The Cookie Games are coming! In a little over a month, Professional Pastry AND Culinary Arts students will bake their hearts out to become the 7th annual Cookie Games winner. In addition to taking home some sweet prizes, the winner will receive bragging rights for their respective department, which some may say is better than the Kenwood mixer they’ll take home!
But, what goes into a winning cookie recipe? Each year, our Director of Pastry Operations, and creator of the Cookie Games competition, Chef Jansen Chan gets asked this burning questions from hopeful contestants. So, we sat down with Chef Jansen to pick his brain on creating a stellar recipe sure to win!
Check out his 5 tips below, and learn more about the 2019 Cookie Games here.
1. TEXTURE IS KEY
Decide on the type of cookie texture(s) that you want to achieve. Will it be chewy, like a classic chocolate chip, or more of a shortbread or bar cookie? Find a plain recipe that matches those styles, and use it to your advantage to build your unique recipe and flavors.
2. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Decide on the concept. Are you inspired by a country? Will it incorporate techniques, ingredients and/or flavors from that culture? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself when developing your concept.
3. FLAVORS, OBVIOUSLY!
At the end of the day, your cookies has to taste good! Our cookie games contestants will be pulling inspiration from a country of origin, and each has their own unique cuisine to pull from. Ask yourself, will the cookies be a blend of flavors or stand behind one signature taste?
4. CONSIDER ADD-INS
Could your cookie become more interesting with the inclusion of different textures or ingredients? But beware—this could make or break your cookie!
5. MAKE IT LOOK GOOD
Desserts often rely on their appearance (it’s true, we eat with our eyes!), so consider the final presentation of the cookie: the size, the way it’s eaten and its overall appearance.
Looking for more Cookie Games inspiration to get you in the kitchen? Check out this article featuring past winning recipes here.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your pastry education where the legacy lives on.
