REVIEW: Trying Cookies That Take 1 Minutes, 45 Minutes, 72 Hours

I tried recipes for 1-minute, 45-minute, and 72-hour cookies to see which one is really worth it.
The 1-minute recipe was made in the microwave and produced a dry cookie.
The 45-minute recipe made perfect cookies, and the chill step in the 72-hour recipe was worth it.

Every chocolate-chip cookie recipe claims to be "the best." But there are so many little tweaks that can completely change the texture and flavor of a cookie.

I decided to try three recipes for classic chocolate-chip cookies with different preparation times — one minute, 45 minutes, and 72 hours.

Read on to see which recipe was best.

The microwave made the 1-minute cookie possible

ingredients for the 2-minute cookie recipe — The ingredients made one cookie.

I started with a quick, one-serving recipe from the YouTube channel Emma's Goodies.

It's labeled as a one-minute recipe, which refers to how long it takes in the microwave, but with gathering and mixing ingredients, it was actually several minutes.

This recipe was as easy as it seemed, but it certainly took longer than a minute

mixing ingredients for 2-minute cookie — All I had to do was combine everything.

The cookie recipe was easy to follow.

I mixed the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients separately then combined them into a thick dough before folding in the chocolate chips.

preparing 2-minute cookie for microwave — I placed all the dough on a small plate.

The video tutorial said to place the dough on parchment paper, but I didn't have any on hand, so I just used a small plate to microwave the cookie for one minute.

The texture was too rough and dry for my liking

prepared 2 minute cookie — The cookie needed more moisture.

I was surprised by how well the cookie held together when I picked it up. But the bottom stuck to the plate, reminding me that I should've buttered it beforehand.

cross section of the 2 minute cookie — The center of the cookie wasn't soft.

The cookie had a dry, tough texture, and not even the center was soft. But the flavor was actually OK.

I've had little luck making "baked" goods in the microwave because the texture always ends up dry.

With the prep time, this recipe ended up taking me about 10 minutes. My favorite cookie recipe from Duff Goldman only takes about 20 minutes, so I wouldn't try this again.

The 45-minute recipe was a pretty classic version of the dessert

ingredients for 45 minute cookie — I wasn't surprised by any of these ingredients.

Next, I tested the "Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe from Food Network.

The ingredients were all standard, right down to the semisweet chocolate chips.

The recipe actually ended up taking me less than 45 minutes

mixing ingredients for 45 minute cookies — I combined the ingredients in a stand mixer.

Prepping the dough didn't take long. I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, combined the wet ingredients in a stand mixer, added the dry to the wet, and folded in the chocolate chips.

45 minute cookies in the oven — I only ended up baking them for around eight minutes.

I'm happy I read the comments because many people mentioned the listed baking time of 12 to 15 minutes was too long. I tried eight to nine minutes, which was the sweet spot.

It was nearly impossible to eat just one of these at a time

prepared 45 minute cookie — These cookies were smaller than the first one.

This recipe made smaller cookies that came out with lightly crisped bottoms and pillowy, melty centers — which made them irresistible.

I'm not ashamed to say I ate at least two every time I reached for them.

cross section of the 45 minute cookies — The texture of these cookies was amazing.

Even after they cooled, the centers stayed soft, which is evidence of a winning recipe.

The 72-hour cookie recipe sounded intimidating, but it was actually very easy

ingredients for 72 hour cookies — This recipe call for the most ingredients.

I was excited to dig into New York Times Cooking's adaptation of pastry chef Jacques Torres' cookies.

The recipe itself takes about 45 minutes, but it suggests chilling the dough for up to 72 hours — a true test of willpower.

The ingredients were a little different than the first two recipes. Rather than all-purpose, it called for a mixture of cake and bread flours. The trickiest ingredient was the addition of chocolate feves (specialty flat disks).

I couldn't find them at local supermarkets, and they were at least $30 online. Not interested in spending a small fortune for one recipe, I switched my search to chocolate disks and found more affordable options for about $8.

Once my ingredients were secured, the rest was a breeze

mixing ingredients for 72 hour cookies — I used a mixer again for this recipe.

Like the other two versions, this recipe followed the simple formula of mixing wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls before combining them.

adding chocolate chips to 72 hour cookies — I carefully folded in the chocolate chips.

The biggest trick was gently folding in the chocolate discs without breaking them, so they'll make little pools of chocolate within the cookies.

I transferred the dough onto a long sheet of plastic wrap, sealed it tightly, and popped it in the fridge for 72 hours.

72-hour cookie dough on a prepared baking tray — The dough was thoroughly chilled.

After the three days, the recipe suggested adding a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the dough balls before baking — which I loved for a sweet-and-salty flavor.

I tasted these cookies with and without chill time, and the extra hours really made a difference

prepared 72 hour cookie — The chill time really did make a difference.

To really put these to the test, I took out some of the dough before chilling and baked six cookies right away.

These turned out very good and chocolaty. They were pretty crisp without being burnt, they didn't spread too much, and the interiors were so soft and gooey from the chocolate that they were falling apart.

cross section of 72 hour cookie — The chocolate was distributed throughout the cookie.

But after baking the chilled dough, I found that version had an even better texture.

The exterior was nice and crisp, and the top had picture-perfect ripples. There was tons of chocolate throughout the cookie, and the sea salt was key to balancing out all that sweetness.

Once cooled, these were slightly tougher in the center, but still delicious.

When it comes to chocolate-chip cookies, you shouldn't cut corners

paige bennett with 72 hour cookie — I'd make the 72-hour cookie again.

After testing these three recipes, I found that no matter how desperate I am for chocolate-chip cookies, it isn't worth it to take the microwave route.

The best cookies come with a little extra time, the right ingredients, and an oven.

Because I prefer a softer chocolate-chip cookie, the 45-minute recipe was my favorite. But I'd also happily make the 72-hour recipe again.

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I made 1-minute, 45-minute, and 72-hour chocolate-chip cookies, and I'd happily wait 3 days again