Better Batches (Soft Batch Cookie Upgrade) Recipe

For those who love the softness of Soft Batch cookies, but don't especially care for their flavor.

By
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
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Updated August 20, 2023
Closeup of a better batch cookie, sliced in half to reveal the interior crumb.

Serious eats / Rosco Weber

Why It Works

  • Placing the warm cookies in an airtight container and "aging" them for 24 hours allows them to steam in the residual heat, which improves their flavor and renders them ultra-soft from edge to edge.
  • Swapping clarified butter for the oil adds richness.
  • Scraping the seeds from a vanilla bean, adding the seeds to the dough, and infusing the butter with the scraped pod extracts maximum flavor from the ingredient.
  • Adding melted milk chocolate and chopped dark chocolate to the dough results in an exceptionally chocolatey cookie.
  • A touch of hazelnut liqueur and cinnamon contribute nuttiness and spice.

These cookies are for those who love the softness of the Soft Batch, but don't especially care for the flavor. This recipe uses butter which is pseudo-clarified; a process that just cooks out the water, no skimming. If you'd like, you can brown the butter for an even nuttier flavor, but that's just a bonus step. If this all sounds too fancy and you'd like a recipe that more closely matches the rather generic flavor of the original Soft Batch, check out my "mock batch" recipe by following the link below.

September 2011

Recipe Details

Better Batches (Soft Batch Cookie Upgrade) Recipe

Prep 20 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 10 mins
Resting Time 24 hrs
Total 24 hrs 30 mins
Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces all purpose flour
  • 1/2 ounce cornstarch
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 3 ounces unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
  • 3 ounces dark corn syrup
  • 1/2 ounce cream, cold
  • 1/2 ounce brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 ounce Frangelico
  • 1 3/4 ounce dark chocolate, chopped into very small pieces (approximately 1/8-inch pieces)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and have two parchment-lined cookie sheets at the ready. Sift together the flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

  2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter along with the scraped vanilla bean pod (seeds reserved) over low heat until the butter completely liquifies. Turn the heat up slightly, just until the butter begins to bubble. Continue cooking until the butter stops bubbling and hissing. Immediately shut off the heat, remove the vanilla bean pod, and add the chopped chocolate. Stir with a rubber spatula until homogenized. Next stir in the dark corn syrup and cold cream. Set this mixture aside until cool. If the mixture is too warm, it will melt the chocolate chips. You can stir to speed this along, or just wait.

  3. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the reserved vanilla bean seeds, brown sugar, baking soda, egg yolk, and Frangelico. Stir vigorously to ensure the vanilla seeds are evenly distributed and no longer clumped together. Finally, stir in the dry ingredients all at once. Once the dough is smooth, fold in the chopped chocolate, reserving a few pieces for garnishing.

  4. Use a #60 ice cream scoop to divide the dough into 24 equal portions. If you don't have a scoop, each portion should be approximately 1 heaping tablespoon—just take care, Soft Batch cookies are really quite small. If you'd like cookies that look especially authentic, roll each portion of dough between your hands and into a perfect sphere. Arrange 12 on each cookie sheet, spaced evenly. Garnish each with a shard of chopped chocolate.

  5. Bake for approximately 6 minutes or until the dough has puffed but not fully set. You may need to experiment to find the perfect time, but the important part is to take them out of the oven when the edges appear fully baked, but the center still seems puffed and damp. Do not overbake.

  6. Cool the cookies directly on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container while still slightly warm. Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between each layer, as the cookies will readily fuse together if touching. Close the lid of the container and age the cookies for at least 24 hours. The cookies will stay soft and delicious at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Special Equipment

Digital scale, rimmed baking sheets, #60 ice cream scoop

Make-Ahead and Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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