My first recipe post - Chocolate Chip Cookies!

So last night I baked up some cookie batter that I had made on Sunday for my book club. You should know that when I bake, I do try and keep the ingredients "natural" - I don't use a lot of food coloring, or any false ingredients such as margarine or bisquick. I use King Arthur All-Purpose flour (when the recipe calls for regular flour... when it needs pastry or cake flour, I use that), which is a white flour that is not bleached. I also use Cabot butter - a local-ish business around here, and real sugar and local eggs when I can get them. Things taste differently, becuase the elements that combine to make the whole are of a high quality. It makes a significant difference. I like to keep the butter cold and sometimes I add a little extra flour - it bulks up the recipe and makes the cookies more chewy and round. They don't flatten out as they bake (and then burn).

So, back to the batter. I made some cookies the other day, and didn't bake everything up, because if it's all made and baked then I will eat them, and I am trying to watch my girlish figure.


The larger lumps that you see here are milk chocolate chunks - I ran out of semi-sweet and, I have to say, I like the cookies a lot better - they have a variable taste: some semi-sweet bits here, some milk chocolate bits there.

I scooped everything out using a great spring-loaded cookie scoop - I think I got it from Pampered Chef, and it's a great tool for cookie or muffin batter, or ice cream.


The pan in that photo is also from Pampered Chef - I've found that it is virtually impossible to burn cookies when I'm using a stoneware pan - the stoneware is heavy as hell, but it heats slowly and consistantly, allowing for a slow and consistant bake on the cookie. I no longer use my metal pans, because they will heat up too fast and burn. The only time I've ever burned cookies on the stoneware is when I forgot to set the timer and left the cookies in the over for about a half hour. What a mess. I can't reccommend these pans enough, though. I have some tart pans that I haven't used quite yet, but perhaps soon. And I have an 8" x 8" bar pan, too, that is wonderful - again, no burning, and consistant baking.

A little more background: I have a 29 year-old Jenn-Air electric stove that I hate. It came with the house, and I am really hoping this summer, when we do our remodeling (new roof & dormer), that I can squeek out a couple more bucks from the bank and get a new gas stove, as well as new countertops. The yellow just really has to go. The stove is ok, I just miss cooking and baking with gas. Also: it tends to overcook things at the back of the oven, and undercook those at the front. I suppose I could just stop being lazy and turn the pans halfway through cooking, but I am a little lazy.

After 12-15 minutes in the oven (the first batch always takes a little longer to cook, due to the pans needing a little bit more time to heat up) at 350 degrees, this is what happens:


These cookies were lovely and delicious, with a perfect mouth texture, melting chocolate, and warmth. They are perfect for any time, for comfort food or an after school (or work) treat. They can be modified, with the chocolate being changed to white chocolate, dark chocolate, what have you. Chopped up candy bars (like a Hershey's with Almonds or a Snickers bar) are also excellent. Nuts, or no nuts. It's whatever you want for them to be.

And here's how to do it yourself:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you don't want to clean your pans, line them with silpat or parchement paper.

Take 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar and combine in a standing mixer or bowl. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment of the standing mixer, blend until well combined and creamy.

Add 2 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla, mix until well blended.

Add 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt (I only add salt if I'm using unsalted/sweet butter) gradually, and mix well.

Add 2 cups of semi-sweet chips, or 1 cup of semi-sweet and 1 cup milk chocolate chips, or whatever you want - just make sure there's 2 cups of it. Also: if you want to add 1 cup roughly chopped nuts, this is the time to do it. Mix well, until all ingredients are well combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto pans. I find that you can fit about 15 cookies per pan - 3 up along the short side and 4 to 5 along the long side.

Bake for 12 minutes (15 if you are using stoneware, or if you like your cookies "well done"). Allow to cool for a few minutes so you don't burn the hell out of your mouth, then remove to a cooling rack, and dig in. These are sublime with the stereotypical glass of milk, if that's your bag. Or just standing at the sink, watching the early snowfall cover your yard.