Check-in to Your Staycation with the DoubleTree Cookie Recipe

I don’t often stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels, but just hearing the name makes me think of the warm chocolate chip cookies that the hotel gives out at check-in. Who doesn’t love a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, especially after a long drive or flight?

The DoubleTree has really capitalized on its signature cookie that started out as a turndown service amenity in 1986. The cookie made news in January when it became the first food to be baked in Space, on the International Space Station! DoubleTree makes its cookies available for purchase from the Christie Cookie Company, and has a downloadable recipe book full of recipes that surprise, all feature the cookie! So it was big news earlier this month, when Hilton released the DoubleTree’s official chocolate chip cookie recipe, so home bakers could experience the hotel brand’s hospitality while social distancing at home.

After seeing a number of friends post their DoubleTree cookies on social media, I decided to bake some myself. I’ve seen a lot of comments expressing surprise at the 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice in the recipe. I discovered a bigger surprise. The DoubleTree recipe is the base Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie dough – with a few additions!

The original Toll House Cookie (and some say the original chocolate cookie itself) was invented in the 1930’s by Ruth Graves Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. Wakefield was said to have sold the recipe to Nestlé in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate – I really hope she lived a long time and ate a lot of chocolate! Nestlé slightly modified the recipe, and has been including it on packaging ever since.

Although the basic ingredients are the same, the DoubleTree recipe adds an extra tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, 2/3 cup of Nestlé chocolate chips, and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. DoubleTree also adds additional ingredients including 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of rolled oats, and a pinch of cinnamon. The DoubleTree variation is a significantly larger cookie using a 3 tablespoon size scoop instead of 1 tablespoon drop fulls, and the oven temperature is lower and the cooking time longer than the original recipe.

I like the idea of freezing extra scoops of dough, so you can continue to enjoy freshly baked cookies. My husband said that my dough balls reminded him of Daifuku (round mochi balls with filling).

The verdict? The cookies were good, but were not quite like the ones that you get in the hotel. Since Hilton calls the recipe the “official version to create at home,” it is probably slightly different that the recipe used in the hotels. The DoubleTree variation does add some great ideas to the original, but there are a few things that I would skip.

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I really love the DoubleTree’s addition of oatmeal, and the extra walnuts. My husband prefers a chip heavy cookie or I would skip the extra chocolate chips. I usually cut sugar in my baking, so the extra tablespoon definitely put the sweetness over the top. The pinch of cinnamon didn’t add much flavor but further emphasized the sweetness, and not in a good way! I couldn’t detect the lemon juice, but maybe it made a difference. It didn’t help that we used milk chocolate chips since our store was out of semi-sweet (possibly because of this trending recipe). Definitely use semi-sweet! I also recommend finishing the cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt. I usually have some Irish Sea Salt on hand. The large 3 tablespoon scoop makes for a good size, but 20 cookies instead of the 26 listed in the recipe.

Individually wrap each cookie and celebrate checking-in to your staycation. I’m starting my sixth week of social distancing and have been trying to convince myself that every weekend is a staycation. I imagine that the DoubleTree started giving guests warm chocolate chip cookies to make it feel more like home. How funny that now people are baking chocolate chip cookies to feel like they are in a DoubleTree.

The cookie is best served with a cold glass of milk to offset the sweetness. Next weekend, I may try the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe and pretend that I’m on a shopping spree.

Staycation Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Adapted from the the Signature DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie and the Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe

Makes 20 large cookies

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 2/3 cups Nestlé Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts 
• sea salt to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 300°F

Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add salt and set aside.

Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. 

Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, then the vanilla and lemon juice (optional), and mix on medium until the mixture is light and smooth, periodically scrapping down the bowl.

Mix in the dry ingredients in three batches, briefly using the mixer on low speed for few seconds until just incorporated. Do not over mix!

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts by hand.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop dough into approximately 20 balls. Freeze the extra portions for later. Place the cookies that you want to bake on parchment paper lined sheet pans and slightly press down on each cookie. Place cookies about 2 inches apart, and sprinkle each with a little sea salt.

Bake for 20 to 24 minutes in a 300°F oven, until the edges are golden brown. The centers will still be soft. 

Remove cookies from oven, cool on baking sheet 2 minutes and move to a wire rack. Forget all the recipes that tell you to completely cool the cookie. Chocolate chip cookies are best served warm.

The frozen dough can be baked from frozen at the same temperature and time. I recommend flattening your dough balls before freezing.