August 28, 2020 | 12 Comments
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Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie Recipe has been widely praised and critically acclaimed — a nearly half-pound richly flavored cookie, completely covered in chocolate chips. Today’s copycat recipe is pure cookie decadence — a large, bakery-style chocolate-chip cookie loaded with three types of chocolate and topped with sea salt flakes.
If you prefer thinner, crispier bakery-style cookies, you’ll love these!
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie Recipe Copycat
If you aren’t familiar, Gideon’s Bakehouse started out as a tiny bakery in Orlando’s East End Market. The bakery quickly rose to prominence becoming famous for its nearly 1/2 pound bakery-style cookies. This iconic bakery has gained international attention being hailed as having the best cookies in Orlando to the best on Planet Earth. Trip Advisor awarded Gideon’s Bakehouse cookies as “One of the Five Foods You Have to Eat in the U.S. Before You Die.”
The creator of these cookies is the only one in the world who knows the entire recipe for his creations. He shares on his Instagram page, “No one alive, outside of myself, knows the complete recipe.” He continues, “Every Gideon’s Cookie is handmade from scratch and takes over 24 hours to prepare. The Original Chocolate Chip Cookie took 15 years to perfect.” This cookie is known for being overloaded with multiple types of chocolate chips and for having a strong vanilla flavor since real vanilla beans are added to the dough.
While I can’t say this recipe is an exact replica of a Gideon’s Bakehouse cookie, I am giving you a gooey, thick, and ginormous bakery-style cookie recipe you can make from home (and save yourself a few hours waiting in line!). This cookie is ridiculously rich, thick chewy, and seriously OVER-loaded with chocolate!
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Not sure about a chocolate-covered, nearly 1/2 pound cookie? Try our regular-sized chewy chocolate chip cookies instead!
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie Recipe Speciality Ingredients
While I tried to keep the ingredients as mainstream as possible, there are two unique ingredients (still accessible at most mainstream grocery stores) which we’ll discuss below:
- Cake flour. Cake flour is responsible for giving the cookies a fluffier, more delicate, and tender crumb. It helps keep these cookies soft and chewy. We combine cake flour with all-purpose flour to get the perfect texture. Cake flour is typically found in the baking supplies aisle in the grocery store near other types of flour. I don’t recommend a different flour substitute or making “homemade” cake flour — it doesn’t work the same in this recipe.
- Vanilla bean paste. To replicate the strong vanilla flavor and get those vanilla bean speaks in this cookie recipe, we use vanilla bean paste. If you can’t access vanilla bean paste or real vanilla beans, you can use vanilla extract, just know the flavor won’t be nearly as present.
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Not famililar with Giedeon’s Bakehouse? It’s a one-of-a-kind place you simply must visit!
The three types of chocolate in these cookies
Once we’ve got the cookie dough whipped together, we add in a mixture of three types of chocolate. The dough balls will then get rolled in this chocolate blend to ensure that the chocolate-encased cookie Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies are famous for!
- Milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips. First off, your standard chocolate chips. Gideon’s uses top-notch chocolate chips — Callebaut® and Ghiradelli® are referenced on their website. I typically use Guittard ® or Ghiradelli since those brands are more readily accessible and affordable. We prefer milk chocolate chips, but it does make for a very sweet cookie. Use semi-sweet if that is your preference or to control the sweetness of the cookies.
- Miniature chocolate chips. Next, we’ve got miniature chocolate chips. To complement the milk chocolate chips, I like to use semi-sweet miniature chips.
- Heath milk chocolate English Toffee Baking bits. Last, but not least, we add in crushed Heath® English Toffee Baking Bits. While these aren’t in Gideon’s standard chocolate-chip cookie recipe, they are in their toffee-pistachio cookie that is also wildly popular. After randomly throwing them in the batter during the testing process of these cookies, we couldn’t make them any other way!
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Beyond the three types of chocolate mixed in the dough and covering the top of these Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies, we also like to add a touch of sea salt flakes which cuts through the sweetness, intensifies flavors, and adds a nice salty-sweet flavor dimension. Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes are our favorite!
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie Recipe Tips
- Use fresh ingredients. For the softest and best possible bakery-style cookies, use fresh, soft brown sugar and fresh baking agents.
- Let the melted butter stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to cool down. If the butter is hot, it will melt the brown sugar and cause greasy cookies that spread more than intended.
- Measure the flour correctly. If you pack in too much flour, these cookies will puff up and end up more cakey, rather than soft and chewy. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with the back of a table knife. If you press a measuring cup into a bag/container of flour you’ll pack in a lot more than intended.
- While it’s not necessary to use a food scale to make these cookies, you’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes. The more even the sizes of cookies, the more perfectly they will all bake. Plus, they’ll all look so nice — like straight out of a bakery!
- Speaking of a beautiful bakery-esque appearance, here’s another tip: Working quickly, right out of the oven, use the back of a large metal spatula to press the edges of the cookies in towards the center. This not only improves the texture (thicker and chewier center), but it also makes the cookies more professional looking. You’ll need to work quickly, as the cookies set up fast and resist being pressed inwards after sitting out for more than a minute or two.
- Leave ample room on the baking sheet. These cookies are ginormous! They spread a good amount on a cookie sheet which is why we typically only bake 2-3 cookies at a time on a standard-size cookie sheet.
Chilling the Cookie Dough
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies take 24 hours to make because they allow the dough to chill overnight. This intensifies the flavors (especially the vanilla bean flavor) creating an even more delicious cookie.
For the closest possible Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookie experience, chill the dough for around 24 hours. If you’d rather not chill the dough that long (we get it, you want those cookies ASAP!), chill the cookie dough balls for 45 minutes up to 1 hour instead.
STORAGE
Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies: Storage
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re best enjoyed within 3-4 days but will last about 1 week. Warm up leftover cookies in the microwave for 7-15 seconds for an ooey-gooey cookie that will taste almost as good as fresh from the oven!
- Freeze cookie dough as opposed to baked cookies (see next bullet point).
- Instead of freezing already-baked cookies,freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to three months. To bake: You can bake these Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.
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Number 1 tip: Ever so slightly under-bake these Gideon’s Bakehouse Cookies. If you over-bake them, the taste and texture are off. Slightly under-baking these cookies keeps them soft, chewy, and flavorful. Remember, the residual heat on the pan continues to bake the cookies for a couple of minutes even after they’re pulled out of the oven. They’ll remain pretty soft and gooey for a bit but will firm up becoming exceptionally chewy as they cool.
More cookie recipes
- Maple Cookieswith a maple glaze
- Magic Cookie Barswith a graham cracker crust
- Salted Caramel Cookieswith a cream cheese frosting
- Gingersnap Cookies with the perfect blend of holiday spices
- Avalanche Cookiesno baking required!
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Gideon's Bakehouse Cookie Recipe Copycat
5 from 7 votes
- Review this recipe
Gideon's Bakehouse Cookie recipe has been widely praised and critically acclaimed -- nearly a half pound of richly flavored cookie completely covered in chocolate chips. Today's copycat recipe is pure cookie decadence -- a large, bakery-style chocolate chip cookie loaded with three types of chocolate and topped with sea salt flakes.
Print Recipe
Gideon's Bakehouse Cookie Recipe Copycat
5 from 7 votes
- Review this recipe
Print Recipe
Gideon's Bakehouse Cookie recipe has been widely praised and critically acclaimed -- nearly a half pound of richly flavored cookie completely covered in chocolate chips. Today's copycat recipe is pure cookie decadence -- a large, bakery-style chocolate chip cookie loaded with three types of chocolate and topped with sea salt flakes.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Gideon's Bakehouse Cookie Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours hours
Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes
Servings 6 large cookies
Chelsea Lords
Calories 983kcal
Author Chelsea Lords
Cost $6.13
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (reduce if using table salt or if sensitive to salt)
- 1 cup cake flour Note 1
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (we like milk chocolate)
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup Heath milk chocolate English Toffee Baking bits
- Optional: Maldon Sea Salt Flakes for a salty-sweet treat!
US - Metric
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CHIPS: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, and the toffee baking bits. Stir to evenly mix. Set aside for now.
WET INGREDIENTS: Melt the butter in a very large, microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, let stand to fully cool, about 5-10 minutes. It's important the butter isn't hot when you add in the sugars or it will melt the sugar and make the cookies flat/greasy. Once butter has cooled to room temperature, use a whisk or wooden spoon to stir in the light brown sugar. Mix until smooth and integrated. Add in the egg and vanilla paste or extract. Stir again until smooth.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Add in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Again, stir until smooth. Add in the correctly measured (See Note 2) cake flour and regular flour and mix until just combined. It will be thick! Don't overmix the dough. Gently stir in 1 ¾ cups of chocolate chip mixture until combined.
FORM COOKIE DOUGH BALLS: We're going to form 6 cookie dough balls out of the dough. Using a ½ cup measuring cup, pack dough into the cup to get an accurate measurement. Alternatively, weigh the dough on a food scale; each ball should be around 155 grams (5½ ounces). You should get 6 equal cookie dough balls.
CHILL DOUGH: Press the remaining chocolate chip mixture generously onto the top and sides of the cookie dough balls. (Don't press into the bottoms of the cookies where they'll burn.) It's okay if you don't use all the chocolate chips; set aside any leftovers to press into the tops of the cookies after baking. Place the chocolate-chip-coated balls of dough on a parchment-paper-lined plate or sheet pan, cover, and chill for 45 minutes up to an hour. Or, place in an airtight bag/container and chill for 24 hours (Gideon's chills their cookie dough for 24 hours).
BAKE: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a pan with a silicone liner or parchment paper; don't line with foil. Place 2-3 dough balls at a time on a sheet pan, giving the cookies plenty of space to spread. Bake for 15-23 minutes, erring on the side of underbaking, to keep them soft and chewy. (We like ours right around 16 or 17 mins.) The cookies will "bake" a little more out of the oven as they set. Visual cues: edges should be slightly browned and tops should not be wet/gooey looking.
MAKE 'EM PRETTY: Remove the tray of cookies from the oven and, working quickly, immediately press the edges of each cookie slightly inwards with the back of a metal spatula. Press any remaining chocolate chips/toffee bits onto the tops of the cookies. Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray for 10-15 minutes before using a metal spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack. If you like salty-sweet flavors, add a few flakes of salt on top while the chocolate is still a bit gooey.
STORAGE: We like these cookies best the day they're baked. They do last up to 1 week, but they begin to lose texture and flavor after 3-4 days. To store: Place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Wait until cookies are completely cooled before adding to the container. Rewarm in increments of 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
FREEZING: Instead of freezing already-baked cookies,freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to three months. To bake: You can bake these cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Cake flour: This flour is responsible for giving the cookies a fluffier, more delicate, and tender crumb. It helps keep these cookies soft and chewy. We combine cake flour with all-purpose flour to get the perfect texture. Cake flour is typically found on the baking supplies aisle in the grocery store near other types of flour. I don't recommend a different flour substitute or making "homemade" cake flour -- it doesn't work the same in this recipe.
Note 2: Flour: If you pack in too much flour, these cookies will puff up and end up more cakey, rather than soft and chewy. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with the back of a table knife. If you press a measuring cup into a bag/container of flour you’ll pack in a lot more than intended.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 983kcal | Carbohydrates: 129g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 298mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 91g | Vitamin A: 1048IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 4mg
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
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