Nothing rings in the feel of fall like warm, hearty foods. Gnocchi, roasts, soups and a perfectly warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie. Here in Edmonton we have a harsh reality unfolding: when you wake up to single digit temperatures and it's still August, your body is instantly catapulted into the fall season!
My love of food and cooking came when I was very young, and started with the simple but classic cookie. And in full-disclosure mode, I am a purist. Put away the M&Ms, the mini-chips, caramels, butterscotch or mint chips. Those are for snacking or for your child to create their own cookie. Peanut butter is best left for bread. And leave those dried fruits, seeds, coconut and nuts for some granola. Oats are best for breakfast, however, who doesn't like a nice warm cookie for breakfast? But I digress...
Crisp and thin, thick or chewy? The debate has been on for decades. My preference is most definitely thick and chewy with large chunks of chocolate. There is something extra pleasing about feeling like you are biting into a molton piece of chocolate. And yes, by-pass the cheap chocolate, filled with wax and refined sugar and go for the gold level of chocolate. Your food is only as good as the ingredients you use. If you have that waxy light chocolate, turn them into emergency candles. You don't want to eat those things! I prefer semi-sweet or dark chocolate for my chocolate chip cookie - it gives some definition between the sweet and buttery batter. Chocolate preferences? Callebaut, Lindor, Valhrona and even a good quality English Cadbury.
How about the recipe for the "perfect" cookie - there is none. I mean, I have healthy, fatty, gluten-free, sugar-free, organic, decadent and a hundred other recipes to choose from, but for this blog, let's try the good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie. If you haven't had much luck perfecting this cookie, start simple - go to your local grocery store, pick up a bag of toll house chips and follow the recipe on the back! Really, this is the recipe that started it all at the Toll House Inn!
However, if you feel secure in baking this classic, why not try a new recipe to kick it up a few notches? One of my favorite recipes I discovered several years ago is Jacques Torres' recipe. If you are lucky enough to be in New York, drop by the store and pick up one fresh out of the oven! For those of us in Edmonton, you need to do your shopping and roll up your sleeves. This is a simple recipe - I am not into a laboured time over a hot oven for cookies, they should be something you can whip up easily, have fun with children creating or enjoy creating a beautiful warm aroma though your home!
Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies.
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds Jacques Torres House (60 percent cocoa) Chocolate or other best-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Interested in some other variations on the classic themed cookie? Look no further than this article from Martha Stewart - it is sure to keep you busy every Sunday afternoon over the upcoming Fall season!
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipes
Happy Baking!
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