Chips off the block Cookies

"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool.

Shun him.

He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple.

Teach him."

Sir William Osler

Thanks William, again.

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Taking that quote - I am confident that these cookies are very good.

If you have a better recipe - by all means - teach me.

I am not trying to re-incarnate Julia Child here - just offering some of my recipes for you...

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There is something comforting about baking.

I usually bake after a bad day at work and find it strangely soothing.

Is it the knowledge of the taste of the final product?

Perhaps.

Though often I find I don't eat much of the final product at all (see pancake recipe or waffles...). There is an attraction - a deep seated satisfaction -

in seeing a pile of flour, sticks of butter, cups of sugar, eggs

all arrive at a final destination that can create and elicit so many forgotten memories...

I can remember clearly the times I have bitten into the soft and

yielding center of one of Grandma's cookies...

baking brings me back to that.

Sarcomas take a back seat when I bake.

Brain tumors cease causing hydrocephalus when I bake.

Fevers subside ever so slighty when I bake...

It's my place, my time - I hope these recipes and this blog helps you create such a feeling...

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Enough waxing eloquent!

Onto the cookies!

Cate's Chocolate Chip Cookies

(modified a great deal from mulitple recipes I have encountered, the amount of dark brown sugar lends a sublime molasses flavor underneath a darn good choco chip cookie -

"sublime molasses flavor?" - be quiet Darrick, it's my blog!)

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The Dry:

2 ¼ cups flour (AP)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

10 oz of chocolate chips/chunks (more or less to taste)

Cream the following:

½ cup shortening (butter flavor)

½ cup butter (unsalted or thou shall be smitten by mine hand)

1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla



Ok. Creaming.

The butter NEEDS to be at cool room temp (68-70 degr F) in order

to properly cream anything.

Yes! Stick a Thermometer in it (get one!)

Try creaming with cold butter and there wont be anything sublime about your cookies.

Make sure the creamed ingredients are integrated well.

Scraping sides of bowl often
What not to do (part I)

Make sure the bowl in your mix in firmly locked in place

BEFORE turning it on.
Slowly add the dry S L O W L Y

What not to do (part deux)

Add the flour all at once, and your significant other will complain about white flour particles being everywhere for days

Once all the dry has been integrated -

Add the chocolate chips…

You did set your oven for 375, right?

I use a melon baller to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheets.
You can use a spoon as well.
Bake em for 9-12 minutes (in my oven with melon baller sized dough, its 12 minutes, but not all ovens are created equally).

HELP STOP COOKIE DOUGH THIEVERY




If you have seen this person, please apprehend her at once!
Place her in a holding cell with NO yarn or needles until she promises to never
EVER steal cookie dough again.
Excuses such as "You have plenty" are NOT acceptable!

Trent

Next post - Yeast starters (get your ziplock bags ready!)