For the past two months I have been on the search for the Holy Grail…of chocolate chip cookies. The ones that are just right, with a hint of crunch around the edges but a center of soft, gooey, deliciousness. For some, you might wonder ” why waste time baking home made chocolate chip cookies, the ones in the refrigerator section are so good.” For others, you might be saying, “What an incompetent woman, can’t even make chocolate chip cookies.” Well I have overcome defeat!
It all started one Saturday evening. We were having friends over for dinner and a little bit of Settlers of Catan (For all you non-nerds out there, it’s a board came). I was going to be miss Suzy Homemaker and make these cookies that I had seen on another blog. (I do believe this was my first attempt EVER at making chocolate chip cookies. But how hard can it be, really?!) So, I made the dough and put it in the fridge so we could have nice, hot cookies after dinner. I made said cookies and what a disaster. They looked like biscuits! All puffy and tasteless, pretty much a catastrophe. Luckily, in case of an emergency, I had back up cookies (the refrigerator kind) in the fridge that I threw in the oven. Phew, catastrophe diverted!
Next time, no company (lesson learned: don’t make something new when you are having company). I used the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag. Foolproof, I got this in the bag (no pun intended). Again, same biscuity looking cookies! What in the world was I doing wrong?! I mixed dry ingredients together, melted butter, beat eggs…..THE EGGS!!!! I was getting too hi tech on my cookies! I guess I have never had a problem with beating the heck out of something before. Surely, this was my problem, right?!
I sought out recipes from real women, who know how to bake cookies, and was determined to get it right! So this morning, armed with 16 sticks of butter (I went to Costco) and lots of flour and chocolate chips (all this just in case I had to make 10 different batches to get it right), I set course on making The BEST undisputed chocolate chip cookies! This time, I went completely low-tech. I left the mixer in the cabinet and went all natural (I used my hands to do the mixing). I put these suckers in the oven and waited….
I DID IT!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!! Not only are they a little crunchy on the outside, but they are gooey on the inside and the best part of all, THEY DON’T LOOK LIKE BISCUITS!!!
Absolutely love this post, Brittany. I can so relate. I’m notoriously horrible at cooking. AND I love that website. (Although I can only read so much before I want to crawl into the corner and cry. Either that or challenge that blogger to an arm-wrestling match to prove my womanhood.)
Thanks for sharing your triumph. You inspire me!
LOl – That is great!! I will have to try them although I can sub my freshly milled flour and see what that does.
Love you