Cookies For You and Me

Posted by Wayne (Melbourne, Australia) on 25 January 2007 in Food & Cuisine and Portfolio.

I love cooking. I love the very act of cooking and cooking taken to its logical conclusion - eating. But more importantly I love cooking for other people. I feel happy when I see others seated around a dinner table just relaxed and talking to each other. You could be complete strangers but at the dinner table food is the universal language. In the presence of food your guard is down (unless you're on a diet) and you cease to become, for just a few hours, earthbound and world-weary. That's the beauty of food to me. (Yes I know I'm an idealist)

This photo sums it up for me =) In baking, recipes should always be followed to a T (for good reason) but with cookie dough...you can just use a dash of salt and a fistful of sugar and things would still turn out relatively alright =D. Like life, you roll with the punches.

I love the promise of the cookie dough...sweet tasting and crunchy...hinting of the baked bonanza to come. And those who've ever been through a rough patch or who've been cooped up for exams will know the value of freshly baked cookies and what joy they bring =D. Chocolate! And Sugar! Who can resist!

Anyway for those interested, the recipe for this particular batch was the (In)famous Neiman Marcus ChocChip Cookies. Recipe as follows -

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1-¾ cups whole wheat flour
1-½ teaspoons instant coffee powder, slightly crushed
½ cup quick cook oats
8 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy, then beat in the egg and the coffee liqueur.
3. Combine baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour and coffee granules and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in oats and then stir in the the chocolate chips.
4. Form into 2" diameter balls and bake in the middle of the oven (I bake one baking sheet at a time) for about 8 - 10 minutes, or slightly longer for a crispier cookie. Makes 24 to 30 medium-sized, fairly thick (chewy) cookies.

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