The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is a chocolate chip cookie recipe from Cooks Illustrated that I've wanted to make for ages.  Since today was a snow day, I decided to indulge myself.  So, after shoveling for an hour or so and then cleaning the kitchen, it was cookie time.

The reason I hadn't ever made this specific recipe before is because you have to brown the butter and I am afraid of browning butter.  I've done it a few times, for the caramel ice cream cake and brown sugar cookies  and every time I feel like I am doing something wrong.  For the ice cream cake, I am pretty sure I burnt the butter, the cookies, I think I didn't brown it enough. It was enough to keep me away from anything involving browning and butter, but I put my fear aside today and went for it.

To be honest, I have no idea if I did it right, the butter didn't really seem brown, but the cookies came out incredibly.  They are big and gooey and filled with chocolate and have that toffee-ish flavor, just like the recipe said they would.  I did a few things differently (because it wouldn't be me if I hadn't).  I didn't have dark brown sugar, so I used light brown and molasses (ratio 1 cup light brown sugar:1 tablespoon molasses - thank you to my wonderful brother and sister-in-law for the substitutions bible).    I always like the flavor a little better when I use molasses instead of brown sugar because it tastes a little more smokey.  And adding the chocolate chips worked out very well.  I also added another half cup of chocolate chips because I wasn't adding nuts.  I ended up with 18 cookies instead of 16 because my cookie sheets were smaller, so I did three batches.

In conclusion, these cookies were intimidating to make, but if the rest of them are anything like the one I ate 12 seconds after it came out of the oven, they were totally worth the trouble.  Now I need to get them out of the house so I can continue to be able to button my pants.

Recipe below the pictures.

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Makes 16 cookies.   Published May 1, 2009.   From Cook's Illustrated.

Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
14	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2	cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4	cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note)
1	teaspoon table salt
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
1	large egg
1	large egg yolk
1 1/4	cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
3/4	cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. 2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. 3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. 4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
5. 5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

The Coconut Chicken Skewers

It's been a little bit since I last posted, and it's not that I haven't been cooking, it's just that I having been documenting as well as I should have.   For example, I made chocolate mint brownies and peanut butter M&M cookies for New Year's Eve, but I didn't take any pictures of them.  And I made Vanilla Cupcakes with Chai Frosting for a coworker's birthday, but I didn't take any pictures of those either.  I also recently made Pumpkin Gnocchi from scratch, with Arugula Pistachio Pesto, and didn't take any pictures of that.  There's some of that left in the freezer though, so there's still a potential for pictures there.

Something I did take pictures of recently though, were the Coconut Chicken Skewers.  I had these at a restaurant a few weekends ago while watching the Pats beat the Dolphins.  They were called Tropical Skewers and described as, "chicken tenders coated with shredded coconut and panko breadcrumbs, fried to a golden brown and served with a pineapple curry sauce and fruit salsa."  They were incredible.  Being that they were incredible, I, of course, had to attempt to recreate them on my own.  And of course, since I was making them at home, I had to make the healthy version.  Because I have issues.  We've discussed this.

I  breaded the chicken tenders in panko and coconut and baked them in the oven for a while.  I also made a salsa from red pepper, pineapple, jalapeno, mandarin oranges and coconut, as well as a hot sauce from rooster sauce and something else, maybe orange juice (my birthday's in a few weeks, obviously the mind's going).

It all was very tasty, and the colors were pretty for this time of year.  But they weren't anywhere nearly as good as the ones at the restaurant.  I am not really all that surprised; it's hard to recreated dried goodness with oven baked-ness, but it was worth a shot.  I would definitely make them again.

The Chessman Family Christmas

Christmas is a magic time for Americans.  Unless you're a doctor or a plumber, you're pretty much guaranteed a day off from work.  So, as a family of Jews who aren't stressing over trees in the living room and gifts for the neighbors, it's the perfect time for a family get-together.  And what does any good family do when they get together?  They eat!

We started our festivities backwards - with home made cake and ice cream to celebrate my niece Zivah's first birthday.  Zivah will turn one on December 30th, but since her parents are abandoning her in favor of warmer weather, we had a party early.  Her mother made her an adorable lion-faced cake (which she had absolutely no idea what to do with) and we made Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream from scratch.  This was my first foray into the world of making ice cream from scratch, and I found it to be pretty easy.  Not so easy that I want to make it every night though, which is a bonus for my waist line.

After a lovely Christmas Eve dinner of sushi, we all tumbled off to bed to awake early the next morning.  This had less to do with hopes of gifts from Santa and more to do with the fact that small children seem to think that 6 a.m. is an appropriate time to wake up during vacation.

On to prepare Christmas dinner!
On the menu this year:
Herb-rubbed Prime Rib Roast
Roasted Root Vegetables
Balsamic-Honey marinated Ostrich Fillet (yes, you read that right)
Dry Rubbed Steak Tips
Broccoli Souffle

Dessert:
Treacle Sponge (see below)
Apple/Pear/Cranberry puff pastry pie.

You'd think we live in some sort of dystopian society in which you only get meat one day a year, huh?  Actually, there was a coupon to a butcher involved.

OK... 

Here is my resolution for next year: LEARN TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.

For example, when the recipe for the roast says to cook at indirect heat for 1 1/12-1 3/4 hours and after an hour and a half it's still not to temperature, DO NOT listen to your mother when she says to turn on the middle burner.  Why not?  Because the GRILL WILL CATCH ON FIRE.  And with the grill, the meat will also catch on fire.  This will all cause me to stare at the grill, holler at the house, and when I realize that nobody can hear me and therefore is coming to rescue me, turn off the grill and remove the still flaming prime rib.  I put it out with the pot holder. 

Amazingly, the roast turned out ok, a little more cooked than I might have wanted and not with the exact kind of crust I wanted, but it was pretty good.  The rest of the food was as well.  The ostrich even grew on me.  My favorite were the steak tips though, which goes to show that anything dry rubbed with chipotle chili powder is the way to my heart. 

OK, the Treacle Sponge.  I've wanted to make a treacle tart since Harry Potter came out ten years ago.  Of course, until about five minutes ago, I didn't actually know what treacle was.  I now know that treacle is the burnoff from molasses, but the stuff you make treacle tart out of is really golden syrup. 

I couldn't find golden syrup, but, at the last minute, in the British food sections of the Mashpee Stop & Shop, I did find Treacle Sponge Pudding in a CAN. 

That you cook IN A CAN.  Although I have been raised to be wary of things you boil in a can for 35 minutes, I have to admit, it was pretty good.

All together, it was a nice Christmas dinner.  I have now eaten enough to not have to eat again for a week.  Or until later.  Where is that goat cheese...

The Reindeer Cookies

Now, I know what you're thinking, why would a good Jewish girl like me, be making reindeer cookies? And it's a good question.  UNTIL you actually see the cookies, which are so cute I couldn't resist.  I found them on Bakergirl's blog, where she made creating them appear to be extremely easy.  I found that not necessarily to be the case, but I got through it.

Look at these things, just look!

 

 Are they not the cutest cookies you've ever seen?

 

 Basically, they were the cutest cookies ever, and I had a Christmas party to go to, so I figured it was a match made in heaven.  They were quite a hit with the kids.  And being that they were peanut butter cookies, I didn't kill anyone, so I considered it a double success.

I think Bakergirl's came out better than mine because her cookies were smaller and she had smaller chocolate covered pretzels.  I would definitely recommend that.  I had to hold the bigger ones in place for a few seconds to ge them to set.  Also, since my cookies were bigger, I had to put the noses lower.  The first few dozen I made ended up looking like bears with red noses.  

All of that aside, the recipe is awesome.  The cookies came out smooth and soft, which is normally an issue I have with peanut butter cookies, so this will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on.  Everyone at the party, as well as the staff at Metrorock seemed to enjoy them!

Reindeer Cookies

from Bakergirl

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-covered mini pretzels

Mini brown M&Ms

Regular-sized red M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown. 

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer's antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color... some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.). 

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely. 

Makes about 40 reindeer cookies.

Source: Peanut butter cookie recipe from Jif.

The Tea at L'Espalier

In lieu of getting each other gifts we would inevitably return this year, my friend Kim and I decided to celebrate the holidays by going out for a fancy meal.  We settled on afternoon tea and after asking around, it seemed that L'Espalier was the place to go for just that. 

 L'Espalier offers what they call a "fantasy tea party."  There are three different tea menus to choose from, all based off of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.  Beyond the names, the fantasy aspect is nonexistent.  In fact, the whole tea service, though good, was presented somewhat awkwardly.  Beginning with our arrival.  We came in through the Mandarin Oriental hotel.  To get to the restaurant, you walk through the hotel lobby, upstairs, down a hall, through Sel de la Terre (another restaurant) and then into a round vestibule area.  In the vestibule, a gentleman took our coats and told us to have a seat in the lounge until our table was ready.  Being that we were the only people we could see in the restaurant, and had made a reservation, being asked to wait was somewhat confusing.  A few minutes later, the gentleman reappeared and showed us to one of two tables directly off the lounge area, separate from the regular dining area.  It was private, which was nice, but it was also a bit like being seated in a hall.

When the waiter arrived, he was dressed in a full suit.  It was formal, but also confusing.  I wasn't actually sure if he was the waiter or another maitre'd.  He described the teas to us in general terms, but offered no leaves to assess. 

We both opted for Red Riding Hood's Basket, which is the full tea, sandwiches, tea service and pastries.  We also both chose the Darjeeling tea.

 The tea came first and was promptly followed by the sandwiches.  They had no issue replacing the ham and cheese on my order with a plain grilled cheese.  The waiter (dressed in waiter garb) who brought the tea seemed confused about who was getting what and had to return to the kitchen before bringing us the service, making him the first of three waiters who made it half way to our table, stopping and returning to the kitchen and finally returning to our table. 

The sandwiches themselves were very tasty and quite filling for the small size.  I found the lobster salad to be disappointing, as that it didn't have a lot of flavor and the lobster was stringy.

 The maitre'd returned to clear our plates and then another waiter made the halfway to the table, turn, pivot, retreat, re-approach move before bringing us new spoons and then we were served the pastries.

The pastries consisted of a signature L'Espalier swan cream puff filled with mocha cream, an almond cookie with pomegranate seeds, a fig bar, chocolate decadence cake, cranberry scone and panna cotta.  Not being much of a sweets person, this part might have been slightly wasted on me, but I enjoyed the chocolate cake, panna cotta and scone.  Their having replaced our knives and forks with spoons (of multiple sizes) made cutting the scone and spreading the clotted cream, jam and honey a bit difficult.

 Kim, on the other hand, had no issue going to town on the poor swan.  The maitre'd/waiter reappeared at one point to refill our tea pots.  They let us stay for as long as we liked and eventually seated another couple in our hall/lounge area, which made it only slightly more awkward to be in a small, secluded area with another group so close.

milk and sugar service

our view

 The situation of the restaurant being in the hotel and our table being in the weird area meant that there were constantly people walking in our peripheral and waiting for the elevator off the lounge area.  There was also some sort of birthday party consisting of screaming children that was not addressed until another diner found the original maitre'd and complained, and then only addressed mildly.

All in all, the afternoon was lovely, but I think that was more a product of the company and conversation than the tea event itself.  While the food itself was tasty, the situation of the table and seemingly confused waitstaff made the whole event something to scratch your head over more than walk away wanting more.  L'Espalier has most likely deservedly earned its stars for their food and presentation (which I've never had, way out of my budget), but did not make much of an impression for afternoon tea.

The Stenciled Peppermint Birthday Cake

 I am in a peppermint mood!  It's most likely because every catalog I've gotten for the past month has been chock full of peppermint bark, peppermint marshmallows, peppermint brownie mix, floating candles, ornaments, cocoa, and well, you get the point.  

So, I'm in a peppermint mood and my coworker Karen's birthday just happens to be this week.  To be honest, I don't even know if she likes peppermint, but that's what she's getting!  

There are four of us who traipse through the laptop and book cart strewn office in the back of the library, and we certainly don't need a whole 8" or 9" cake on our own.  Normally, we just bring stuff down to the staff when we're done, but I'm sick of sharing (nobody else does, it's uninspiring).  So, this time I decided to make a 6" cake.  It's very cute.  Of course, I only have one 6" pan, so it took twice as long to bake, but I also got eight cupcakes out of it and I have a party to go to on Saturday night, so it all worked out.

I used a Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix (I like cakes mixes!), and subbed half the water it called for for peppermint schnapps.  I also used the stick blender to mix it rather than getting the stand mixer out.  It turns out both of those were good calls.  The cake puffed way up and came out moist and fluffy and it was all way easier to clean up and put away. 

 I planned on icing the cake with peppermint chocolate ganache and thought I would fill it with whipped cream, then I thought I might as well mix in some crushed up candy canes to the whipped cream.  I had crushed up the candy canes the day before for decoration.  I'll need them for fudge soon anyway, so now I'm ready.

 After a painstaking reminiscence of my childhood with a sieve at the beach, I managed to separate out the larger pieces of crushed candy canes from the very fine powdery remains.  (This will all make sense in a minute)

 I used the ganache recipe I have seen as standard (1/2 cup heavy cream, just simmering, to 6 oz of chocolate, pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand for three minutes, then whisk until smooth).  I added some peppermint schnapps and creme de menthe to it while whisking.

 OK, so the mystery of the candy cane powder will now be solved.  A few weeks ago, my friend Anne asked me if I wanted a set of cake stencils that someone sent her and she didn't need (she already had two sets).  I said sure and have been waiting for a chance to used them.  I decided this was my chance.  I used the little flowers one and I think it came out alright.  It's a little fuzzy around the edges, but the stencil was meant for a bigger cake and I chickened out rather than pressing it down. The stencil was surprisingly easy to use, though I never would have thought to spray it with non-stick spray without reading the directions.  Finally, something to be said for directions!

 I think it looks kind of like flowers that have been lightly snowed on.

The Thanksgiving Desserts

We've been doing Thanksgiving with the same general group of people on the Cape for about six years now.  One year, we actually ended up with just about a dessert for every person attending.  Since then, it's been a bit of a joke, can we actually have a dessert per person?  I think it's really just because everyone in my family and extended family likes to bake.  This year we had some new additions, like the chocolate bread pudding (thanks Ben!) and sweet potato pie.

My brother Dave always comes up with a magnificent dessert that he blesses us with.  This year it was rice pudding baked in a sugar pumpkin.  That way, you could scoop out the rice pudding and tender pumpkin filling.  Yum!

Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie

Candied Cranberry and Chocolate Tart

Clockwise from the bottom right: apple crisp, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, chocolate bread pudding, cranberry chocolate tart.

Rice pudding baked in a sugar pumpkin.