I Made Mama Kelce's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies and They Just Hit Different
Mama Kelce's Chocolate Chip Cookies
The battle between Swifties and Kansas City Chiefs fans rages on. Last week, fans of Kansas City Chief's tight end, Travis Kelce, saw his mother Donna appear on the Today show to talk about her son, fast fame, purse snacks and, of course, Taylor Swift (albeit in a slightly "did-she-or-didn't-she throw shade" moment that's lighting up the internet). While the interview itself is as cute and wholesome as can be, there's one particular aspect of it that everyone seems to love the most: Mama Kelce's chocolate chip cookies.
Walking out to greet the hosts with containers full of warm cookies, the NFL super-mom was met with a number of oohs and aahs (because who wouldn't like to be greeted with a blue-topped Tupperware full of freshly baked desserts?). The special thing about the cookies, you ask? Well, earlier this year when sons Travis and Jason faced off for Super Bowl LVII, Donna popped on stage before the big event to surprise the boys with a delivery worth talking about—these (now-famous) chocolate chip cookies.
They're a little different than your classic chocolate chip cookie, so I knew I needed to give them a try to see what all the buzz was about. Would this treat be a touchdown or a fumble? There was only one way to find out.
Get the recipe: Mama Kelce's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Ingredients for Mama Kelce‘s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
For this recipe, you're going to need a lot of ingredients. (Spoiler alert: That's OK because the end result will be worth it.)
You need unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, 2 eggs, vanilla, baking soda, all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips and pecans.
How to Make Mama Kelce's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Melt your butter in the microwave until it's just liquefied. Add both sugars and mix for four minutes with your stand mixer. (I wanted to be on-brand for both TS and the Chiefs, so I whipped out my red vintage hand mixer instead for the task.) Add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla and mix, before adding in some baking soda that's been dissolved in water.
In a separate bowl, add both flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. After mixing, slowly add to the wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips and pecans. The mixture then goes into the refrigerator for at least three hours, but Donna says the ideal timing should be overnight.
The next morning (or hours later), preheat your oven to 350°F. Make sure that your dough is at room temperature before scooping it out onto a baking sheet. Leave a few inches between each cookie because they do spread. Bake until golden around the edges and set in the middle, which should take about 12 minutes.
Related: The Genius Way to Chill Cookie Dough in 15 Minutes Flat
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
What I Thought of Mama Kelce's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
First of all, I’ll say that these cookies are excellent with coffee. And I say that because I ate them for breakfast. And honestly, the stacks of cookies that are surrounding me right now (that will soon get packaged up Mama Kelce-style for all my friends and neighbors) is one of the best ways that I could possibly start my day.
But back to the cookies. Donna says that the addition of pecans is optional. I added them and I definitely recommend keeping them in only because they break up the sweetness of the chocolate, as well as give a different texture to the cookie.
These cookies are sweet and chewy with the perfect amount of chocolate chip-to-cookie dough ratio. Unless someone really doesn’t like white chocolate (they're out there), you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t be thrilled with a container of these cookies in their hands.
The addition of brown sugar in cookies is my absolute favorite because it gives cookies a deeper, caramelized sugary chew that you would otherwise miss out on. The white chocolate and pecans are unexpected, but are actually the perfect match for that caramel-y flavor. It’s truly the perfect fall cookie to have in your hands as you cheer on the Chiefs (or sing your favorite Taylor Swift tune).
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Related: The One Brand Donna Kelce Keeps Handy as a 'Purse Snack' for Travis and Jason Kelce's Games
Tips for Making Mama Kelce‘s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Chop your pecans. I didn’t chop my pecans because Donna didn't call for it in the recipe, but I would advise doing so if you're making these (and will be doing so in the future). The chunks of pecans were quite large and even though it wasn't a huge deal, I like my cookie add-ins to be similar in size for a more well-rounded bite.
2. The 12-minute bake time is just right. I caught all of my batches of cookies right at the sweet spot, 12 minutes, which yielded a cookie that was the perfect texture of crispy around the edges and chewy in the center. One batch stayed in a little bit longer because I was curious to see how they would be a little crispier. They were both excellent; it just depends on your cookie preference. Remember, they'll continue to bake a bit more after they get out of the oven, so pull them just ahead of being done.
3. Use the pan-banging cookie trick. My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe ever is the Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies from blogger Sarah Kieffer and adapted by Julia Moskin at the New York Times. This recipe is tops because as the cookies come out of the oven, you bang the baking sheet on the counter, deflating the cookies and creating chewy, crinkled edges (and it's just plain fun to do). I tried it here, rapping my cookie sheet on the counter and successfully watching my little chocolate-studded gems melt into chewy, crinkly, circles of deliciousness. Mama Kelce would be proud.
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