Wanna See My Cookies?

It's cold now. Winter Solstice has come and gone. The days are getting a little big longer (yes, by only about 1 minute, but so what??), oil and gas rates are a little higher, but my electric blanket will keep me warm only for so long. I need something more to satisfy my soul (and my soles...I have cold feet!)

Everyone went crazy when the NYT published a recipe for chocolate chip cookies back in July of last year. They were popping up all over blogs, referenced in food articles, the photos plastered all over. The accompanying article spoke of cookie synthesis. The perfect cookie. This one one time that my food radar didn't beep. It was July. I'm not cutting on an oven. Are you crazy?

I'm really not a fan of sweets. I'd rather skip dessert and languish on a sumptuous appetizer or hearty salad. I'm in a cookie mood now that I've had boxes of them delivered to my house.

Mine! Mine! They're ALL mine!

The NYT recipe was adapted from Jacques Torres, father of all things chocolate. I have yet to try this recipe. I'm sure it's perfect, ethereal and everything a cookie should want to be when it grows up. The only chocolate chip cookie I've ever made has been good ol' Mrs. Wakefield's Toll House cookies. This time I made them using suggestions from the article:

1--more salt

2--couverture chocolate disks

2--refrigerate the dough

Salt is our friend (sometimes) and it makes cookies taste better.

I do not like chocolate (I think it's all the inferior Hershey's we've been eating all these years). I'd rather eat calf liver (and I don't like that either!). I'f I have to use cocoa, cacao or chocolate in recipes, I make sure it's the best I can find. I found some Valrhona chocolate at a specialty store here in town (ON SALE!!!) and picked some up. It's pretty sexy, this chocolate...those French people know what they're doing...

Actually, I didn't mean to refrigerate the dough. I was lazy and didn't feel like making more than one batch the night I made the batter. But the difference was amazing.

There goes that nog again...

Nikki's Chocolate Chip cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Valrhona Manjari Dark Couverture

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips . Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 40 cookies