Chocolate Chip Cookies, two ways

Chocolate Chip & Double Chocolate. 
Even after freezing these to avoid temptation, I couldn't help myself.

I'm not gonna lie. I never really liked chocolate chip cookies.


I'm sorry, but it's true.


When I share this fact with others, I almost invariably get some sort of disapproving look or comment, like something's wrong with me. Literally, someone recently reacted with "What's wrong with you?!?!" Ridiculous, I think.


To be honest, I'd just never had a really awesome chocolate chip cookie. And there was something about their ubiquity at bake sales that helped them lose their novelty, so I started to dislike them even before I had a chance to form any kind of appreciation.


This first recipe changed my mind. These are your traditional chocolate chip cookies, kinda soft, perfect dunked in milk, and delicious frozen -- which, I found out only after freezing them in an attempt to keep myself from eating them... and that didn't work. While I don't see myself craving these cookies anytime soon, let's just say that if I ever need to make a housewarming gift or something else to give away, this one will be a top contender, if only so that I can have the extra few that I'll inevitably make. Just to make sure the recipe worked, you know?


The second recipe in this post.... Oooooh boyyyyy. 


Check it: Chocolate cookie with chocolate chips. I'm a dark chocolate fanatic, so the intensity of these are right up my alley. Microwaved, they become almost cake-like, and the secret added ingredient completely seals the deal for me. This is the perfect baked gift for a chocoholic for sure. But why chose? Make both on the same day! You can't go wrong :)  

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I love the lighting in this photograph.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar 
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a sieve, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl cream together melted butter and both sugars using a hand mixer until well blended.
4. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk, then mix in dry ingredients until just blended. 
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips, then drop cookie dough 1 Tablespoon at a time onto the cookie sheets (if you're like me and only have one, that's OK -- just drop the cookies onto sheets of parchment, and each time you finish baking a batch, pull off the parchment with the baked cookies, place the new, cookie-dough-laden parchment onto the cookie sheet, and place back in the oven. Repeat until you're done.)
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just toasted. 
7. Allow to cool completely before attempting to freeze -- this will keep the cookies from becoming misshapen and the precious chocolate chips from smearing all over your containers or ziplock bags.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Double Chocolate. Need I say more? 

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups  white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
and the secret ingredient: 1/3 of a teaspoon almond extract


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla and almond extract until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir dry ingredients into the butter mixture until well combined. 
5. Using a spatula or large spoon, stir in chocolate chips. 
6. Drop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet, one Tablespoon at a time.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then allow to cool before storing, as above, and enjoy :) 

Check out that partial print. Proof that these are handmade.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are my favorite weekend breakfast. They take a bit of time to put together, sure, but it's so satisfying to dig into that delicious mound of carbs and sweet syrup, knowing that you don't need to rush off to school or work.  

Pancakes take me back to when I was a kid. Growing up, my mom and I would make them together on Saturday mornings whenever we felt inspired; Aunt Jemima was our favorite mix and "syrup" back then. I remember feeling so proud when I finally mastered the art of pancake flipping, knowing exactly when they were ready to turn. I loved how easily they unstuck from her cast iron skillet, and it was one of the few cooking tasks my mother would let me take charge of. These days I don't make pancakes too often, but when I do I always remember being a kid, my mom letting me serve her food for a change. 

Here's a heartier pancake recipe than the one I used to keep as an instant mix, for when you want to feel like you're doing something good for yourself even while you indulge. 

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman on the New York Times

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries


*If you don't have buttermilk, you can use this easy substitute: Add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk you use. Let sit for 5 minutes. Et voila -- buttermilk!



Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine milk and rolled oats and set aside.
2. Using a sieve, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla extract and oil.
4. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and whisk together, being careful not to overbeat (it's OK to have a few lumps).
5. Fold in the milk & oats. The original recipe suggests letting this sit for an hour or to refrigerate overnight. I just waited 15 minutes and had excellent results.
6. Since investing in a cast iron skillet I find I don't really need much oil to keep my pan nonstick, but feel free to spray your griddle with some cooking spray. Next, drop 1/4 cup of batter into your pan at a time, adding as many blueberries as you like (try not to overload it, though, otherwise they'll get heavy and hard to flip successfully. 5-6 is a safe bet.).
7. Cook until large bubble break through the top, approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for about a minute more, until golden brown.
8. Serve warm with maple syrup, butter, or, as my mom likes them best, a slice of American cheese :) 


Tips: 
A. To make sure your pancakes stay warm as you keep cooking, you can either turn the oven light on and store your cooked pancakes in the oven, or you can lightly cover your cooked stack with some foil, just to keep the heat in.
B. After you make a batch, freeze in ziplocks in packs of three. Then you can thaw them in the microwave for a pancake breakfast during the week!