Good news! This morning I baked a Doubletree Hotel cookie clone that actually tastes like the real thing. They're called Christie Cookies, and I found the recipe in a collection where someone said it was the same as the Doubletree Hotel cookie. I was skeptical at first, so I did a little more research.
According to both Cooking with Amy and a Doubletree website, the Christie Cookies recipe is supposed to be the one used by Doubletree. Up until now, I’ve been using various clones, but having eaten a few actual Doubletree cookies this year, I think this copycat is more like the real thing.
It's possible the key ingredient is "Brickle Bits", which are little bits of toffee you find in the baking aisle. In most cases I find them sticky and annoying, but in this recipe they blend right in and add just a hint of extra chewiness and flavor.
Update: I've made these cookies several times and while they are good, I've come to the conclusion that they're not really that much like the original DoubleTree cookies. They're good, but just not the same. They seem to have too many oats. Here's a link to the recipe if you want to try it anyway. I now prefer this DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookie clone or better yet, this old one from Sunset called Chocolate Chip Cookies at Their Best. It's an older one that reminds me more of the hotel cookies.
d says
Just made these today and they are wonderful! I only had a small amount of brickle bits left over and only had some maple glazed pecans to add but they were great! Loved the thickness, the chewiness and would definitely make these again. Thanks for posting another great recipe Anna.
Brandy says
Ok...I made these again tonight, everything the same but added the 1/2 cup coconut and I added the grated milk chocolate bar! Huge difference! and way better! Now they taste like the real DoubleTree Cookies!
Brandy says
I have had the double tree cookies before and just made these last week. I don't really think they taste like the Double Tree's but they are very good. I like to add about 1/2 a cup of coconut to them too. My kids love them! I chill the dough before baking and don't bake them for long at all or they get really dry and crispy. About 8 minutes max! unless you like them crunchy. I over baked the first batch so I threw them in a ziploc with a couple pieces of wheat bread. Next day they were nice and soft! 🙂
Rachel says
I just made these and they're very good cookies, but don't really taste like doubletree cookies. I only chilled them for half an hour, though, so that might have something to do with it.
Carlyn says
I know I'm a bit late to the party but I just made these and they are PHENOMENAL! I've never had a DoubleTree cookie, but if they're anything like these were than it's a no brainer on why they're so popular!!
I LOVE the ground up oats...such a great addition!
Mauro Trejo says
Christie's Cookie Company is the provider for Doubletree Cookie Dough to all of the Doubletree's. Their recipe should not be a clone, but the real deal. While it is now touted as a "secret" recipe, for years, you could go into any Doubletree and ask for the recipe and it would be given to you. In the mid 90's, Doubletree gave the recipe over to Christie's to help insure consistency throughout the brand.
Tina says
I am currently staying in a Double Tree... their cookies are amazing and I am totally addicted to them!!! I am thrilled to find some copycat recipes to try when I get home...
Eileen says
Here are the ingredients from the package from when I stayed there last month. (probably listed by weight)
Chocolate chips, flour, walnuts, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, rolled oats, lemon juice concentrate, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
Jessica says
Anna -
my boyfriend stayed at a doubletree in chicago and i made him bring some back for me. the ingredients were listed on the back of the package! the only thing this recipe is missing is lemon extract.
carolina says
i made these without the brittle and the walnuts...
check them out here:
http://summerofbaking.blogspot.com/2010/07/big-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Jenn says
calorie and fat content?? i was looking for the doubletree recipe nutritional info. we stay at doubletrees sometimes with work and i usually always eat (at least) one cookie.. but no one has the nutritional info.. i made your cookies and i think that you are pretty spot on.
Anna says
Jackie, I usually just chop it up. If I do need to grate it, I just scrape it across a microplane.
Jackie says
Hi Anna
How do you grate chocolate?
Elena says
I tried these over the weekend and was pleasantly pleased with the cookie. I've not had good results in the past with the ground oats, maybe I need a sharper blade in my mini-prep. My only complaint is the cookie seemed a bit greasy when baked on a Silpat.
Sue says
I finally got to make these and I think they are wonderful and taste like I remember the Doubletree Cookies tasting. Mine were a little thin on the edges but a nice thickness in the middle. My butter was softened and I weighed the flour, oats and sugar. I only baked a few of them and put the rest of the dough in refrigerator. I'll bake the rest later after chilling. Friends ate the first ones I baked and they all liked them. I'll let you know how they are after the dough is chilled. I think chilling will help to even the spread since my butter was soft. Either way they're delicious!!
Fat Fudge says
I tasted the real Doubletree Cookie and I didn't think they were any good. Yours look a lot better.
Lisa Ernst says
I went to the Christie Cookie website and found they sell a separate cookie they call the "Doubletree" cookie. It is a different cookie from the original Christie Cookie. I'm pretty sure the original Christie Cookie didn't use oat flour, and definitely not oats, just the basics along with the brickle bits. Now I want to go and try one again. They have a shop nearby, and I haven't had a Christie Cookie in at least five years.
Anna says
Hi! Thanks for the comments. I really loved these cookies and am so happy a few people have reported back with good reviews. I'm typing on a tiny netbook today and will only answer comments with questions, but thanks for all of them!
Sue, now that I've found this recipe I'll be buying BIts o' Brickle on a regular basis.
Judi, I'm not sure if the toffee comes across as a cinnamony flavor, but it may. I don't particular care for cinnamon in chocolate chip cookies and even if it was listed in the ingredients, I probably would have left it out. That being said, it was not listed in the Christie Cookie ingredient list. Next time I stay at a Doubletree, I'll try harder to detect the cinnamon. If it's in there, it's just a little bit. I've seen other clone recipes that list it along with the lemon juice. After this recipe, I wouldn't bother with those clones.
DPLK - Thanks! Your link is correct. I linked to the clone recipe. After I submit this comment, I'll change the link. About the NYT cookies, they are great! One problem I have with them is they are ALL about texture and they lose their great texture on Day 2.
That's just my personal opinion, though. I know they are wildly popular with bakers so maybe I'm just too finicky or like crunchy edged cookies better.
Shelly, yes -- they're toffee bits 🙂 They are the kind without chocolate.
Linda, it's definitely similar to the Urban Legend cookies but better. Or at least I thought so. The toffee bits must have made a difference. I also ground the oatmeal up very fine in a coffee grinder and I think that helped. I'm going to try these again with the Hershey Bar, but I think I'll chop it rather than grate it.
LisAway, maybe I'll send some toffee bits to Poland for Christmas.
Lisa, thanks for the scoop on Christie cookies. Do you think they might use oat flour?
carolyn says
Looks so yummy! Ok, but what are brickle bits?
Lisa Ernst says
Anna, the Christie Cookie originated in Nashville in the '80's by a man named Christie Hauck. There are still "Christie Cookie" stores and mall kisosks in Nashville (they now sell gelato too) plus they ship lots of tins of their cookies at Christmas time. For many years it was my favorite CCC. The original has no oats or walnuts, but it does have a mix of dark and milk chocolate plus the brickle bits. They are very gooey and soft on the inside and absolutely loaded with chips (the way I like them). Slowly my taste changed to prefer a less sweet cookie with only dark chocolate, so I don't buy these any more, but I'm sure I'd still enjoy one!
LisAway says
Oh, and also, this (as most batters that include oats) is the BEST batter for eating raw (if you're not afraid of raw eggs, of course).
LisAway says
Made these yummy cookies last night. We don't have the toffee bits in Poland so I omitted them and added some cinnamon and replaced half the chips with dried cranberries. Great cookies! Thanks, Anna!
Linda says
Made these last night...I had a Cadbury's milk chocolate bar, so I grated about 2 tablespoons and added that. The cookies are great, but with the addition of the grated chocolate, I should have schooched up the salt to a full 1/2 teaspoon. I have seen a copy cat Doubletree recipe that included a small amount of lemon juice.
It also seems to me that this is a variation on the urban legend Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. I don't recall the proportions on that, but it did include the ground oatmeal and chocolate...
Therese B. says
I made your Minnesota cookies on Friday. I didn't have the toffe bits but, I replaced
that with more toasted pecans. I like my pecans toasted so I put them in a small
baking pan...sprayed it with butter flavored pan..tossed the pecans and added
some salt. They were delish! I took them to my great-nephew's birthday party...
great reviews!!
These look great too!!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
these look good, but i have never had a doubletree cookie.!
Are the Bits of brittle like toffee bits? don't know if I have ever seen them.
Sweets By Vicky says
It feeels super rewarding finding a REAL clone recipe...it's like, EUREKA! 🙂 Awesome job anna, and again, thanks for doing all the hardwork!
DPLK says
Follow-up: I just found the Christie Cookie recipe on Recipezaar that you probably used, it's here: http://www.recipezaar.com/christie-cookies-copycat-378575
I'm intrigued to try both versions, although I have no frame of reference, haha. I just baked the NYT CCC today for the first time, they were really impressive and delicious. I left out the salt at the end, and I regretted it, because the cookies came out a little too sweet--the salt would have helped. Texture wise, although it is impressively bakery-style, I think I somewhat prefer the new CI CCC recipe better. Love that browned butter.
DPLK says
I was just reading about the Doubletree cookies the other day in the NYT article archives! Never stayed at Doubletree, but hearing about these cookies have convinced me to look into it next time I travel.
Is it just me, or is the recipe on Recipezaar that you linked to not exactly like the one you posted? The recipezaar recipe doesn't have the Bits o' Brickle and proportionally much less oats and different ratios of ingredients. Was there another recipe that is stated to be a Christie's Cookies clone that you modeled your recipe to? Thanks!
Cheryl says
These sound and look great! Perfect for rainy day baking:)
Erin M says
Thanks so much for this recipe. My sister is addicted and I can't wait to make her a batch.
Judi says
I love the doubletree cookies! Do you think the brickle mimics cinnamon? The doubletree cookies have a distinct cinnamon taste?
sheena says
I can't wait to try these! I have become addicted to trying chocolate chip cookie recipies you post. Thanks!!
Sue says
Thanks for sharing this!! This is a real find. I love the Doubletree cookies. They're such a treat after a long trip. If only they had a nice cup of hot tea waiting for me to go along with my cookie. LOL!
I was going to make the Minnesota Munchers, but planned on buying Heath Bars and chopping them up instead of buying the bits of brickle, but now you've convinced me that the bits of brickle are worth having around. My thoughts about them are similar to yours, but there is a time and place for everything right!? And now you've found a great use for them!! Yeah!!