By Izzy Whitaker

Throughout the past few weeks, while staying at home during quarantine, I have begun taking up many new hobbies. One particular hobby that has taken up the majority of my time has been baking. Whether it be meals or snacks, making recipes and expanding my knowledge of baking, freezing, grilling, or anything else kitchen-related always fascinated me, and particularly throughout the past few months. Many of my friends have also taken up cooking, including V Brooks (’20), Gracie Clarke (’20), Lillian Barnes (’20), and Isa Lagazzi (’20). Their dishes have included bruschetta, banana bread, herbed chicken with a homemade Greek yogurt tzatziki, and more.

I decided to try two new dessert recipes to share. First, I attempted Delish’s Milk N’ Cookie Icebox Cake, a no-bake cake made of Chips Ahoy cookies and layers of homemade whipped cream. I then made Modern Honey’s Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies, a thick and decadent chocolate chip and walnut cookie based on those sold at Levain Bakery in New York.  

To make the no-bake cake, you will need:

2 boxes of Chips Ahoy Original cookies (roughly 60 cookies)

8 ounces of cream cheese

3 cups of heavy whipping cream 

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Begin by crushing 15 cookies and adding them to the heavy whipping cream. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes, and then strain out the cookies. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, using a hand whisk or electric mixer, whip together the whipped cream and powdered sugar. Add the strained cookie mixture on medium speed until stiff peaks begin to form.

Then, lay a circle of cookies on a cake plate and spread a thick layer of the whipped cream on top. Continue layering cookies and whipped cream on top of each other until you have roughly four to six layers of each. Refrigerate for six hours, slice, and serve. 

After the first bite of the cake, I was immediately let down. I was overloaded with sweetness, but the only strong flavor I tasted was that of the cream cheese. Personally, the amount of effort and patience I put into making the cake was not worth the outcome. My sister Sarah Whitaker (‘16) says, “Although it didn’t look appetizing at first glance, it ended up tasting pretty good. The icing made it rich, though, and I was satisfied after just a few bites. After several days of refrigeration, it got to be a bit soggy.” My other sister, Janie Whitaker (‘10), did not like the cake, and she shares the same sentiments with me regarding the cream cheese: “I don’t like combining cream cheese and chocolate chip cookies.” 

To improve this recipe, I recommend using four ounces of cream cheese instead of eight, adding a few spoonfuls of the strained out cookies to the whipped cream for added texture, and, most importantly, making the cookies from scratch instead of using Chips Ahoy.

To make the chocolate chip walnut cookies, you will need: 

1 cup of chopped cold butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

1.5 cups of cake flour

1.5 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of chocolate chips

2 cups of chopped walnuts (optional)

Begin by creaming together the butter and sugars until thick, and then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Slowly mix in the flours, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until just combined, and then fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Separate the dough into eight large balls and bake for 9-12 minutes at 410 degrees. Let them solidify for 10 minutes before eating.

These are truly the best cookies I have ever eaten. They’re chewy, barely cooked, thick, and huge. A quarter of a cookie will fill you up immediately, and my family has loved sharing them. Personally, I prefer to substitute chocolate chunks for chocolate chips (so that there is more chocolate in each cookie), I substitute all purpose flour for cake flour, and I add a splash of vanilla when adding the eggs. Also, it is imperative that the butter is incredibly cold upon incorporating it into the sugars and eggs, because if not, the cookies will spread out and will not hold their shape as well. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone trying to step classic chocolate chip cookies up to a new level.

All photos by Izzy Whitaker.