Friday, April 2, 2010

Quick Meal Friday: Chocolate Chip Cookies?!



I bought the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. In the grocery check-out line. Total impulse buy. Never should have happened. I know.


But here's the real confession: I made the chocolate chip cookies in that issue for dinner. Yes, for dinner. Of course I made the kids look like they were eating the preceding Amy's Mac and Cheese and baby carrots. Not sure if I ever managed to eat any growing food of my own before devouring a half dozen of these.

Because these cookies are that good.




These are touted as "the best" chocolate chip cookies, with a crispy exterior and a chewy inside. True, true. FYI, if yours last long enough to have an overnight in a jar or plastic tub, the crispiness will be gone. Not that it will stop you or yours from another binge.


And they were so fun to make. My little NYPD man did most of the work. Baby sisters come in handy here: You can sneak another hand into the chocolate chip bag when Mom has to intervene with off-limits baby exploration. This same little guy managed to eat about five cookies worth of batter.


In an attempt to extend my husband's life (he admits he has a serious chocolate chip cookie problem), I froze about 2/3 of the batter, first shaping them with a small ice cream scoop. I write the oven temp and the bake time on the freezer bag, and then feel my heart skip a beat when I discover them in the freezer 6 weeks later. Instant cookies!


Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Martha Stewart Living, April 2010

Makes 20, using a big 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop.
Or about 6 1/2 dozen, using a small scoop.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar (light brown also works)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift (or whisk) together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop dough in amount of your choice (see servings above) onto parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheets, allowing room for cookies to spread. Bake until golden around edges but soft in the middle, about 15-16 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

1 comment:

Baby B said...

mmmm, will definitely try that one once I actually have the desire to cook again! In the meantime, do you offer any type of cookie delivery service?? :)