AI helped me satiate a cookie craving
Tips for getting the recipe you want [closer to] the first try
Can I create a recipe? As we know, LLMs utilize training data from across the entire web. That means they have extensive knowledge of cookie recipes. They also have a deep understanding of how the ingredients we cook with interact with one another.
That said, if you ask for a "cakey" chocolate chip cookie, the LLM will likely rely on its recipe knowledge first before creating a wholly new cookie recipe for you.
Now, as you are all aware, big cookie has categorized chocolate chip cookies into three neat categories:
Thin and crispy
Chewy
Thick and gooey
Of course, there are variations, such as vegan, paleo, with nuts, and with sea salt on top, among other options. If you search the web and socials for cakey cookies, you will most likely receive the following two types:
Chewy, masquerading as an SEO fill-in for a cakey cookie.
Levain-style, named after the bakery of the same name in New York, which has gained internet fame for its scone-like cookies.
It was no surprise that whenever I asked ChatGPT for a cakey cookie, I received some variation of the cosplaying “chewy” or the Levain style. There was a tell-tale sign that my AI and I were not on the same page, and it was a single word: Crispy [shudder].
That’s right, the “chewy” con artist that was dragging it up as a cakey cookie always had crispy edges. Even the Levain-style “cakey” cookies feature a crispy exterior and fluffy interior.
Frustration prompting is real
Sometimes, when you chat with AI and feel you're not getting what you want, there's a temptation to start yelling by adding exclamation marks, capital letters, and carefully selected words not allowed on US broadcast TV.
Instead, you have two choices. If you feel you are providing the best information possible, start a new chat. Sometimes that is all it takes.
On the other hand, maybe you need to step back and think like you’re talking to a good friend who usually gets you. Rather than yelling at them, you step back, ask to take a moment, and re-engage with a different approach.
I went for the latter approach by adding more expectations as to what “cakey” means to me:
Chat Prompt: The cookie should not be chewy. It should be dense and cakey, and it should not be crispy, although I understand that the bottom might have a slight crispiness due to the sugar and butter content.
That is when ChatGPT realized what I needed: “Okay, you want a chocolate chip cookie in the style of a muffin top, but not as fluffy! 🎉”
Party popper emoji, indeed! 🎉
I immediately received a recipe that matched my desired craving, but it wasn't quite right.
Browned butter was a popular option, so I told it to stop with that nonsense. There was no way I was going to bake a cookie over a short lunch break by browning butter. Sour cream and Greek yogurt were great ideas to add a little tang of flavor, and the good news is I had Greek yogurt in the fridge, so I was all in with that option.
There were numerous egg iterations, including some with two eggs, others with two egg whites and no yolks, and so on. Ultimately, I asked ChatGPT for flavor first and cakiness second, so we landed on one whole egg plus one egg white.
Time to make and bake
After mixing all the ingredients, the raw dough tasted incredible, and I could tell we were on the right track.
Now, it came down to cooking the cookie, which was quite confusing. It may be because of my custom instructions (traits) where I ask ChatGPT to challenge my thinking, but the baking instructions were quite confusing, with instructions like:
"Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 8-11 minutes." Or, "Refrigerate for 20 minutes and cook them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-11 minutes."
Wait, the same cook time for room temperature at a 50-degree difference? I told ChatGPT what I wanted:
These cookies must be cakey, so you define exactly what I should do after I form the cookies. Be specific with timing and temperature. Do not offer options or variations.
That prompt yielded the final result: “refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes to allow the butter to firm up again, and then cook them at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes.”
While the recipe states that the cookie should be golden brown on top, it is more pale, which led me to question the proper internal temperature. Ultimately, ChatGPT suggested that 175°F is the best internal temperature. But I went for 195°F. The bottom did have a thin veil of crispiness, but it certainly did not detract from the perfectly cakey inside crumb I was looking for.
Recipe prompting tips
Looking back on the experience, my chats were lengthy and occasionally frustrating. If I had taken a step back and thought about the result first, our little collaboration would have yielded a faster outcome.
Next time, I will pretend I am writing an article about the food I want to eat, thinking about my senses and expectations.
Here are some tips to get what you want sooner, rather than fighting with the AI's instincts (e.g., recipe training data):
Be very clear about what you are looking for. An adjective like “cakey” may not be enough. If you do not have the right words, think about what it might look like when cooked or how it feels in your mouth when you bite into it:
What should it do in the oven? Do you want it to get all runny and gooey when it bakes? Should it puff up? Should it hold its shape?
What should it look like when it comes out of the oven? Should it be black as night, pale as the moon? Brown as a fallen leaf?
What do you want to happen when you bite into it? Should it crunch between your teeth? Should it fall apart as you bite into it? Would you like it to be firm with a light chew?
What happens when it touches your tongue? Should it be soft with warm chocolate oozing out? Should it break into small pieces, allowing the chocolate and the cookie to spread different textures and flavors across your tongue? Should it have a light tang to it, or should it be all chocolate all the time?
As you go through the recipe design, you may find that adding some constraints is helpful. Describe what you do and do not want. For example:
I want to use unsalted butter.
I want to use dark chocolate.
I do not want to add nuts or coconut.
Minimize the time and effort required to prepare and cook (that is what helped me stop the thought process of browning the butter).
Be specific about how you want the AI to present the recipe. For example, in my case, the recipe looked great, but it might say "1-2 teaspoons of salt" or "Greek yogurt (optional)." I do not want to guess, so here is a way to sort that out:
Prompt: Provide the precise recipe as I should prepare it. Do not include optional ingredients or steps. You may provide suggested recipe variations at the end, but the recipe must stand by itself.
Got it, Bill. So what’s a prompt for your cookies?
An LLM rarely gives you the same response twice, so I cannot promise the same result. However, with the power of hindsight, I can provide a prompt that will help you get very close to what I wanted when I started the chat.
You can, of course, copy and paste the following prompt. However, I suggest starting without the constraints, as you may be limiting your creativity. As I mentioned earlier, you can always add constraints while chatting.
My final cakey cookie prompt:
I want a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is:
Cakey: dense and muffin-top-like in texture, but not fluffy like a cupcake or dry like a biscuit.
Not chewy and not crispy: not even around the edges.
Slightly tangy is okay (e.g. with Greek yogurt or sour cream), but focus on chocolate cookie flavor and the cakey texture.
I want the dough to hold its shape when scooped, and the final cookie should not spread. Think firm, thick, and soft. The tops should appear pale brown or just set, not golden brown.
Ingredient constraints:
No browned butter.
Use unsalted butter that’s softened, not melted.
You may use a mix of granulated and brown sugar, but not in amounts that create a crispy edge.
At least one whole egg for flavor, but you can add additional eggs, whites, or yolks so long as it maintains moisture for lightness, but not fluffiness.
I want a little tang, so include sour cream, yogurt, or similar, but remember it is still a chocolate chip cookie before all else.
Cooking instructions should include:
Precise recommendations (whether to refrigerate first or place directly into the oven after forming).
Precise baking temperature (no vague ranges).
Clear note on appearance when done (set tops, lightly golden bottoms, still pale).
Please provide the exact recipe with no optional ingredients in the main list. You can suggest variations to explore at the end, but the recipe must stand on its own as a complete recipe.
What if you Google “Muffin Top Chocolate Chip Cookies”?
In hindsight, if I had the right words to describe what I wanted, I could have searched for ‘muffin top cookies,’ but it was not until the AI collaboration was nearly complete that those words came together.
Once the muffin top idea came up, I searched Google and recipe websites for which I have a subscription. There are indeed recipes that exist! However, they did not look the way I wanted them to.
Worse, that “chewy” cookie was catfishing me as a “cakey” cookie in more than a few of the first results on the search pages.
At the end of the day, my ChatGPT cookie scratched my craving itch and delivered exactly what I wanted.
Recipe, please! And not behind a paywall!
But of course! I like to use an app called Paprika to store my recipes, so please find the PDF output below.
Enjoy!
