Chocolate Chip Cookies

A while back I was getting bored with my old standby chocolate chip cookie recipe. It just seemed so boring. While poking around the interwebs I found this gem of an article from the New York Times, provocatively called Perfection? Hint: It's Warm and Has A Secret. I will be the first to admit that it's a little ridiculous (bittersweet chocolate feves? Yeah, I'll just get regular chips, thanks) and you do get the very intense and exact measuring (1 cup minus two tablespoons) and it's not like you're always planning cookies in advance (24 hours of chilling? come on!), but. BUT. These are seriously, above-and-beyond, mind-blowingly tasty cookies. The only problem I have is that I tend to overcook them just a bit, which is fine when they're right out of the oven and gooey, but not so good when you're trying to chomp on one the next day and it's like a Frisbee. The originally recipe called for cake flour and bread flour, which I choose to ignore. Cake flour creates a lighter crumb, bread flour a heavier crumb, so in equal parts they make all-purpose flour. The only real key to this recipe is simple: chill the batter for at least 24 hours. Trust me, it's worth it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Originally published in the New York Times, 9 July 2008)

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
• 2 1/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
• Chocolate Chips 
• Sea salt.

Whisk the flour, the baking soda and powder, and the salt.

In another bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until they are light, fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs one by one, then the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix the flour in in two parts, making sure not to over-mix. Add the chocolate chips, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. I know you want to make them now, but resist that urge.

After you've waited the full 24 hours (I know it's hard, but do it anyway) preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Form roughly golf-ball sized spheres of dough without touching them too much (you want them to still be cold when they get in the oven) and sprinkle a touch of sea salt on the top. Bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes (feel this out on your own, it might take a couple tries to get the perfect time) and cool them for as long as you can stand. If you make it three seconds I will be impressed.

Step 3: DIG IN.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

This is one of my very favorite recipes, and, now that I think about it, it might be one of the recipes that prompted me to love baking. Why? Because everyone (excluding Sarah who hates chocolate) loves these cookies. Everyone. They are cakey and delicious and they hit that chocolate spot without being too sweet. Yum! A note: a tasty, optional addition is something called "nibs" which are the roasted and finely chopped hull of the cocoa bean. It adds a little crunch (not too much of a crunch, you won't break a tooth) that some people like. I like them both ways; my family prefers the crunch. Scharffen Berger has great nibs, but they're expensive...so you're better off investing in really high quality cocoa powder (I use natural and not dutch process in this recipe). The last time I made this recipe I fiddled a little bit and they came out even cakier and more delicious than usual. Sadly, I didn't write down my changes (I seem to recall extra flour and baking soda, but now I can't remember why that was necessary...).


Dark Chocolate Cookies (Originally published in Gourmet, February 2003)

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened, natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together the flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla. In three parts add the dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated. Drop tablespoon-sized spoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet and place in the center of the oven for 11 minutes. Let them cool before digging in!

A side note: it is absolutely imperative that you eat lots and lots of this batter before it goes in the oven. It's the best, most delicious, most incredible batter on the planet.

A second side note: I've never tried this, but these cookies would make fabulous (if delicate) ice cream sandwiches. Some peppermint or vanilla would be yum!

Natural v. Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder/Baking Soda v. Baking Powder

This was originally going to be squeezed into another post, but I realize this information is crucial enough that it deserves its own. The differences between these substances can mean a lot when you're baking! It's important to understand what effect they will have on whatever you're cooking. If you are very adventurous you could start to write your own recipes using this information, but it's also important if you ever need to make a substitution.

First, natural v. dutch-process cocoa powder. This is interesting and may save you a baking snafu in the future. Sometimes you'll see a box of cocoa powder that says "dutch-process/ed" on it. What does this mean? Cocoa powder is made from pressing the majority of the cocoa butter out of chocolate liquor (pure chocolate). The cocoa butter is the high-fat component of chocolate, so when it is mostly eliminated you are left with a block which is then grated into a powder. This untreated powder has a natural acidity which can affect the taste and leavening of your baked good. It is a more red/brown color and will react with baking soda, causing your cake, cookie or whatever to rise (it can also interfere with other leavening agents, such as yeast). Dutch-processed cocoa powder is a more true brown color associated with chocolate. It has been treated with an alkali to neutralize the acidity, and should be used in recipes with baking powder. Dutch-processed cocoa will not cause a reaction and provides a deep chocolate taste even in delicate recipes (such as souffle!). Most European treats call for dutch-process, whereas good old fashioned American delights such as brownies can be made with natural cocoa. Be warned: if a recipe calls for one or the other, be sure you're using the right one! If you have natural cocoa powder and you need dutch-process: for every 3 Tablespoons of natural cocoa powder, add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda (an alkali that will neutralize the acid). If you have dutch-process and you need natural: for every 3 Tablespoons of dutch-process add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar (an acidic salt). A NOTE: this will work better going from natural to dutch-process than vice versa.


And now, baking soda v. baking powder. This is a little complicated. I've read a lot about it, but I don't fully understand all the differences, but I'll give a little general information that should give you an idea of what they will do in a recipe. Basically, baking soda and baking powder are both sodium bicarbonate, an acidic salt. They both act as leavening agents in a recipe, reacting with the other ingredients to create tiny air bubbles of carbon dioxide, which make your baked good rise and be light and fluffy. Baking soda is much stronger than baking powder, and is used in recipes with other acidic ingredients, such as vinegar, buttermilk, natural cocoa, or sour cream. If it is not exposed to another acid, the final product will have an odd, bitter taste. It reacts very quickly, so recipes that include baking soda should be put in the oven as soon as possible. Baking powder was designed to slow the reaction of the ingredients. In addition to sodium bicarbonate, baking powder includes one or more acidic salts (such as cream of tartar or sodium aluminum sulfate) and cornstarch. Most baking powders you will find in the grocery store are double-acting, meaning one of the acids will react immediately when added to liquid and the other when it is exposed to heat in the oven. The double-acting powder makes the leavening more reliable, as time is no longer as pressing a factor. Theoretically if you got your hands on single-acting baking powder you would have to put the batter in the oven asap. Again, if you are baking it is important to try to follow the ingredients exactly! If you can't, here is the substitution: if you have baking soda and need baking powder: for 1 teaspoon of baking powder, mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch. If you have baking powder and need baking soda, it's really not ideal! You will have to triple the amount of baking powder the recipe calls for (1 teaspon --> 3 teaspoons) and it will effect the taste, and potentially other things. 

Oops...

I'm so, so sorry blog-readers! I haven't posted in ages. It has been, shall we say, a wee turbulent these days in the life of me. I left Switzerland. Did I mention this? It just wasn't for me. Aaaand moving on -

I'm in Washington, D.C. now! For those of you thinking, "wait, what?": I know. It's seems really sudden, but I've thought a lot about where I would want to live, given the chance, and decided that if I had the chance to live there right in front of me I'd be a fool not to take it. I feel mobile; I feel like I could live anywhere. I feel like I only need a suitcase and I like it. 'Course I'll be here at least for a while, but I like that too. For the next while my motto will be "why not?"

Meanwhile all the recipes I've been cooking up have been on the back burner! I'm sorry, really, because I've worked on some whoppers. Coming up: ollalieberry pie, chocolate bread, lemon tart and more! For now, a tip: most recipes are off because you're adding too much flour! Did you know when you scoop the flour with the measuring cup and shake it, you're actually packing the flour in, adding more than the recipe calls for? If you can't weigh your flour when baking (and honestly, most people don't have the patience to do so, including me) then you can try this instead: spoon the flour into the measuring cup without tapping or shaking the cup to level it and take a knife to level off the excess. This really makes a difference! I've always had cakes and cupcakes that dome, which is caused by an excess of flour in the batter. This should take care of that problem.

In closing, a little of my life philosophy: I think life should be a little uncomfortable. I think it should be busy and crowded with people, and you shouldn't be able to sleep through it. In fact, it should require your attention at (almost) all times. In short, it should be messy and need tending. Was my life a little too neat? I think it was. I think it was too soon for all my ends to be tied up, and it was definitely too soon to feel like the long path of my future was stretching on forever in a perfectly straight line. I'm going to enjoy the loops, curves, blind spots and Lombard Streets that are in my near future. Cheesy? Yes. Have we met? I cry at pet food commercials and lifetime movies. Get psyched folks.