Two at a Time Baking

As I've written about frequently throughout this blog (here, here, here and here), I love chocolate chip cookies - it's my comfort treat to bake and to eat.  Growing up, my mother and I always baked lots and lots of cookies at Christmas time to share with friends and family and the chocolate chip cookies were always the first to go.  I used to love licking the batter off the beaters (my mother had an old Sunbeam mixmaster that had 2 metal beaters) and I still remember the technique I used to lick them clean.  The first times I made cookies after Erik and I were together, he turned down the opportunity to lick the beaters - I was quite puzzled since I figured everyone did this growing up.  (Puzzled but not terribly disappointed since that meant more for me to enjoy.)

I have been seeking the perfect chocolate chip cookie for some time and I've come to realize this will probably be a lifelong pursuit since tastes change over time.  In the short life of this blog, I've moved past what used to be my favorite chocolate chip recipe.  I'm excited to have found a new favorite recipe, this time from the cookbook Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, by the owners of Baked bakery in Brooklyn.  Because I can't seem to pass up the opportunity to do an experiment, I divided the batter in half before adding the chocolate chips.  To the first half, I added Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips. To the other half, I wanted to add bittersweet chocolate chips but I didn't have any chips so I chopped up a bar of Scharffen Berger 70%.  The chopped pieces of Scharffen Berger made the batter look very different since the size of the pieces varied so much.  Based on the taste of the batter, I was convinced I would prefer the cookies baked with the 70% chocolate. The original recipe called for the batter to be refrigerated for 6 hours. Not having the patience for that, I baked 6 cookies from each of the two batters and refrigerated the rest of the batter.  I was surprised to find that Erik and I both liked the cookie with the semisweet chocolate chips better.  (Not sure why I should be surprised though, based on the success of Baked bakery, I should have known that the original recipe would be fabulous).  I'll be interested to see how the cookies come out after the batter has been refrigerated for a while. 

My friend Lisa Rosen recently wrote a great blog post about the importance of using high quality ingredients.  I couldn't agree more.  I have a strong preference for Trader Joe's chocolate chips. I think they are so much better than either Toll House or Ghirardelli.  And I think it makes a big difference in the end result.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
0.5 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
3.  Using an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy (about 5 minutes), scraping down the sides as needed.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 7 seconds after each addition until each is incorporated.  The batter should be light and fluffy at this point.  Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
4.  Add about half of the flour mixture and mix on the lowest setting of your mixer for about 15 seconds.  Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until incorporated, about 10 seconds more.
5.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  At this point, you can either bake the cookies or cover and refrigerate the batter for up to about 5 days.
6.  Using an ice cream scoop (approximately 2 tablespoons), place batter onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 1-2 inches in between.
7.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom oven racks halfway through baking.  The edges should be golden brown and the tops should just be starting to get slightly dark.
8.  Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool.
9.  Enjoy!

My friend Joanne recently asked me for a sugar cookie recipe.  She had lost track of her old, crusty family recipe that didn't have many ingredients that she enjoyed when she was young.  Funny thing is that I have exactly that kind of recipe - from Erik's grandmother.  It is just the kind of recipe that I love - written on a small scrap of paper, with very few ingredients and even fewer instructions (probably because she made it so often that she didn't need the specifics).  I just love those types of family recipes that get handed down and baked by several generations, no doubt with lots of stories being told during the baking.  I adapted it slightly because the original didn't have all the measurements included.  It's been a while since I've made the cookies but my recollection is that they were quite tasty.  If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think and please share similar old recipes from your family . . .

Grandma K's Sugar Cookies

0.75 cup shortening
0.5 stick butter
0.25 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
extra sugar for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream shortening, butter, margarine and sugar.
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat slightly after each one.
5. Add vanilla and beat slightly.
6. Add in flour mixture and beat until cohesive dough is formed.
7. Drop dough by tablespoonful onto cookie sheets. Use bottom of glass or measuring cup dipped in sugar to flatten dough to 0.25 inch thick.
8. Bake until light gold color and just beginning to brown around the edges, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.
9. Enjoy!

When I was little, I used to visit my grandmother in Baltimore and we'd frequently go to Silber's Bakery in her neighborhood. We would get a nice boxful of cookies to take home and they would tie the box up with that cool red and white twine that only seems to be used at bakeries. There was one cookie in particular that we seemed to always get - a shortbread cookies with chocolate topping. I decided to try to re-create it and asked my brother, whose memory is much better than mine, what he could remember about it. He drew a picture for me and then I set out to find some recipes to give it a try. I was pleased with the results of my first batch!

Shortbread Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen small-medium cookies
Adapted from Cookie Madness

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
0.5 cup confectioners sugar
0.5 teaspoon vanilla
0.5 cup cornstarch
1.5 cups flour
0.25 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown butter by heating it over low-medium heat until the edges start to brown. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and chill in refrigerator until solid, approximately 2 hours.
3. Remove chilled butter from bowl and break into chunks. Process butter and sugar in food processor until creamy.
4. Add vanilla, cornstarch, flour, salt and water. Pulse until dough comes together in one big ball.
5. Press into a slab that's about 1/4 - 1/3 of an inch thick (I found that using my hands worked better than a rolling pin).
6. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
7. Bake for 12-18 minutes.
8. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Topping

4.5 ounce dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

1. Microwave chocolate and butter on high for 1.5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
2. When chocolate and butter are completely melted, stir in corn syrup, water and vanilla.
3. Allow chocolate topping to cool until desired consistency, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Pipe onto cookies.
5. Allow to set completely, either at room temperature or to set more quickly, put cookies in the refrigerator.
6. Enjoy!