The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie?

In an earlier post, I wrote about my quest for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe on the planet. For the good of my fellow humans and in the name of Science I have unselfishly continued to tinker with the recipe – and consume the results. 

Recently, I decided to try using Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Mini Chips in the recipe instead of regular-sized chips. Eureka! The result was a cookie that has bits of melted chocolate throughout, balancing nicely with the crispy, lightly salted cookie base. Could this finally be the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookie recipes? Only time, further testing–and your comments–will tell. Here’s the updated recipe:

Possibly the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies on the Planet

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup top quality semisweet chocolate mini chips 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, shortening and sugars together. On low speed, slowly add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is incorporated thoughout the mixture. Form the dough into 1 ½-inch balls and arrange on a Silpat-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 to 13 minutes, turning the pan once at the halfway point. (Note: oven temperatures vary, so watch the first batch carefully. You want the edges to be just barely, barely light brown; remove the cookies the second they reach that stage.)  Remove the tray from oven and cool the cookies for a minute on the tray, than transfer immediately to a wire rack so they don’t cook any further and harden. Store in an airtight jar for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to a month. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Mandelbrot

Mandelbrot is sometimes referred to as Jewish biscotti, but while similarly shaped and twice baked like biscotti, it has its own unique characteristics. Mandelbrot translates from Yiddish as “almond bread” and is a traditional cookie of Ashkenazi Jews. There is very little know about its historic origins but it has been speculated that Jews from Northern Italy brought the biscotti to German Jews and the recipe  evolved over time to today’s treat. I had mandelbrot well before the pre-Starbucks espresso craze of the early ’90s introduced suburban America to the biscotti.  I remember trying a biscotti for the first time and finding it virtually inedible unless it had been  soaked in your coffee. Expecting the softer, crumbly texture of a mandelbrot I almost destroyed my not yet paid off orthodontia biting down on a dry biscotti at my local “italian cafe” the Coffee Roast Express. I’ve rarely eaten them since. My husband’s Grandma Tina used to make mandelbrot every year for Hanukkah and he always looked forward to them. It makes for a nice, not too sweet after dinner treat with coffee or tea. While chopped or slivered almonds are essential, most modern recipes omit almond meal (ground almonds). I suspect it was either hard to come by or  expensive, but the exploding “gluten-free” baking trend seems to have made it more readily available. I found a 1lb package at Trader Joes for $2.99. (BTW- never ever try to feed me gluten -free anything that really should have gluten in it. I will throw it at you) The almond meal really creates a nice texture. I also have been having a pretty strong sweet tooth this past week so I made this batch with mini chocolate chips.

Recipe after the jump ….

Mandelbrot

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 C. all purpose flour
• 1 C. almond meal (ground almonds)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 sugar
• 3/4 C. veg. oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 C. chopped or slivered almonds
• 1 C. mini chocolate chips (optional, but definitely use the mini ones, as full size chips are hard to incorporate into the dough)

1. Preheat Oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet or line with a baking mat.
2. In a medium bowl mix together flour, salt, almond meal, baking powder and salt.
3. Using and electric mixer or stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar, then beat in oil, lemon zest and extracts.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture until well blended, then mix in almond pieces and the optional chocolate chips (the dough will be stiff and sticky)
5. Scape dough out of bowl onto a floured work surface. Separate into two pieces and form into long flat loafs about 3 inches wide. Place on baking sheets and bake for 35-40 minutes until loaves are firm but not hard.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. When cool cut loaves into 1 inch diagonal slices. Be careful not the break or crush the loaves.
7. Lay the slices on their side on the baking sheet  and return to the oven. Bake for about 7-10 minutes each side until the cookies are golden brown. Cool completely.

Just a little side tip … If you don’t have wire cooling racks, cut open a paper grocery bag and lay it out on your counter for a cheap way to cool cookies. The paper helps absorb any grease and keep the bottom of the cookies crisp and in Oakland you can then throw the paper into the green waste bin for composting.

the emails have been pouring in from chicago, los angeles, orlando, detroit, south bend, in and new york city for the pumpkin banana bread recipe. so guess what folks, i did it. and i have to say, i’m hesitating sharing the recipe because it’s just that good. but i love you loyal blog readers, so here you go:

(makes one loaf, double for two.)

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp of fine sea salt crystals (can be purchased at Whole Foods for about $2.00 for a HUGE canister)

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 large bananas

14.5 oz of pureed pumpkin (half of the 29 oz can, Libby’s)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter (melted)

1/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2 a bag of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

mix the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a medium bowl. melt the butter in a small bowl while mixing.  in a second medium bowl, add the sugar, melted butter and stir. let the butter cool down before you add the egg. the last thing you want is the egg to even partially cook, then leaving you with an eggy tasting bread. grod. add in the egg and milk and stir. mix in the pureed pumpkin. add the dry mix in three parts to the wet mix. stir only with a rubber spatula. add in sliced bananas (thicker if you want chunkier bread.) once everything is mixed add the brown sugar and stir in the mini chocolate chips at the same time. coat your bread pan with Pam with Flour, or something similar and pour in the mix. bake at 350 for 45 minutes. checking frequently when you’re past the 30 minute mark. (folks, this means inserting a toothpick. the pumpkin makes this bread super moist, i.e. longer cook time.)

the bread is fantastic out of the oven and even tastes good when cooled and with Nutella on top…ideas…yum! and it freezes fantastically. below are the pictures of the whole process. let me know if you end up making this yourself and how it turns out. i promise, it won’t last long around your house. enjoy!

Normally, waking up to a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is no less than a miracle. As in:

1. It rarely happens
2. God plays a strong role

But in this case, there’s something more peculiar at work. Something which, although just as awe-inspiring, doesn’t give you the same warm and fuzzy feeling that a genuine miracle engenders. I speak, of course, of the emergency overnight shift of a veterinary intern program.

Let me explain.

My wife is a veterinary doctor, and has chosen to do a one-year internship in which your chosen animal hospital puts you through hell in order for you to learn the ropes of modern veterinary medicine. This hell includes several two-week periods where you must start work at 7pm and leave work no earlier than 9am. These periods are called “emergency overnights” and they are painful.

Flipping your sleep pattern to accommodate this schedule results in all manner of situations, not the least of which is attempting to maintain that schedule during your “intermission” two days (really nights) off between weeks. And it was during one of these nights that the cookies mysteriously arrived.

Evidently, after a marathon movie schedule of Lars and the Real Girl, Legally Blonde and (God help us) Legally Blonde 2, my wife still had a few hours before daylight, when she would allow herself to go to sleep. So, acting on the suggestion of a friend, she decided to bake.

With only half the amount of butter needed, and a small bag of mini-chocolate-chips, my overnight domestic diva turned out some surprisingly impressive cookies. In fact, they were so close to my great aunt’s gold standard cookies, that I had to wonder what she did differently to achieve the effect.

First, she said she melted the butter (accidentally), which I would have thought would make the cookies thin out too much. What made up for this, and I really think this is the big secret you’ve been waiting for, is that she mixed everything by hand. She used only a large wooden spoon – no electric mixer – so as not to wake her slumbering husband.

Not only was this extremely kind and conscientious of her, but it resulted in the elusive “moist but crumbly” cookie consistency that we had always been searching for.

So there you have it, cookie fans. The best piece of baking advice since Betty Crocker:

MIX BY HAND!

Your significant other will thank you in the morning. And maybe even write a blog post.

You know how sometimes there’s this thing that you need, you crave, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? You know you’re hungry, have a hankering for something, but you have no idea what it could be. And then, magically, it jumps out at you: “ahha! that’s what I’ve been wanting!”.

Well, I was having a full-on PMS day: grumpy, moody, craving that unknown something. I took a shower, thinking that would help me shake off my bad mood. When I got out of the shower, my house smelled like cookies. Like the Keebler Elves snuck in while I was in the bathroom and whipped up a batch of something yummy.

Well, it was better than that. My Sweetie had baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies! I followed my nose down the stairs, and found these waiting for me.

The recipe is from the Foster’s Market Cookbook, a perennial favorite of mine. It has everything from simple summer salads to savory roasts and delightful desserts. Definitely worth checking out. (Note:while looking up the link I noticed she has some new books–must check them out!)

These peanut butter cookies turn out great every time, and with the addition of some mini chocolate chips are sure not to last long in my house. Thank you, Sweetness!