Whatever Day it is; Kitchen Quarantine, Old School Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I confessed in another post that cookies are my downfall---given an empty house, I would eat every cookie I could find.  One of my favorite store-bought cookies is Tates' Bakeshop Chocolate Chip cookies.  These are crisp chocolate chip cookies, that stain your chin with buttery goodness.  

The recipe for these cookies in the Tate's Bakeshop Bakery Cookbook doesn't produce a crisp cookie---I've tried my darndest to get them there, but they don't get to that crispy consistency.  BUT, the good news, I've finally gotten their recipe to a point that I love them (which is unfortunate since I can't stop eating them). These cookies are thin, with a crispy edge, but a chewy center.  The other night I made them, and even our son, who is the chocolate chip cookie monster said they were my best effort ever.  Cook's Note here, we are more partial to milk chocolate chips in these cookies, but you can use semi-sweet or white chocolate in them if you prefer.  The other note is that using salted butter gave me a more flavorful cookie---go figure after years of culinary school, and teaching, it seems that salted butter in cookies has resulted in Nirvana.  

Chocolate Chippers

Depending on the scoop you use, this should make 36 to 48 cookies

1 cup salted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

8 ounces milk chocolate chips (I've used Ghirardelli and Guittard with great results)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheets with silicone, aluminum foil, or parchment.  
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.  
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat till smooth. 
4. Add the flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips, beating on low speed until just combined. 
5. Using a portion scoop, or a tablespoon, form the dough into balls and place 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.  
6. Wet your hands, and press down on the cookies, bake for 10 minutes, reverse the baking sheets and bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the edges are golden brown, and the center are set.  
7. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks to cool and store in airtight containers.  
8. Cook's Note:  This recipe was adapted from the Tates Bake Shop Cookbook.
9. If you only have unsalted butter, add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to the recipe. 

So, I have no idea what day it is in our quarantine, but I do know that we are in, and when we go out we wear masks, and we social distance.  That is the only way we can flatten the curve.  After the 4th of July, I realized that we'd have 2 weeks till the next wave happened, and here we are in California, basically closed down again.  Stay safe and stay well.   

C is for Cookie

Minutes before I injured my shoulder in December, I had just finished 3 sheet trays full of toffee to give away to friends and relations.  The chocolate on one of the trays didn't adhere correctly, and I've said before, I'm not a food scientist, so I'm not sure where we went wrong here.  We were left with a tray full of perfectly good toffee with mottled looking chocolate, so Dr. C. broke it up for me (picture Oral Surgeon with hammer and chisel!) and then we vacuum sealed it with the thought I could use it in cookies and brownies, maybe even break it up to garnish a cake. 

I've been a fan of Tate's Bake Shop for years; their crispy, deliciously buttery, chocolate chip cookies are awesome!  Kathleen Kings' Cookbook, The Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook is also awesome, with every recipe working perfectly.  And, guess what?  She uses SALTED butter! I'm sure the bakers of this world are hyperventilating! 
I came across a recipe in the book Pecan Toffee Cookies and adapted it to use my almond toffee, and these cookies are PDG!  I'll be leaving them for Dr. C tonight when I go to teach a Super Bowl Class at Great News. 

Almond Toffee Cookies
Makes about 48 two-inch cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla paste, or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups instant rolled oats
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped almond roca, or toffee (if your toffee doesn't have nuts in it, add 1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 4 baking sheets with silicone baking liners, or parchment paper. 
In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until the mixture appears curdled. 
Add the remaining ingredients, and beat until the ingredients are combined (about 3 minutes)  

Using a small portion scoop, place the dough on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are browned, and the interior of the cookies are set.

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the cookie sheet on a wire rack for 2 minutes before removing and cooling completely on the wire rack. 
The cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days, or can be frozen for 2 months.  

Cook's Note:  Toffee Chips, and certain candies will not melt when you bake with them; because this was homemade toffee, it melted, and so we had a bit of hard caramel when the cookies were baked---what's not to love about that extra crunch???
Enjoy your day!