How to make almost-but-not-really homemade cookies in 8 minutes flat

I decided to try the waffle iron cookie thing, only I didn't want to mix up "real" chocolate-chip cookie dough. Mostly because I didn't want to put in the time commitment this afternoon. So, I googled a recipe for quick CC cookies, and found one that uses yellow cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 a cup of oil, and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Here is how the experiment went:

At 3:35 I had the ingredients and equipment ready to go:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/...a22b9e69e2.jpg

At 3:37, it was all mixed up:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/...fec87e64b8.jpg

At 3:39 I had the first "batch" on the waffle iron:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/...29d0bac582.jpg

At 3:43, I had this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2783/...f109370b57.jpg

Hmm....

Seems like the got squashed too flat which made them stick. And this dough doesn't have a lot of heft like real cookie dough. So, I tried again. This time, instead of plopping the lid of the waffle iron all the way down, I used its latch to prop it up a bit for the first minute of so, like this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/...0c51b1d77d.jpg

Then let it all the way down until the cookies were done, like this:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/...1d00365cb5.jpg

By about 3:50, that method produced a passable cookie:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/...3bfde27895.jpg

Which my son, jauntily clad in his beloved Cubs hat and a pair of his sister's sunglasses, happily devoured:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/...ca674b3875.jpg

As I said, the dough was soft, so when they were hot on the waffle iron, they were hard to remove...I had to use a spatula and a fork to ease them off and onto the plate (that's why the one looks broken up in the middle...the transfer wasn't successful).

They weren't exactly the best cookies I ever made, but considering that once I got the technique down, I could literally go from ingredients to cookies in less than 10 minutes, they were passable...especially for a quick treat for the kids, or if there was a grown-up craving that needed to be satisfied quick!

Probably the best way to do it would be with nice, cold premade Pillsbury dough, which wouldn't get flattened right away by the waffle iron, but would rather get pressed down slowly as they cook. I think that will be my next experiment.

I wish I could try one. The pictures just look like waffles with yummy chocolate chips, which, let's face it, is a treat in and of itself.

This is awesome! Your experimentation benefits us all.

Awesome post, love the pictorial. :D

I've used cake mix cookie recipes in the past, they're yummy, and I bet with a traditional cookie dough you'd have more heft and density, you're right. Good thing you've got willing guinea pigs about to help with the experimenting. ;)

Your son is sooooo cute!

I love cooking stories with pictures!

I might have to try that recipe, although I feel a need to tamper a bit. (Wheat germ? Oats? Something would probably fall in if I made them.)

Thanks so much, Jali! :)

Hatshepsut, I was coming back in here to say I wouldn't recommend the recipe, unless you want cookies REALLY fast. They were OK the first day, but got way too crispy the second day. I gave up on the waffle iron trick and baked maybe a dozen of them the regular way in my toaster oven, and those weren't that great either. If you can get the premade cookie dough, you are better off in terms of speed and taste. :)