I’m tired of recipe research. As a longtime baker, I am often looking out for new recipes to add to my Rolodex, but I have become increasingly aggravated by the pages and pages of information before every single digital recipe. Whether a recipe is on a blog, online forum or renowned website, it is bound to be packed with what I would consider unnecessary context and background information.  

Perhaps I have grown old and bitter, but I am tired of the endless scrolling it takes just to get to the recipe. Because I no longer want to read someone’s sappy story about their grandma baking a peach cobbler on a warm summer night, I have chosen to search for an alternative to my go-to baking blogs. Testing a new recipe search engine, I decided to conduct a baking experiment: I asked ChatGPT for a recipe. In order to keep the parameters fair, I kept it simple — a chocolate chip cookie. 

The Ask 

The input for this recipe is similar to any other ChatGPT prompt. I simply typed, “Give me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.” No more than five seconds later, I had a recipe in front of me. I avoided any additional descriptive language, such as “the best” or “five-star,” as I wanted a standardized experience. 

The Recipe

1 cup, or 2 sticks, unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

The ChatGPT-generated recipe was similar to the many chocolate chip cookie recipes I had seen before. Though the recipe asked for a lot more sugar and flour than I was used to, I kept an open mind and continued with the instructions. 

The Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips — and nuts if using.
7. Scoop dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them about two inches apart.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
9. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
10. Enjoy! 

Overall, the recipe follows the traditional step-by-step process that would be followed for any cookie. Starting with creaming the butter and sugar together, adding in the rest of the wet ingredients, combining the wet mixture with the dry ingredients and finally folding in the chocolate chips, the recipe is straightforward and concise. 

While the recipe was clear to me, it is important to note that it’s not particularly beginner-friendly. In order to be concise, the recipe cuts out the additional descriptive language that would provide a baker with the appropriate knowledge to produce a cookie. Things like creaming butter and sugar together make sense to me, but I have to wonder how a beginner would fare.  

I followed the recipe perfectly, and after a few minutes of mixing, I had cookie dough. The dough — which had to be tasted, of course — was sweet, rich and creamy. After tasting it, it was evident that these cookies were going to pass the test. 

I quickly rolled the dough into small balls and spaced them out on a baking sheet. The recipe says to bake them for 10-12 minutes, but I found that 11 minutes was the perfect amount of time to see a golden crust and a chewy middle. 

Once I pulled them out of the oven, my entire dorm room was filled with the scent of freshly baked cookies, and it was time for the hardest part: waiting for them to cool. 

The Results

I waited just long enough for the cookie to hold its shape while still being warm and chewy. The cookies came out with a nice golden crust along the edges but maintained a soft, gooey center. I have tried many chocolate chip cookie recipes in my time baking, but this had to be one of my favorites. I gave these cookies out to my roommates, friends and coworkers and they all shared the same feedback — they were so sweet and chocolatey. These were a hit. 

The Reflection 

I cannot deny the fact that these cookies were absolutely delicious. The recipe, though it lacked specificity, was well-constructed and created a delightful baked good. However, when my friends inevitably asked me if I made the cookies, I couldn’t help but feel like I wasn’t fully telling the truth when I said yes. I felt as though I had skipped over the most crucial step, which just could not be ignored — I didn’t feel a connection to this recipe.

Weirdly, I started thinking about my experience with baking. When I was in elementary school, my dad reduced our cable package to the basic channels. Having lost my favorite channel, Cartoon Network, I began watching Food Network to ease my boredom. I quickly became fascinated by shows like “Cake Wars” and “Kids Baking Championship” and decided I wanted to bake too. The rest is history, and I have been baking since then. 

As any Southern grandma would say, the secret — and most important — ingredient to any recipe is love, and truly, that’s what these ChatGPT cookies were missing. These weren’t “Grandma Diane’s Famous Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies” — these were some randomly generated cookies with no story and no soul.

In the past, I have been frustrated with the stories and explanations behind recipes, but I understand that baking is personal. It is a craft that is intertwined with relationships and memories. Perhaps ChatGPT is not a necessary tool in this case. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll — allegedly — still use the app to summarize a reading for class, but baking, just like any other creative artform, should be left for people to do. In this case, everyone has their own story and connection to baking, so maybe the top of a recipe is the perfect place for that story to be shared.

Contact Dylan Henschen at [email protected].