DoubleTree shared its secret chocolate chip cookie recipe, and it contains fresh lemon juice

With Americans across the country suddenly at home, iconic brands have sought to keep the connection with their fans alive by releasing their top-secret recipes. When the fast-casual chain Chipotle recently shared its proprietary recipe on social media, fans went wild. As it turns out, it only takes a simple six ingredients and six steps to reach guac perfection.

While DoubleTree by Hilton isn't a restaurant, it's also brand synonymous with food. One of the biggest perks of booking a DoubleTree hotel is knowing a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie will be there to greet you when you check-in. More than 30 million of the sweet treats are consumed every year, according to Hilton. The cookie is also famous for being the first food to be baked in orbit on the International Space Station. 

One unexpected ingredient in the batter is lemon juice, which brightens up this cookie dough. These cookies are flawless, but if you can't find some of the ingredients at the store, you can easily make substitutions. For example, I've made these before with sliced almonds and steel-cut oats instead of walnuts and rolled outs. I also swap out the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips sometimes I make these at home. These cookies expand as they bake, so one tip for first-time bakers is to be follow the instructions for spacing before you pop your dough into the oven. 

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Recipe: DoubleTree Signature Cookie Recipe

Makes 26 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cinnamon
• 2 2/3 cups Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 cups chopped walnuts 

Instructions:

1. Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. 
2. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down bowl. 
3. With mixer on low speed, add flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don't overmix. 
4. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Portion dough with a scoop (about 3 tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. 
6. Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft. 
7. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about 1 hour.

Cook's note: You can freeze the unbaked cookies, and there's no need to thaw. Preheat oven to 300°F and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.

Hilton has also made a downloadable PDF version of the recipe available here.