

I have one favorite brand of spaghetti noodles. I am comfortable with that brand and I am sure my spaghetti will always taste good with it. It never becomes soggy and never over-cooked as well. So, I never fear it will be overcooked when I forget to take it off from the boiling water or it takes more time than the usual cooking time.