Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi shares her 'secret weapon' for making the best chocolate-chip cookies

• Christina Tosi said the perfect crowd-pleaser dessert is chocolate-chip cookies.
• She said her "secret weapon" is adding non-fat milk powder to the batter.
• Tosi said the powder adds chewiness and a depth of flavor. 

Celebrity pastry chef and television host Christina Tosi is known for her aesthetically pleasing, fun-loving bakery Milk Bar. In addition to celebratory cakes and iconic pies, Tosi also knows her way around classic cookies. 

In an interview about season two of Netflix's "Bake Squad," Tosi, whose most recent cookbook is titled "All About Cookies," told Insider that the treats are a perfect crowd-pleasing dessert.

"They're easy to execute, they transport well, they're crowd-pleasers because then you don't have to deal with, like, whose gonna slice it and how do I transport it," she said.

And when it comes to picking the best cookie to make for any occasion, she says her go-to is a creative twist on a classic.

"I always go back to a base chocolate-chip cookie," Tosi told Insider. "My secret weapon is I add a tablespoon of non-fat milk powder." She said it's easy to find in grocery stores and it adds depth of flavor and chewiness.

"And then I think it just depends on where you take it from there," she added, referencing endless possibilities for mix-ins and extras.

Something Tosi said is having a moment right now is a cherry chocolate-chip cookie, which she said can be achieved by simply crushing up Maraschino cherries and adding them to whatever your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe is.

She also said changing up the shape or texture is a cool way to add a wow factor.

"You can smash them on the table to get that really nice, sort of like almost caved-in cookie effect," she said, or make a giant chocolate-chip cookie pie in a skillet. 

Regardless of whether giant smashed cookies or adding fruit is the way you choose to go, the chef said there are a few rules to keep in mind if you're trying to make a showstopping dessert that everyone at the gathering will love. 

"I think in a crowd-pleasing dessert, you kind of have to go to your lowest common denominator," Tosi said. "You don't want to speak over people, you don't want to bring flavors that are too polarizing in, you just want something that you know is going to be absolutely delicious."

While you might not want to go too experimental with your flavor profiles, Tosi said having "a little bit of a point of view, a little bit of perspective" is a good thing.  So, for Tosi, her solution for a home-run treat is "a great chocolate-chip cookie, a little bit of milk powder, and then something else as an add-in or a different size/shape than you're expecting."

"Keep it simple and classy," she said, "and know what people are going to love. And don't be afraid to be bold enough to show up with it."