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Secret recipe revealed! DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies are easy to bake at home and taste just like the cookies served upon check-in at DoubleTree hotels.
I still remember the first time I stayed at a DoubleTree Hotel…and those AMAZING, still-warm, chocolate chip cookies they gave us upon check-in. It was the perfect sweet treat after a long day of travel – and I have to confess – I devoured my cookie in the elevator, long before I even reached my hotel room!
The good news…Hilton has shared the once-secret recipe for these delicious, signature DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies – and we’re sharing it with all of you!
DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie History
Back in the 1980’s DoubleTree hotels provided warm chocolate chip cookies to guests as part of their nightly turn-down service. In 1986, this formerly top-secret cookie recipe was developed and shared with a select group of bakeries around the world so they could provide a consistent cookie experience to every customer visiting a DoubleTree hotel.
In 1995, the hotel started giving out their famous cookies upon guest check-in. And today, approximately 65,000 guests are welcomed each day with a warm cookie that has been freshly baked each day right at the hotel. (That’s a lot of cookie dough!)
Key Ingredients
- Butter – Everything is better with butter – and these cookies are no exception! Although the original recipe didn’t specify salted or unsalted butter, we used unsalted butter since additional salt is added to the cookie dough as well.
- Rolled Oats – Rolled oats are added to the cookie dough, giving the baked chocolate chip cookies a soft and chewy texture.
- Lemon Juice – This was a surprise to us! Adding lemon juice helped cut the sweetness of the cookie and lends a subtle, bright note to each bite.
- Cinnamon – Just a pinch of cinnamon is added to the cookie dough – another subtle and delicious flavor that makes these cookies extra special.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – The balanced sweetness of semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect in these cookies. Toll House brand semi-sweet chocolate chips are specifically named in the original recipe.
- Walnuts – Chopped walnuts add both flavor and texture to these cookies. Don’t leave them out!
How do I make the DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- Cream the butter and both sugars together in a mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice, blending to combine. Then mix on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Blend in dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon) but avoid overmixing.
- Fold in chocolate chips and nuts until evenly combined.
- Bake or freeze. You can bake the cookies right away, or freeze the cookie dough in balls, and bake it later. (No thawing is necessary.) Bake your cookies until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, but the center is still soft – the cookies will firm up as they cool.
One quick note: We portioned our DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies using a smaller one-ounce scoop – which yielded four dozen average-sized cookies. At the hotel, they make their cookies much larger – and the recipe states that a portion of three tablespoons of dough per cookie will yield 26 cookies. (This yield seemed off for us.)
You may enjoy these other Chocolate Chip recipes:
- Toll House Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie
- Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie
- Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
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DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 pound), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 2/3 cups Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and place two oven racks spaced evenly.
Cream butter and both sugars in a stand mixer with a paddle for two minutes.
Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and blend on low for 30 seconds then on medium for two minutes, scraping bowl half way through.
In a bowl, mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
With mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and blend for 45 seconds but do not over mix.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add in the chocolate chips and walnuts by hand. You will need a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula. (I found it easiest to use my hand to work the chips and nuts into the dough).
Line two rimless cookie sheets with parchment and using a slightly heaping one-ounce scoop, scoop out 12 cookies per pan spaced evenly.
Bake both pans for 10 minutes, rotate pans and bake for 10-13 minutes more. Our cookies took exactly 23 minutes total to bake.
Remove from oven and slide each parchment onto a rack to cool.
Place two new pieces of parchment onto the cookie sheets.
Portion out the rest of the dough and bake the next two pans the same way.
Eat warm or cool and store in an air tight container.
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Notes
Hilton’s web site states that you can freeze the raw dough after portioning and then bake frozen.
Hilton’s yield was 26 cookies at 3 tablespoons each (which seemed off based on the amount of cookie dough). Our yield was 48 cookies at about one ounce each.
What’s the lemon juice for? Could vinegar be substituted?
Hi Layla – We shared the exact recipe as shared on the Hilton website so I can’t speak to the original rationale for including it. The lemon juice isn’t overly noticeable in the taste of the cookie but they had a nice balanced the sweetness.
I have no idea if vinegar will work the same way – I personally wouldn’t substitute it for the lemon juice.
Hi Martha and Jack! You continue to make me happy. Tried making these for my cookie monster hubby who used to travel and brag about Double Tree chocolate chip cookies! So when I got your recipe I made them right away! My cookie monster Loved them! Thank you so much! Please keep sharing your amazing recipes. I print each one. Happy cooking and baking! Heidi
Thank you for such a nice note Heidi – so glad the cookies were a hit!