We lived at sea level for years and I had the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe. We even had a friendly "chocolate chip cookie bake-off" with some girlfriends (with our spouses as taste-testers) and ours came out the winner!
However, to my dismay, when we moved to 5,000 feet, my cookies were ruined! Ack! As you know, high altitude baking isn't just about adding more flour. That just doesn't cut it for me. I wanted my cookies to be perfect again! So, over the Holidays I played with the recipe quite a bit and Gourmet Dad finally declared them as good as the original. Success! We even made up a batch of these Ultimate High Altitude Cookies (well-reviewed!) to compare and we liked ours better. 
However, to my dismay, when we moved to 5,000 feet, my cookies were ruined! Ack! As you know, high altitude baking isn't just about adding more flour. That just doesn't cut it for me. I wanted my cookies to be perfect again! So, over the Holidays I played with the recipe quite a bit and Gourmet Dad finally declared them as good as the original. Success! We even made up a batch of these Ultimate High Altitude Cookies (well-reviewed!) to compare and we liked ours better. So, if you're at high altitude, these are for you! Now I need to go loosen my belt from all those cookie batches we taste-tested...yep, someone had to do it. You can thank me later.
Gourmet Mom’s High Altitude
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks Butter (1 cup)
¾ C. Granulated Sugar
¾ C. Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
2 ¾ C. Flour
1 ½ C. Chocolate Chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whip butter until creamy, then add sugar and beat. Add salt, vanilla & egg. Sift flour and soda then add to mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir well. Bake 8-11 minutes (10 min 30 seconds in my oven) until edges are barely brown.
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45 comments:
What exactly did you have to do to make it work? You said more flour but what else was needed, more baking soda?
Hi Marcy,
I actually reduced the baking soda. At high altitude, baking soda expands up to 20 percent more. So, it over-expands, breaks down the cellular structure and causes your cakes/cookies to be "flat".
So, I reduced the baking soda, added another egg, more vanilla and more flour. I tried reducing the sugar but didn't like the taste.
Just an FYI, if you're playing with a baking recipe at high altitude, here are a few tips to try:
1) Reduce sugar (1-3 Tablespoons per cup)
2) Increase liquid (moisture evaporates more quickly at high altitude)
3) Reduce leavining agents (for the reasons above)
Can you share your low altitude recipe for those of us that live at sea level? I'd love to try them!
I live at sea level, and I'd love to see your original recipe!
All right you sea level cookie monsters, here's the original recipe. :) Enjoy! These are my hubby's #1 favorite cookie!
PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks salted Butter
1 tsp. Baking Soda
¾ C. Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¾ C. Brown Sugar
1 ½ C. Chocolate Chips
1 Egg
1 Tbs. Vanilla
2 ¼ C. Flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whip butter until creamy, then add sugar and beat. Add Salt, vanilla & egg. Sift flour and soda then add to mixture. Bake 8-11 minutes until edges are barely brown.
Hooray! I seriously have disliked changing all of my recipes over the years, but we do what we have to....I am going to write a high-altitude bake book very soon--maybe you'd want to contribute some goodies? It will have your name with them. :)
I want to try those! Which recipe should I use? I know I'm not at sea level.
camie, go for the sea level cookies. Also, just an FYI, I'd change the privacy settings on your profile to enable people to see your new fabulous blog!
P.S. Whomever attempted a bake-off with you was mighty brave.
Made these last night and they turned out delish!! A+ on the husband scale-since we moved to Albuquerque no chocolate chip cookies have turned out until I tried theses!
Thank you for the incredibly delicious looking recipe! I look forward to trying it.
Thank you for the recipe! I have lived in Colorado all of my life and HATE baking cookies because they are always flat! Can't wait to try these!!
okay mandy you read my mind. i have been using your previous cookie recipe (courtesy of the hershey ward cookbook) for years. since moving to utah, however, i have struggled with the whole altitute change. so seriously...you read my mind. thank you.
Thank you soooo much. We live in the Vail Valley and always find it challenging to bake. We made these with Easter M&M's and they turned out great!
I can't wait to try these yippy!!
Thank heavens for recipes like this cuz I have made way too many discs over the last month of living in colorado. Hope they work, thanks for the recipe!
These came out perfect!
Just tried this recipe -- they came out great! Thanks from 7200 feet!
I just pulled the first batch from the oven and they look amazing! Can't wait to taste them.
Thank you!
I have a question(though it may sound dumb!). I'm pretty new at baking...I notice you say "whip" butter until creamy and then add sugar and "beat"...what's the difference? Thanks :)
Hi K,
There are no dumb questions! There really is no difference, just make sure the butter is mixed well before adding the sugar and then mix well after that. :) Good luck!
Thank you :) A little advice would be appreciated...here is my problem: I'm not sure if it's the way I'm mixing the batter(I have recently attempted another "high altitude" recipe, or if it's our oven. We have an electric oven. My cookies are getting pretty done around the edges but remaining fairly uncooked in the middle. I intend to try your recipe but do you have any advice for an electric oven(if that's even my problem)...
Hi K,
Here are a few things to try:
1) decrease baking temperature to 325 degrees and bake for a few minutes longer.
2) Buy a Silpat baking sheet (they are rubber-like inserts that go on top of a metal baking sheet). This will keep the edges from browning too quickly. I have two and LOVE them...I use them instead of parchment and they've lasted for years.
3) Try a new baking pan. If your pan is too thin or dark, it will make your baked goods brown too quickly.
Good luck!
I have tried the Ultimate High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and although they turned out very cakey and soft (a rare occurrence in CO), they didn't have that yummy butter, sugary taste I love in my cookies! I was wondering how your recipe compared and what you preferred about yours?
Thanks for this recipe. I am at 7000 feet and most of my cookies turn out, but never the choco chips. I am excited to try something that won't be flat.
Shannon, these are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. And, the 2 sticks of butter in the recipe should take care of that lovely buttery taste you love. :) Give them a try, I think you'll like them!
I have also tried the Ultimate Chocolate Chip recipe and they were just ok for me. These are my fav.
These look great! I have been playing around with modifying my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for 7,300 ft, but I would love to try yours. Just one question though - how are you measuring the flour? Dip and sweep method? Spoon-in method?
Thanks!
Kim in Mexico City
Kim, that is a great question. I dip and sweep the measuring cup.
Kim, that is a great question. I dip and sweep the measuring cup.
I just want to thank you for this recipe!! My Cookie Mojo had been off. Way off - for a couple of years. I'm not sure what happened?! However, all is well now. I just tried your recipe and the cookies turned out beautifully. Thanks so much!
I'm so glad!! Totally made my day. No one's Cookie Mojo should be off.:)
I am an amateur baker at my best moments in ideal conditions. I hail from Ohio but have just recently found myself in Nairobi, Kenya with a burning desire to cook at the high altitude. I just put my last batch of these cookies in the oven. They're pretty much AWESOME! I immediately ran to my man-thing and said "I am domestic woman! Hear me roar!" So thank you OH SO MUCH for this recipe :)If you have any other high altitude recipes, I'd be a happy happy person.
Thanks from Kenya!
-Rebecca
I have a question about using your recipe. I am planning to start a kit business and i just need to put the recipe in the kit. I will be selling these kits. If you allow me to do this, I will give full credit to this site and you. Will you let me use it?
Hi Jenny Lee, you are welcome to use the recipe for your small business as long as you credit to my site. Thanks. :)
I just made these and they were pretty good. However, if I'm being honest, my family (husband and 2 children) and I prefer the Ultimate High Altitude cookie... Still a good recipe.
Can you place these on a pan for decorating?
Our family just moved from sea level to Arequipa, Peru where it's about 8,500ft up. I'm having to relearn how to bake everything! This is the first high altitude cookie recipe I have tried and it was a success. My two little boys and husband (and myself for that matter) thank you!! :)
I'm in Denver at 5280 feet. To healthy them up a bit I used 3/4 whole wheat flour and added 2T milk, 1c. nuts and 1 1/2c. oatmeal on ungreased airbake pans. GORGEOUS! My mom, aunt and I have lived here for 30 plus years and no matter what we've done, they never looked like this! They didn't really rise, they just spread into mounds... and STAYED THERE! NO MORE FLAT COOKIES... YAY!!!!
They took 13 minutes or so, then I raised the temp to 375 and they took 10.5 MINS. THEN I realized I used baking POWDER by mistake. Oops! yields 52 cookies. Thank you!
great tips! We are at the same altitude and I can't wait to try your version!! Thanks for sharing. :)
Thank you so much for this recipe. I came across this earlier today on the web and my sweet tooth was screaming ever since! So I had to whip up a batch at 9 pm. They turned out really good! I think I will tweak it and try to reduce the baking soda even more to get a little thicker cookie. I did add 1 tablespoon of milk to the batter. I'm at 6,000 ft in Colorado. They came out almost like the pictures. But not bad for my first attempt at baking at high altitude. Thanks again for the recipe!!! Mandy G.
Update: Mandy G here again..I made a 2nd batch and this time I reduced the baking soda to 1/4 teas, added 1 tablespoon of milk. The cookies rose a little higher this time. They look more like the picture. They taste great!!! I think I will pour me a cold glass of milk to go along with my 'still warm out of the oven' cookies...yum yum yum...
This is the high altitude recipe I've been wanting for the last 30 years, ever since I moved to Colorado. You are a GENIUS. I live in Denver and have been frustrated for years with flat, lacy cookies - made the first batch with your recipe today and I almost cried with joy :-)
Thanks so much!
Hooray! We are Coloradoans, too, and I was so sad when we moved here and nothing was working. So glad you enjoyed them. :)
Coming from someone who lives at 7,000 feet in Colorado, I cannot put into words how excited I am about this recipe! I just made the cookies for a second time, and I'm still just as amazed at them as the first time I made them. They rose incredibly high! This time I cut the baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon as suggested in the most recent comments, added a little less than 1 tbsp of coconut milk, and did all the things suggested in the very first comments.
My only regret is that I didn't double the recipe, because I have a feeling these will be a big hit at the Christmas party!
Thanks for sharing, you have made a lot of Coloradoans very happy!
Just tried your recipe in Santa Fe, New Mexico (@ 7,000 feet). The cookies were delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe and happy holidays!
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