Phoebe Buffay’s Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every good Friends fan knows the importance of a good chocolate chip cookie recipe.

A recipe that’s been passed down through your family’s generations. Maybe even of French origins.

Maybe even from your great-great-grandmother, Neselé Toulouse.

Or maybe just the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip package.

But maybe that recipe burned up in a fire, SO WE’LL NEVER KNOW, WILL WE?

The One with Phoebe’s Cookies

If you’re confused right now, I’ll explain.

In Season 7, Episode 3 of Friends (“The One with Phoebe’s Cookies”), Monica declares that she wants Phoebe’s grandma’s cookie recipe as an engagement gift. She wants to be known as the mom who makes the BEST cookies for her future kids.

But the recipe burned up in a fire at Phoebe’s apartment, so all she has left is one single cookie, for Monica to use to develop a recipe.

So naturally, Monica makes 22 batches of cookies, trying to find the perfect match – only to find at the end of the episode that Phoebe’s grandma had been lying about it being an old family recipe all along, and it was actually just the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of their chocolate chip packaging.

My Own Monica Geller Cookie-Craze

A few years ago, I channeled my inner-Monica Geller and baked up 6 different cookie recipes – including the infamous Nestle Toll House recipe. I invited over 20 of our closest friends, and had a little cookie showdown to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe of my own.

And I found it. I really did find the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s chocolatey, it’s chewy, but crisp on the outside, perfectly moist… everything a chocolate chip cookie should be, in my opinion.

But, it wasn’t Phoebe’s Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. While I was relieved that my own ~homemade~ recipe was better than the standard back-of-the-bag recipe, there’s always been a part of me that wished I could truly say I pulled a Monica.

(Even though, to be clear, I would’ve been extremely annoyed and offended that my own friends and family didn’t choose my recipe over the big name Nestle Tollhouse recipe.)

A Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

But in reality, there would’ve been no reason to be offended! Because Phoebe’s Grandma / Nestle Tollhouse’s cookie recipe is fantastic. They’re flavorful, they’re soft, and best of all, they’re not fussy.

So, while I’d – of course – recommend you use my Ultimate Chocolate Chip cookies recipe for all your cookie-making needs, I also understand that not every occasion calls for a cookie of that caliber.

Maybe you don’t have time to let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour. Or maybe you don’t want to fool around with separating an egg yolk.

Maybe you don’t want to have to pull your phone out of hiding (exposing it to your screen-addicted toddler’s grubby, sticky hands) to pull up the recipe in a blog post.

I get it – when you’ve promised a toddler cookies, and he wants cookies like, now, ain’t nobody got time for any of that nonsense. When you’re at DEFCON-5 with a toddler, you just get to mixing and don’t let the details slow you down.

Or maybe you’re throwing an epic Friends-themed party, so you HAVE to have Phoebe’s grandma’s actual recipe (in which case, I sure hope my invite is in the mail…).

Regardless of your reason for using this classic recipe, you won’t be disappointed. It’s foolproof. There’s a reason it’s possibly the most ubiquitous chocolate chip cookie recipe on earth, and is readily available in grocery stores and pantries all across the globe.

They’re sweet, but not overly so, they have just the right amount of chocolate chips, and they can be as soft or crispy as you’d like, depending on how long you bake them.

Some Quick Chocolate Chip Cookie Baking Tips

The recipe calls for baking 9 to 11 minutes. I like my cookies soft and chewy, so I typically start checking them one or two minutes before the minimum cook time.

Check out the difference in just a couple minutes below. The cookies on the left baked for exactly 9 minutes. The cookies on the right baked for 11 minutes.

It’s incredible the difference just a couple extra minutes can make! Every oven is slightly different and has their own little temperature nuances, so it’s super important to keep a close eye on your cookies in those last few minutes of bake time.

Always make sure to check them every minute or so as they near the end of their baking time.

Another interesting thing to point out about these two batches of cookies:

• the batch on the left went into the oven right after mixing the dough, as the recipe states
• the batch on the right sat and rested for about 30 minutes (while the first batch baked)

Look at how much thicker and fluffier the second batch is! Even though the recipe doesn’t specifically call for letting the dough rest, I’d highly recommend giving it at least 30 minutes, if you can spare it.

(But if you have a toddler raging at you for cookies, then fear not, the first batch was still perfectly delicious. They just spread a bit more than I generally like.)

At the very least, everyone needs to have this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in their repertoire – especially if you’re a Friends fan. It’s a completely foolproof, low-maintenance, turnkey cookie recipe – and you really never know when you’ll need one of those in your back pocket.

{Cookie emergencies are REAL, y’all – my blog does have the word ~hangry~ in it, after all.}

Anyway, give this recipe a shot, and let me know what you think of these chocolate chip cookies!

Phoebe Buffay’s Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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