I Tried the DoubleTree Signature Cookie Recipe (2024)

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updated Apr 30, 2021

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Last year at this time, when common baking staples were in short supply at the grocery store, I had to suppress my constant urge to stress-bake in an attempt to ration what was left of my ingredients. So when I learned that the DoubleTree hotel chain had released an at-home version of their signature cookie recipe, I was faced with a difficult decision. Should I let my curiosity win out and use up the rest of my butter, chocolate chips, and all-purpose flour?

These DoubleTree Cookies Exceeded All My Expectations

To be honest, I was skeptical that I’d be able to re-create the DoubleTree magic of being greeted with a still-warm chocolate chip walnut cookie (how were they always warm?). And having worked at a bakery, I know how difficult it is to scale down an industrial-sized recipe for home bakers. But into the kitchen I went.

I began by creaming butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in my stand mixer. The recipe doesn’t specify whether to use unsalted or salted butter, and I actually only had one stick left of each, so that’s what I used. I then added the eggs, vanilla extract, and the recipe’s most surprising ingredient — lemon juice! After combing through similar recipes, I learned that lemon juice helps produce a chewier cookie. I’m not totally convinced that the 1/4 teaspoon in this recipe could really affect the texture much, but into the mix it went.

I then added flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, then stirred in the chocolate chips and walnuts by hand. The recipe specifically calls for Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips, which I do believe contributes to their distinct flavor — but I only had Guittard chips on hand. I then portioned 3 tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and baked them at 300°F for about 20 minutes. This low-and-slow approach to baking also intrigued me — most chocolate chip cookies are baked at 350°F or 375°F for only about 10 minutes.

Finally, I got to try the cookies — and all my doubts went out the window as soon as I took my first bite. These cookies are crisp around the edges, soft in the center, and just the right amount of chewy. They’re more flavorful than most chocolate chip cookies — thanks to a fair amount of salt and a dash of cinnamon in the dough — and each bite is packed with just the right amount of mix-ins. I don’t even typically like nuts in my cookies, but I don’t mind them here — it’s part of what makes a DoubleTree cookie so special. Whether you’re after a DoubleTree dupe or just a darn good cookie, I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe.

Some Tips for Making DoubleTree Cookies at Home

If you too, want to try out this recipe at home, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Moisten your hands with water or cooking spray before rolling the dough. This dough is sticky, so you’ll want to moisten your hands before rolling to prevent it all from sticking to your palms.

2. Freeze half the batch. This recipe claims to make 26 cookies, but my batch yielded closer to 34. Unless you’re feeding a very large family, I’d recommend rolling out all the cookies, freezing half the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then transferring them to a plastic freezer bag for future baking. The recipe even includes instructions for baking from frozen.

3. Add whatever mix-ins you like. For true DoubleTree nostalgia, you should absolutely stick with chocolate chips (ideally Nestle Toll House) and walnuts. But I knew I’d be happy to have some classic chocolate chippers on hand, so I didn’t add any nuts to the batch I froze. I encourage you to do the same: try one combo for the ones you’re baking now, and a different one for your freezer batch.

Your turn:Have you tried making the DoubleTree cookies at home? Let us know in the comments!

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