Chocolate Chip Cookies

Greetings from the worst blogger ever!

It's been one month and one day since my last post and I've baked at least a dozen things since then. Which means my only excuse for my absence is... my laziness!! Gahhh!!! I need to do something about this. Has anyone got any pointers on how I can discipline my butt to get off out of the kitchen once in a while and onto my dang computer chair? Seriously. Please leave suggestions in the comments section, my faithful readers which only consist of my sister and husband! Hahaha!

Now back to business as usual...

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies things get a little messy. It may just be the easiest cookie to bake up in a jiffy but for some reason it has stirred up quite the controversy over its delectable goodness of qualities. For instance, most people I know love the soft, chewy variety. I, on the other hand, love the crunchy, crispy bite that a toasty cookie with perfectly browned edges offers. I think that was somewhat of my mom's influence because when we were little she would always purchase the bags of miniature chocolate chip cookies by Mother's (remember those??) and take the already crunchy cookie and pop them in the toaster oven to bake some more! I always thought it was a quirky, sometimes annoying habit she had (maybe because half the time she forgot to take them out of the oven in time and they got extra crispy in a cancer-provoking kind of way!) but now I realize that some of that rubbed off on me! Forever, because of my weird mother and her weird Mother's obsession, my sister and I will crave crispy, crunchy, hard chocolate chip cookies.

I could eat a whole bag of those dang things in one sitting. Anytime. Do you dare me??

But do you know what I love even more than a chocolate chip cookie? An oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. *drool*... I've made a couple batches in the past month but they seriously never survive past a couple of days. They're that addictive. Half of my most recent batch went to my mentoree at church, D., because I love her so <3 and this is the only picture I have of them, all packaged up behind that little pastry window. The other half,...well... let's just say not a crumb was wasted. >: )

I will make some more soon and hopefully tame my greedy little cookie monster self and take some pictures of them before they're devoured. But, for now I shall leave you with my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one is a crowd pleaser with crispy edges and a chewy center. I like to bake them pretty big so they require an entire hand to hold them up to my mouth. It's just more fun that way : )

Oh, and here's a cute way to package them.

Aren't they cute?? I got the idea from Intimate Weddings. They show you how to put together this adorable little party favor using homemade chocolate chip cookies, paper CD sleeves, and sticker paper. Easy Peasy! And so, so cute, too. The ones pictured above were ones I made for our church's Barnyard Bash last year, a Halloween alternative event for kids. You can download the labels for free here.

Hope you enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. fresh baking soda
2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars for about 4 minutes until light yellow and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking powder in hot water and add to batter. Add salt.
3. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if desired. Drop by tbspfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are nicely browned.

Notes: You don't need to have a mixer to make this recipe. But it may make your life easier. And less messy : ) Also, make sure you change out your baking soda often because it often loses potency in about a month's time. Old baking soda can cause your baked goods to turn out flat and deflated. They only cost about 50 cents per small box so stock up on several months' worth so you will always have fresh baking soda on hand! There's nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into baking only to end up with a disappointing product. Sadly, I speak from experience : (

Chocolate Florentines

there are some things in life that people will never agree on- politics, religion, morals, the perfect cookie...

some like them soft and chewy, others prefer them to be light and airy. or dense and thick. or robust and full.

but to me, the perfect cookie is crispy, thin, buttery, rich, and is slathered with real, honest-to-goodness CHOCOLATE. none of that fru-fru cocoa powder nonsense.

thus, the chocolate florentine is the perfect cookie. ; )

it was our senior pastor's wife's birthday today so i whipped up a batch of perfect cookies to give to her. i know, i know. i didn't break the bank with this gift or anything. let's just put it this way- there's nothing in the bank for me to break! hahaha! ha...ha........ha : (

*ahem*

so this recipe is super easy. it's in the drop-cookie category, which means that once you make the batter all you have to scoop and drop onto baking sheets. easy peasy! but since this method is not traditional when making cookies i took oodles of pics to help you through your first perfect-cookie-making process! yay! : D

start by grinding your almonds, any kind. since the recipe calls for sliced almonds i decided to measure out the amount i needed for later and then ground up the rest. (i wound up with lots leftover. i guess i'm going to have to make another batch of macarons... geez! *secret, sly grin* or, if you're feeling lazy, you can also pick up a bag of almond meal instead of grinding it yourself. i won't tell. : ) )i suppose you can use your food processer to accomplish this but i find that with small quantities such as this, using a coffee bean grinder is much more efficient and practical.

*note: when the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of almonds, ground they're asking you to measure out 1/2 cup of almonds and then grinding it. on the other hand, if it says to use 1/2 cup ground almonds, like this recipe does, then grind the almonds first and then measure out 1/2 cup of it.*

i prepared the ingredients i would need immediately for the next step: butter, sugar, heavy cream, and all-purpose flour.

melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, like this.

add the sugar and heavy cream once the butter has melted and raise the heat to high. let it come to a boil.

remove it from the heat and mix in the flour, ground almonds, and sliced almonds.

it should be pretty thick but still runny.

let the batter sit for a couple minutes if you want the cookies to hold their shape better by allowing it to thicken a bit. then drop 1 tablespoon of batter onto your baking sheets. technically, you don't need to line it with parchment because the batter is so buttery it should just slip right off but i always like to err on the side of caution lest i ruin a completely good batch of perfect cookies. but that's just me. *shrug*

but make sure you don't crowd them! i wouldn't try to do more than 6 cookies per tray. and it's best to use flat trays that don't have the ledges. if you don't have flat ones you can just flip over a regular ol' baking tray and use the backside. the back of a jelly roll pan works perfectly for these cookies. if you decide to bake more than one tray at a time remember to turn the trays halfway during the baking process! i like to switch the top and bottom trays in addition to turning them from front to back.

after 10-12 minutes (less time for darker trays, more time for lighter trays), remove your almost-perfect cookies from the oven! the edges should be brown and the centers should still be bubbling.

now, the hard part- don't touch them! let them sit for at least five minutes on the sheet so they can cool completely and not fall apart while you're trying to transfer them to a cooling rack or working area. yes, they're perfect, but they're also delicate. as in any relationship, you must woo the florentine and treat them right if you want them to be good to you later!

when the cookies are firm enough to hold their shape when you lift the edge with your finger, carefully lift them up with a spatula onto a working space, the dressing room, if you will, for their hair and makeup. in other words, get them ready for the chocolating! yes, i just made up a word. what are you gonna do about it??

once all your cookies are cooled and ready to go, melt about 5 ounces of semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl or pan over a pan of simmering hot water. it's very important that the top bowl/pan does not actually touch the boiling water, as this could result in lumpy, grainy, and generally unworkable chocolate. also be sure that your utensils do not have water on them as this could affect the texture of the chocolate as well. chocolate + water = no thank you!

once all your chocolate is melted and completely smooth, coat the back of each cookie with a layer of chocolate with a pastry brush. stick them in the freezer until the chocolate is completely cooled. while they're chilling, fill a plastic zipper bag with the remaining chocolate. when the cookies have cooled and are ready for their back coating, snip a very small part of one corner of the sandwich bag. drizzle the melted chocolate in lines on the other side of the florentines. pop them in the freezer again. i know, it takes a lot of patience to make these cookies! but love is always worth the wait, am i right?? : )

when you're finished, you will have....

THE

PERFECT

COOKIE.

....okay, now i'm scared that i've hyped this up wayyyy too much and you'll all be after me with pitchforks and very angry expressions in the middle of the night. imagine the "kill the beast" scene. lucky for me only two people in the world know about this blog and they both love florentines! : D

but seriously, make this cookie. it's so worth the time and trouble. i don't think i've ever met anyone who tasted this cookie and didn't love it completely. to me, it's the perfect cookie. your mileage may vary. i can't guarantee you it'll be your favorite but i can promise you that you won't have any trouble getting rid of the leftovers : )

happy baking!

Chocolate Florentines
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup sliced almonds
5 ounces semisweet chocolate

1.preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line light baking sheets with parchment paper. in a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add sugar and cream. Turn heat to high. Let mixture boil. Remove from heat. Add the flour, ground almonds, and sliced almonds.

2. drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto flat, lined baking sheets, leaving ample space between the cookies. bake no more than six cookies at one time. spread each cookie into a 2-inch round circle with the back of a spoon. bake one pan at a time for 10-12 minutes, until edges are light brown and crispy and centers are still bubbly.

3. cool cookies on pan for five minutes. test firmness of cookies by lifting up one corner. if it is firm enough to hold its shape, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet using a spatula.

4. in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate. when chocolate is melted and smooth brush the backs of the cooled cookies with chocolate using a pastry brush. place pan in freezer to cool.

5. once chocolate on cookies has cooled completely, remove pan drom freezer. flip cookies over. fill sandwich zipper bag with remaining melted chocolate. snip corner end of bag and drizzle cookies with chocolate. place pan in freezer once again to cool.

6. try not to eat all of them in one sitting or your jeans may not be appreciate you tomorrow. however, if you share with friends, they will appreciate you more tomorrow. and the day after that. and the day after that. enjoy! : )