Chocolate chip cookies are something of a habit here, in my house. Kids expect me to make it every couple of months and keep our humongous cookie jar filled, and I do that gladly. There is a reason, why I do it gladly- it has to do something with one big change we made when we could, to a better, healthier lifestyle.
It was not always like this. There used to be a time when I was scared of baking. Once my son got to the toddler stage was when I started paying more attention to the packaging labels and noticed the tough-to-pronounce ingredients there. We stopped buying them altogether. But how would you explain your refusal to buy packaged cookies to a toddler who absolutely loved his "chokochikookie???"
I had to give him a healthier option. I'd watch the food channels where baking cookies were what they did between basting the roast. I would hear it from the Moms at the park, how they baked a batch and they binged on it because it was so good when it was warm. I wondered, was it that easy? If it was that easy, why am I not making it for my poor kid suffering from choco-chip cookie withdrawal?
The answer lay in my cold, cold feet. So I dragged my feet up and down the baking isle of our local Publix and got all the ingredients mentioned in my favorite recipe. It was nerve-wracking to pick up even flour. Enriched, unbleached, self raising, whole wheat, healthy blend and so on. After pissing off hubby (who hates shopping) and 2 and a half tantrum from his son later, I finally settled on an enriched, unbleached all purpose flour and walked out of the store.
At home, I laid out the ingredients in neat order on the counter. I gingerly followed the directions to the T and creamed and mixed and stirred and folded. I sent a silent prayer heavenward before thrusting the cookie sheets in the oven. And twelve minutes later came out my first creation from the world of cookies. I am strictly not a cookie or cake person. 1 sliver of a slice and 2 cookies are the max I can stand in a day. So it wasnt until S had 6 and sonny boy grabbed the third one,I decided to take a bite and see how it tasted. I took a bite...it was warm, the chocolate chips were gooey and filled my mouth with sweet warmth. The cookies were perfectly soft and chewy, but as I swallowed, the unmistakable tightness in my throat, that comes from too much sweetness, made me freeze, in my tracks. I put down the cookie and immediately knew I had to improvise.
The next day, using the leftovers and tweaking the recipe,I made my second batch. This time, I tasted it first. It was perfect! Just perfect!
That incident was 9 years back. To this day, I haven't changed my recipe.
Today, I have 4 kids in the house, 2 mine and 2 my son's best friends. Its almost 1.30 a.m. and they are laughing, watching some goofy kids movie and playing and talking as if its the middle of the day. Right between the circle is a plate full of the same cookies and I take to the side table a huge jug of lemonade. My son takes a cookie and takes a bite and unplanned, his eyes meet mine and he smiles and winks at me- a natural reflex for him. That smile creates the memories of that toddler drooling and munching on his chokochikookie and I beam back with a wink.
And I am sitting here, in the kitchen listening to their laughs and typing out this recipe. It is an odd time, but maybe the time to write this recipe down, cant get any better. :-)
(Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on your cookie size. These are about he size of your palm, sans the fingers. Does that make sense?)
Ingredients:-3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) sweet cream butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large fresh eggs
2 tsp tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semi-sweet /milk chocolate Chips
Method:
Preheat oven 350°F.
Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer.
To this add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated into the sugar butter mix.
In another large bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking soda, very well.
Make a well in the center and slowly add the wet mix into the flour mix. Carefully combine them using the electric mixer until a very sticky and soft batter if formed.
Now, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the two cups of chocolate chips
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 1 tbsp of the batter into the pan, leaving about 1 1/2 inch of space. these cookies spread beautifully. if you dont leave that space, you will end up with a single sheet of cookie instead of the separate ones. 9 is perfect number for a standard cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. If you want chewier ones, bake an additional 2 more minutes.
Cool them in the pan for 5 minutes and using a thin spatula lift them off the parchment and cool them on a cookie rack.
My family says skip the rack and grab them right off the pan. Either way, enjoy them with a cup of cold milk. Enjoy!
It was not always like this. There used to be a time when I was scared of baking. Once my son got to the toddler stage was when I started paying more attention to the packaging labels and noticed the tough-to-pronounce ingredients there. We stopped buying them altogether. But how would you explain your refusal to buy packaged cookies to a toddler who absolutely loved his "chokochikookie???"
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| Introducing... my Chef Guy. Read more about how I met him in my next post! :-) |
I had to give him a healthier option. I'd watch the food channels where baking cookies were what they did between basting the roast. I would hear it from the Moms at the park, how they baked a batch and they binged on it because it was so good when it was warm. I wondered, was it that easy? If it was that easy, why am I not making it for my poor kid suffering from choco-chip cookie withdrawal?
The answer lay in my cold, cold feet. So I dragged my feet up and down the baking isle of our local Publix and got all the ingredients mentioned in my favorite recipe. It was nerve-wracking to pick up even flour. Enriched, unbleached, self raising, whole wheat, healthy blend and so on. After pissing off hubby (who hates shopping) and 2 and a half tantrum from his son later, I finally settled on an enriched, unbleached all purpose flour and walked out of the store.
At home, I laid out the ingredients in neat order on the counter. I gingerly followed the directions to the T and creamed and mixed and stirred and folded. I sent a silent prayer heavenward before thrusting the cookie sheets in the oven. And twelve minutes later came out my first creation from the world of cookies. I am strictly not a cookie or cake person. 1 sliver of a slice and 2 cookies are the max I can stand in a day. So it wasnt until S had 6 and sonny boy grabbed the third one,I decided to take a bite and see how it tasted. I took a bite...it was warm, the chocolate chips were gooey and filled my mouth with sweet warmth. The cookies were perfectly soft and chewy, but as I swallowed, the unmistakable tightness in my throat, that comes from too much sweetness, made me freeze, in my tracks. I put down the cookie and immediately knew I had to improvise.
The next day, using the leftovers and tweaking the recipe,I made my second batch. This time, I tasted it first. It was perfect! Just perfect!
That incident was 9 years back. To this day, I haven't changed my recipe.
Today, I have 4 kids in the house, 2 mine and 2 my son's best friends. Its almost 1.30 a.m. and they are laughing, watching some goofy kids movie and playing and talking as if its the middle of the day. Right between the circle is a plate full of the same cookies and I take to the side table a huge jug of lemonade. My son takes a cookie and takes a bite and unplanned, his eyes meet mine and he smiles and winks at me- a natural reflex for him. That smile creates the memories of that toddler drooling and munching on his chokochikookie and I beam back with a wink.
And I am sitting here, in the kitchen listening to their laughs and typing out this recipe. It is an odd time, but maybe the time to write this recipe down, cant get any better. :-)
(Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on your cookie size. These are about he size of your palm, sans the fingers. Does that make sense?)
Ingredients:-3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) sweet cream butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large fresh eggs
2 tsp tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semi-sweet /milk chocolate Chips
Method:
Preheat oven 350°F.
Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer.
To this add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated into the sugar butter mix.
In another large bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking soda, very well.
Make a well in the center and slowly add the wet mix into the flour mix. Carefully combine them using the electric mixer until a very sticky and soft batter if formed.
Now, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the two cups of chocolate chips
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 1 tbsp of the batter into the pan, leaving about 1 1/2 inch of space. these cookies spread beautifully. if you dont leave that space, you will end up with a single sheet of cookie instead of the separate ones. 9 is perfect number for a standard cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. If you want chewier ones, bake an additional 2 more minutes.
Cool them in the pan for 5 minutes and using a thin spatula lift them off the parchment and cool them on a cookie rack.
My family says skip the rack and grab them right off the pan. Either way, enjoy them with a cup of cold milk. Enjoy!
Such a heart warming and touching story Nisha with the bonus of a tried, tested and long loved chocolate chip recipe at the end! Thank you for sharing! Selma | Selma's Table
ReplyDeleteThanks Selma! :-)
DeleteBeautiful cookies...:)
ReplyDeletehttp:\\chhapanbhog.blogspot.com
Thanks Shikha! Good to see you here! :-)
ReplyDelete