I’d never heard of Tate’s Bakeshop until yesterday. DPLK commented that their chocolate chip cookie recipe should be listed in the Top 10. Intrigued, I did a search and learned all I could about Tate’s, then checked Amazon and recognized their cookbook, Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads
as one that had been recommended.
Then today something funny happened. During my usual scan of the cookie aisle at the grocery store down the street, what should appear but a bag of Tate’s Chocolate Chip cookies for $5.00. That was a lot for a bag of packaged cookies, but given that I’d just bought Tate's cookbook I figured I'd give them a try.
The Tate's cookies are excellent. As far as the clone recipe, I don’t see how it could come close to the store-bought version. They have that factory texture that’s hard to replicate at home, but they also have a really interesting flavor that reminds me of cookies I’ve bought in London. I'm guessing it's something in the butter. European style, perhaps? These are a bargain at $5.00 a bag and I can’t wait for my book to arrive!
Picture of Copycat Tate's Bakeshop Cookies
Update: There are several copycats online and Tate's Bake Shop included a recipe in the Tate's Bakeshop Cookbook. Recently, Stella Parks came up with a Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookie clone made in a food processor. Here's the link to that recipe on Serious Eats, and here's a photo of what the (my!) Serious Eats Tate's Bake Shop cookies look like.
If after reading all this you decide that what you really want is a thick, chunky chocolate chip cookie, I recommend Nutty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Martha says
Your post led me to visit our local upscale grocery store yesterday where I purchased my first bag of Tate's Bake Shop cookies.
All I can say is wow! (I thought I was clearly entrenched in the chewy chocolate chip cookie camp, but not any longer.) These were buttery, crisp, light, and addictive.
I opened both rolls of cookies and placed them in a non-airtight cookie jar and they are as crisp today as yesterday. (Of course living in Phoenix helps on that front.)
I think you will love the Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook. Sunday I made a half batch of the Chuckies (p .42 - a chewy cookie full of bittersweet chocolate chunks, macadamia nuts and toasted coconut) that my husband and stepson said were the best cookies to come out of my oven yet.
I also have Kathleen's first cookbook, a small spiral bound paperback published in 1990, that now trades for a premium on Amazon. Both cookbooks are full of great recipes for delicious home-style baked treats.
Emily says
Well, then. Sounds to me like you'll just have to finish the roll when you open it 🙂
Anna says
Emily, you are right. They are quite addictive. In fact, I had one today and one turned to more.
What's interesting is that the bag of store-bought cookies comes with two sealed rolls. When I opened the first roll of cookies, they were extremely crunchy and delicious. The next day I tried a cookie, and even though I'd sealed it in the larger bag, the cookie had become chewy! They didn't taste as good either. So today I opened the second roll (again, there was a big bag containing two sealed rolls) and the cookies were cruncy. So my guess is they don't use any preservatives. I sealed the rest as best I could and put them in the freezer. Hopefully they'll stay crisp.
About London, try the Harrod's food hall. They have all kinds of cookies. I like the shortbread -- specifically the ones in the bear tins. I don't think you could go wrong with the cookies at Harrod's. Or maybe you could, but I haven't yet.
Emily says
YUM! So glad you found these 🙂
I LOVE these cookies. I am typically not a crunchy chocolate chip cookie type girl, but these are so delicious and basically melt in your mouth from all that butter! I have relatives in Bridgehampton and discovered these when I spent a week sitting around on the beach with them eating Tate's cookies (cause lets face it, it's hard to stop!).
I also have been making these at home for some time now. I use the recipe that I think is from here: http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2005/0312334176_1.html , but couldn't be sure since I wrote it on a recipe card years ago. I'm at work so I can't check it with my card. They're not perfect of course, but I've found that all you have to do is bake them until you're SURE they'll be overbaked, and then the texture is almost perfect. Took me several batches to get that right, being the "chewy" cookie type it scared me to bake them so long. Wait till even the centers are brown, and then let them cool completely (harden the chocolate chips). You're probably right about the butter being something special though!
What are these cookies you bought in London? I'm going in June and might need to snag some!
Beth says
I learned about Tate's cookie's when I moved further out on Long Island. I had tasted them on the Orient Point Ferry where they are sold by the bag. They are unbelievably fresh, crispy, buttery and delicious. Well I just had to make my own so I found the cookbook in the local library. They tasted different of course but the family still loved them. I think you will enjoy the cookbook and the stories throughout are just as charming as the recipes.
Anna says
Hi M,
The store-bought ones definitely taste buttery. I've been craving really crunchy cookies lately, so that's probably why I like them so munch. Thanks so much for the tip on the blondies. My cookbook should arrive soon and I will try that recipe. I'm actually making two different blondie recipes today and am having fun comparing the two.
M says
I grew up on Tate's cookies living in Southampton as a kid (even remember back when they were Kathleen's). I can't vouch for the homemade version of the Chocolate Chip Cookies from the cookbook, but the recipe for the Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts is to DIE for. I always thought the homemade ones by my Mom were much better than the store bought version. Maybe I'm just being biased, but the store bought version seemed a little more buttery and preservative-y.
Definitely give those a try!
DPLK says
Wow, you have them at your local market? That's pretty awesome =) The link you posted in your reply comment on the other post is indeed the exact recipe from the book. I unfortunately do still use volume measurements for my baking, so I can't tell you which equivalent weight would be more accurate. Maybe you could scale down the recipe in Cookie Madness style, and try both ends of the spectrum of weights, and compare side by side against the bought cookies!
Regarding the texture issue--I think the butter flavor definitely replicated at home when I made them, but as I mentioned before, I made them too big generally and so they came out chewier and thicker. I've found that the industry-secret couple-day resting method gets the home texture more similar to factory-style texture for other cookies (I haven't tried it for this recipe), so maybe you could modify the recipe in that way if making the recipe verbatim doesn't produce the right texture.
I'm really glad you liked them! Let me know how they turn out when you make them yourself.
Carolyn T from tastingspoons.com says
Oh, gracious! Another cc cookie recipe coming down the pike? Wow. I did like your Wellesley ones, then you gave us the one-bowl ones, and those have become my favorites (thinner and more crispy for me, thank you). I'll be waiting with baited breath . . .
Katrina says
Those look like your kind of ccc, like the Wellesley one. I love them all, but prefer the bigger thick ccc's.