Chewey, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

On the eve of our most American of holidays, I thought I'd share a most American cookie recipe with you. Even people who don't ever cook have made chocolate chip cookies. We all started out as kids making the recipe on the back of the Nestle's chocolate chip bag, right?

This recipe I've been making for years and years. I've made hundreds of batches of these cookies and had plenty of time to experiment with them. I started with Alton Brown's chewy cookie recipe. He did a show demonstrating the techniques for making thin, chewy and puffy chocolate chip cookies. Like there are hot dog people and hamburger people, I suppose there are different kinds of cookie people. It's all about the chewy for me and I'll tell you why: the chewy cookie is, of course, amazing right out the oven. What cookie isn't? But this cookie holds it's integrity the next day and the next, if it lasts that long. Because the dough is allowed to chill, or better yet, freeze, before baking, instead of spreading out all over the place and turning into a thin disc that dries out, it keeps its shape while baking and slowly sort of falls in on itself instead of spreading. This makes for a puddle of cookie in the middle. The photo below shows a cookie on the left that was only chilled (not frozen) before baking. It still spreads out too much. The cookie on the right was frozen before baking and it holds it's shape better to form a puddle of goodness in the center.



The cookie I want will have creases and overlapping folds, kind of like a floppy puppy with too much fur. While baking, you want them to look like the photo below. See how they are still holding their shape in the center instead of just spreading out?



Before we married, my husband lived 1,000 miles away and I would travel to visit him usually once a month or so. Most of his friends lived in his neighborhood, within a few blocks of each other, and were always hanging out together. These cookies became so popular with them that they would come through the door and ask "Did you make the cookies?" THE cookies. Because these are the kind of cookies you could commit to for life, forsaking all others. My hubby likes them too. (There's a reason his dad nicknamed him "Batch" as a kid.) Couldn't have hurt in helping persuade him to move here.

I have to warn you, these cookies are more trouble than the average chocolate chip cookie. But once you've had them, there's no going back. And all the credit goes to Mr. Brown, the Bill Nye of the food world. His technique really works. I just took it one step further by freezing the dough balls, to ensure the perfect cookie every time. Otherwise, if you just chill the dough before baking, it sometimes spreads a bit too much. If the dough is scooped out with a small ice cream scoop (a #40 size) and frozen completely, then baked, it will hold it's shape initially and then fall down in a puddle just like it should, without excessive spreading. That's the secret.



The recipe also calls for a few departures from the traditional -- all in the name of chewy... the use of bread flour instead of all-purpose; melting the butter instead of just softening it; a little milk; more brown sugar than white sugar; an extra egg yolk; and a baking temperature of 375 degrees instead of 350.

Note: I'm giving you the single batch amounts here, but I rarely make these without making a double batch. Since you're going to freeze the dough balls anyway, they are very easy to bake off as needed for hot cookies anytime. The only problem here is that this is also the finest cookie dough you will ever taste. And when you open the freezer and see those little dough balls peeking out at you through their freezer bag, you'll be seduced into eating them straight from the freezer, as I must confess, I just did while typing this. (As I was taking the bag from the freezer, I noted that earlier in the day there were two freezer bags of cookie dough balls, and now there is just one. Hmm. My hubby was alone in the house this afternoon. Suspicious.)

Be sure to buy some quality dark chocolate chips, not semisweet, which is too sweet in an already sweet cookie. These are my favorites and they're easily accessible in the grocery store these days: Ghiradelli's 60% chip and Scharffen Berger's 70% bittersweet chunk.

Last tip: get a #40 ice cream scoop at a restaurant supply store. I went through several before finding one (cheaper) in a restaurant supply that has endured long past the others, even an Oxo one. You want the kind with a little arm that sweeps the inside of the scoop to release the dough.

While they are humble in appearance, these make wonderful gifts and elicit moans of pleasure.

Chewy, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk (I use whole milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks
vegetable oil spray

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Melt the butter (I usually do it in the microwave in 20-30 second rounds at 50% power until melted.) Add the sugars and mix together until well combined.

Add the egg mixture and mix again until well combined.

About a third at a time, add the flour and mix in.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a spatula, scrape around the edges and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.

At this point, you can cover the dough and chill it for later scooping, or jump right into the scooping...

Take your #40 ice cream scoop and hold it over the sink while spraying it inside and out with vegetable oil spray. You can shake off the excess. If it gets sticky part way through, just rinse it off and spray and start again.

Scoop the dough out and place on a silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet or half sheet pan. Be sure it will fit inside your freezer. You can line up your dough wads pretty close together to make the most of the space. You won't be baking them on this, just freezing. When the dough is all scooped out, place the pan in the freezer until frozen through (I've never timed this, but it happens pretty quickly, less than an hour.)

When the dough balls are frozen through, place them in an airtight freezer bag to store until baking. Store in freezer.

To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place 6-8 balls of dough on a half sheet-sized pan. You don't want them bumping into each other. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. You might set your timer for 10-11 minutes and start watching them continuously from there. This is very important!! You want to pull them out when they still look slightly underdone in the center, but golden brown around the edges. You'll have to learn how they bake in your oven to decide on the perfect baking time. Also, watch to see if you need to rotate them halfway through for even baking.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack until completely cool. If you're baking more, use another sheet or wait on this one. Do not rush them out of their pan. They need to cool completely to set up and come off the pan without falling apart. They will continue cooking in the pan while cooling. Your patience will be rewarded!

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies. Recipes easily doubles.

Adapted from Alton Brown.

Flatbreads with Halloumi, Tomatoes and Mint

We were a little late getting our tomatoes into the ground this spring and so are just now being treated to a bounty of orange, red and green fruits. We've been eating them in everything while they last. It's really heating up out there — 106 degrees yesterday — so our tomato days are numbered since they probably won't keep flowering in this heat. While we can, we're greedily eating them like candy by the handful and in any other way we can think of. This is one of my favorite and one of the easiest ways to enjoy them, especially those sweet little Sun Golds and Sweet 100s.



Using your favorite flatbread — I usually use pitas — you can either grill or toast this little Mediterranean pizza for a perfect snack, appetizer or light summer meal. I've been making this for years, after seeing it on an episode of Nigella Lawson's cooking show. It was perfection from the first taste and I've been making it this way ever since. That same episode introduced me to halloumi cheese. Halloumi is firm, mild, sheep's milk cheese made in Cyprus. The fun thing about it is that you can grill it and it's high melting point keeps it from oozing all over the place. It is a bit salty though, so I sometimes soak it in water for a few minutes before using and that takes it right out.

You can find halloumi at most cheese counters. In Austin, I usually buy it frozen from our Middle Eastern market, Phoenicia. It's about half the price there of Central Market or Whole Foods. I buy several at a time and keep them in the freezer. They thaw in minutes. I also get fresh pitas when I'm at Phoenicia. Like fresh tortillas, they are so much richer in flavor when freshly baked.

I have a big mint plant out in the herb garden and I use it all the time. But this little pizza uses dried mint and somehow here it works magic when roasted with the tomatoes. The softer flavor of the dried mint goes all sweet when heated and really compliments the cherry tomatoes.

This is one of those things you make on the fly and don't really need measurements for. Each regular-sized pita makes enough for one as a main dish snack or two or three as an appetizer. Make as many as you like.



Flatbread with Halloumi, Tomatoes and Mint

whole, fresh pita breads or flatbreads
halloumi cheese
handful of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
dried mint

First, remove the halloumi from the packaging and place in a small bowl. Cover with water and soak for 3-5 minutes to remove excess salt. Drain and then chop or crumble into bite-sized chunks.

Slice cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle over pita.

Scatter halloumi chunks on to pita as well.

Drizzle with olive oil. Then sprinkle with a pinch of dried mint.

Toast under broiler or place on hot grill until the tomatoes are softened and bubbly and the cheese is golden around the edges.

Slice into quarters and enjoy!

Adapted from Nigella Lawson.

Pineapple Mint Slushie

It's that time of year when we're seeing triple digits by lunchtime and I only want to eat and drink things that are cold, preferably frozen. So I share with you the perfect summertime refresher that my friend, Jennifer, introduced me to at her house. You combine fresh pineapple juice with mint and ice and sometimes Jen adds fresh ginger to give it another layer of flavor.

This one is a little bit fussy — you purée fresh pineapple and then have to press it through a sieve to remove the pulp, unless you have a juicer. But it doesn't take long and gives you the ultimate smooth essence of pineapple.

I drink piña agua fresca all the time at our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint. It's really good. But theirs doesn't include the mint. Fresh mint somehow makes the pineapple flavor even more somehow. For a little different spin, I like it with the ginger too. But as much as I love ginger, it's warming to me, so I usually make this in the blazing summer with just mint. Try it both ways and see what you like.

Note that you can prep the pineapple juice and combine it with the mint a little ahead of time and stash it in the fridge. But don't blend it with the ice until you're ready to serve it. You want these icy for the utimate slushie refreshment.

I haven't tried this, but I'm guessing a little shot of rum in here would be pretty tasty too.



Pineapple Mint Slushie

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
approximately 1/4 cup sugar or agave syrup, to taste
1/2 cup fresh spearmint leaves
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger, optional
5 cups ice cubes

In a blender, purée the pineapple.

Pour a little of the purée at a time into a seive placed over a bowl. Press it through the sieve with a spoon.

When all of the purée has been run through the sieve, discard the pulp, and return the juice to the blender. Add the sugar/agave and mint. Keep in mind that you may need more or less sweetener depending on the ripeness of your pineapple. Taste to decide. But don't skip it altogether. The little bit of extra sweetness really brings out the flavor of the pineapple. It's flat without it. Whiz together in the blender until the mint is incorporated.

If serving immediately, add the ice cubes and blend completely until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses.

If not serving immediately, refrigerate the pineapple-mint mixture until ready to add the ice and serve.

You're not likely to have any extra since folks will probably be asking for seconds. But in case you do, you can pour the excess into popsicle molds and freeze them for later.

Serves 4-6, depending on serving size.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2004.