What’s in a recipe name? At the very minimum, it should tell you a story. Sometimes the story is as simple as listing the main ingredients (or as complicated, à la “lemony garlicky miso gochujang brown butter gnocchi”). But we’d argue that a cool title will make any recipe exponentially more interesting.
Take Delish’s own Marry Me Chicken, for example. While it doesn’t take much convincing to make a creamy, sun dried tomato sauce sound delicious—the name has a certain ring to it (sorry). The same is true for one particular cookie recipe making the rounds online.
The recipe on everybody’s lips right now is the “Martha Stewart Fired Me” Cookies. Yes, you read that right. In her recently released memoir, The Order of Things, gallerist Sarah Gormley includes her recipe for chocolate chip cookies that she perfected in the wake of getting fired by lifestyle guru Martha Stewart.
“I can’t tell you the whole story of getting fired, because, well, we all love Martha, don’t we? We do,” Gormley writes. “You just need to know that after she fired me and before I landed the next big job, I did certain things.”
Between ordering martinis and taking barre classes, Gormley baked a lot of cookies. It took thirty eight (!) batches to find the perfect formula. And if people’s rave reviews are any indication, the Martha Stewart Fired Me (or MSFM) cookies are pretty special.
I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I decided to make a batch for myself. And, to have a solid baseline, I put the MSFM cookies up against our own chocolate chip cookie recipe from Senior Food Editor Makinze Gore. Here are my unfiltered thoughts.
First, let’s talk logistics. This recipe uses not one, not two, but three different types of sugar. Combining granulated and brown sugar is standard practice for a good CCC, but adding another type of brown sugar to the mix? It’s more fussy, but I’m willing to look past it if the ends justify the means.
Another notable part of Gormley’s recipe is the use of salted butter. It’s technically best practice to use unsalted butter to control your seasoning. But as someone who loves a salt-forward dessert, I was thrilled. In lieu of adding more kosher salt to the dough, Gormley calls for a smaller amount of textured sea salt—in my opinion, another genius idea. Since the butter adds a solid salt baseline, the crunchy grains serve as a burst of flavor and texture in between bites.
The process of putting the dough together is a bit more effort than I’d prefer for a cookie, if I'm completely honest. Gormley instructs us to cream the butter and sugar for three whole minutes, then another few minutes after adding the eggs and vanilla.
This prolonged beating process incorporates a lot of air into the dough and imparts a light and fluffy consistency. For a cake, it’s a crucial step. But air isn’t something you’re always looking for in a cookie. In our recipe, we opt for melted butter to achieve a rich, almost fudgy texture.
Once you’re done mixing your MSFM cookie dough, you could bake it right away. But Gormley strongly recommends chilling your dough for 24 to 48 hours. Delish is also a strong proponent of chilling; it helps with the texture and makes the flavor even more rich.
Another unique part of Gormley’s recipe is banging the baking sheet on the counter after your cookies come out of the oven. This technique helps develop beautiful crinkles on the surface and a chewy center—and it’s one that we love.
After several hours of patiently waiting, I had two different batches of cookies to try. And after a rigorous taste test, I’ve come to my conclusion: both recipes are amazing for different reasons.
The MSFM cookies strike a lovely balance between a crisp exterior and chewy center. The extra molasses from the dark brown sugar certainly helps with the chew. It’s absolutely loaded with chocolate. (FYI, there’s more chocolate than flour or sugar in this recipe)
Our recipe is similarly rich in flavor with crispy edges. But instead of a chewy, slightly cakey center, the interior is soft and tender with a distinct butteriness. You can thank the use of melted butter here—without whipping air into the dough, the cookies are dense in the best way possible. Another perk for fellow lazy people: you don’t have to spend several minutes beating the butter for our recipe.
I might be sliiiightly biased, but Delish’s chocolate chip cookie will continue to be my go-to recipe. But that doesn’t mean Gormley’s Martha Stewart Fired Me Cookies are any less delicious. And let’s be real, it’s definitely winning in the name department.
