Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

The recipe for the Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies used to be posted on the Top Secret Recipes Site. I think it is still available but for a fee. I looked through my recipe book and I found a print out from November 2000. I also found a printout of the Neiman Marcus recipe from around the same time. (The Neiman Marcus recipe is posted below.)

I used to make these cookies with See’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. See’s chocolate chips are larger and flatter and back then it was the only readily available baking chips of this shape and size. The chips are dark, almost black and taste just as wonderful as See’s chocolates. I just discovered that Guittard supplies the chocolate for See’s.

Unfortunately, in Colorado, See’s cannot be found in every mall like in California. We do have a See’s distribution store but it means I have to intentionally drive there and right now they are in the process of moving. A coworker went over to the shop before Christmas and they were out of certain items because they were moving into their new store. I wasn’t sure if the chips would be in stock so I didn’t make the trip. I think both Doubletree and Neiman Marcus use plain ole semisweet chocolate chips. You can be fancy and use the good stuff if you desire. I’m using semi-sweet chocolate chunks and 60% dark chocolate chips.

It had been so long since I made these cookies that I decided to make both the Doubletree and the Neiman Marcus cookies at the same time to compare them. Which one do I like? They are both really good. The Neiman Marcus cookies bake up really nicely. I love the shape. They look almost like the Keebler Soft Batch cookies. The Doubletree cookies, because of the ground oatmeal, have a very nice taste and texture.

Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup rolled oats
2¼ cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips
1½ cups chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

3. Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth.

4. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended.

5. Spoon rounded 1 ¼ cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. You don’t need to press the dough flat. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft.

For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.