Classic and classy.
By Passionthy 1:40 AM Baking, Desserts
Mom, guess what?
Hm?
Guess!
Hm.
I'm learning to paint a cougar.
Hm-mh.
And autumn leaves! The teacher said that I had a talent to layer reds and yellows and oranges to make the colors pop briiiight and vivid. And he showed me how to draw a tree bark's texture with a knife!
Mmh-huh.
Oooh nd cn g s a mvie wth sm frnds n mntrl ftr vt schl td?
What?
Canigoseeamoviewithafewsmarttopoftheclassfriendsaftervietschooltoday?
UUUUUMMMM-HUM.
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Those were my younger years. I decided to spare you guys from the moralizing good-girl speech I got each time I asked to hang out during the school year, thus the eternizing UUMM.
I began to bake from scratch around my 14 years old, which is about when I started to see those "friends" I wanted to hang out every-so-often for movies (Nope, your imagination hasn't gone wacko. There is a little, obscure indirect allusion here. You'll eventually find out what as we learn to know each other ;] ) They were my excuse to take out my wooden spatula and baking bowls and
WATTAWONKA
I loved it.
Not sure if they did as much, though. Heh. New bakers always freak out their surroundings a bit, the first and prior victims being our dear mom 'n dad right? (Or was I the only one in that sad situation?) Sounds a teensy bit familiar? (Yes. Please do say yes. My ego is a fragile wobbler.)
Before that, cake mixes and cupcake liners were my best friend. Ah, that faithful Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake mix. Good days, good days.
WATTAWONKA
I loved it.
Not sure if they did as much, though. Heh. New bakers always freak out their surroundings a bit, the first and prior victims being our dear mom 'n dad right? (Or was I the only one in that sad situation?) Sounds a teensy bit familiar? (Yes. Please do say yes. My ego is a fragile wobbler.)
Before that, cake mixes and cupcake liners were my best friend. Ah, that faithful Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake mix. Good days, good days.
Well, the first sweets I baked from scratch were choco chips cookies. ...Salty choco chip cookies. I accidentally read tablespoon for teaspoon and ta-dah! Lesson of the story? My taster got to discover a wincing muscle that she never knew existed in her left cheek. Good thing those crunchies went by TL (as I believe that they have the same rights as I do to go undercover, i'll always mention people by their initials) first.. because I have this annoying egg allergy which prohibits me from eating 90% of what I bake.
Choco chips cookies have always been a complex. Probably because I keep messing every recipe up. Either it was too crumbly, too oily or were just missing that "thing you can't quite put your finger on". Funny how a single molecule can do wonders in your mouth (Somehow, that last sentence doesn't quite sound right.. Oh well.)
After 2 years of shying away from choco chip cookie dough, I fell on an Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc recipe book. Actually, I was browsing through the library shelves and the book fell on the ground at my feet. Omigod, is that a sign? Could it be for the spicy-perfumed lady in pink behind? Am I the chosen one? And, and!! Split open on what page? Can you guess it??
YES, YOU GUESSED IT!
...
Ok no, i'm kidding, you didn't.
It fell open on the Confit of Pork Belly page.
(Alright, mayyybeee you guessed it right. I'll worship you if you did.)
But the book reminded me of the numerous wild reviews i repetitively heard from other bloggers.
So I mustered some courage, got two paper cuts and found the Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies page. ...And I made them.
And? And?I FRIGGIN' TACKLED THE BEAST!
Or, actually, Thomas Keller did and I borrowed his carrot and bunny basket to go hare hunting.
Fireworks on your tongue. I'm telling you. Fireworks.
The outside is crispy. Reaaaaal crispy. As if if a thin and smooth layer of sugar coated it. Not the kind of crispiness that gets humidity soaked after a day.
And the interior..? Chewy. Tootsie-roll chewy.
Did i mention that it was good?
Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home
2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I put a few grains of sea salt ontop instead)
5 ounces 55 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
5 ounces 70 to 72 percent chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces (I used 10 oz 60% chocolate instead of the two parts 5 oz)
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably molasses sugar (I luuuuuv molasses. I make my own dark sugar so I can ajust the amount of molasses to my taste. Try it!) (Oh, and I only used 3/4 cup of brown sugar)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used 2/3 cups)
2 large eggs
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1. Position racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. Sift flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir in the salt.
3. Put chips in a fine-mesh basket strainer and shake to remove any chocolate “dust” (small fragments).
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat half the butter on medium speed until fairly smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in chocolate.
5. Remove bowl from mixer and fold dough with a spatula to be sure the chocolate is evenly incorporated. The dough or shaped cookies can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 5 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Freeze shaped cookies on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to freezer containers. (Defrost frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator before baking.)
6. Using about a tablespoon per cookie, shape dough into balls. Arrange 8 cookies on each pan, leaving about 2 inches between them, because the dough will spread. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating pans halfway through baking.
7. Cool cookies on the pans on cooling racks for about 2 minutes to firm up a bit, then transfer to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with second batch of cookies. (My cookies were still wonderful after 3 days under a plastic wrap)
...
Oh, and while I was revisiting some classics, I tried my first whip at brownies. They were okay but didn't wow me. The box mix is still top dog. I'll keep you updated on those.
With a dab of butterscotch spread.
.:.
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