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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I feel as though the last three weeks of my life happened in a matter of hours. One second I was talking about being real with pancakes and the next thing I knew, three weeks had passed. As I pressed post on all that pancake talk, unexpected things began happening left and right. People moving on, being forced out, going new places, breaking things off, making amends, not getting what they deserve, doing the unexpected, and being altogether crazy.

Despite all of it though, I was seemingly handling myself pretty well. All the uncertainty was rolling right off my back, like nothing had happened. Then, I almost severed the tip of my left ring finger. As in, I cut more than halfway through, nail and all. Standing over the cutting board, staring down at bloody bell pepper, I slowly realized how bad it was. I transitioned to the sink, and placed my hand under the running water, holding the tip of my finger on. I kept thinking how it was weird it didn't hurt and how those knives were actually pretty sharp, despite my complaining otherwise, and how I really freaking wanted some tacos damnit. I was completely composed as Dale cleaned and bandaged me up. And then, I sort of lost it. I was suddenly full on hysterical. It sounds silly, but apparently this was my breaking point. Dale, knowing it was about more than a cut finger, finished the tacos. And I ate them, through tears and despondence. Because I was determined to have those tacos. I had been "fine" this whole time--you know, that "blessing in disguise," "things will work out," "nope, haven't heard anything yet, but it's ok because," "things will be hard but we can do it," etc., attitude. But I guess I needed to just be sad, to be scared about the future, to be angry that life isn't fair. So I had my moment then gathered myself again over the next day then made cookies.



These cookies aren't anything fancy, and they don't purport to reinvent the chocolate chip cookie or anything. They aren't gooey, chewy chocolate chip cookies but are instead tender and crumbly. They aren't all the same size, and they aren't all perfectly round. And I love them for it. Because they taste like a cookie. Like a really good cookie. That's all I wanted--a soft, crumb-leaving, delicious, straight forward cookie, studded and sprinkled with chocolate. And I can tell you with certainty, these are all those things.

Also, if you get a chance, please venture over to steadyhandcoffee.com and read about a little coffee shop that could.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from How To: Simplify
makes 18-24 cookies

140 g (1 cup + 2 Tbsp.) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
large pinch salt
113 g (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
90 g (1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp.) granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or extract
small splash almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk, dark, whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and mix until almost combined. Paddle in chocolate just until evenly distributed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake, no more than two days. (I usually refrigerate cookie dough overnight before baking.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and stack on top of another baking sheet. Spoon tablespoon-size pieces of dough onto cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake until puffed and lightly golden on the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet about 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

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(And in case you were wondering, my finger has healed magnificently.)

19 comments:

  1. Ouch! That sounds horrible. Glad it's healing well. And the cookies look like they'd make you feel better too :)

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  2. Ohmahgoodness, I hope your finger is OK! That sounds kind of awful. :( In other news, however, these cookies look scrumptious -- the soft kind are my absolute favorite.


    Stephanie @ Girl Versus Doug

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  3. The best cookies are crumbly,different sizes, and never perfectly round. Does that apply to life too? If everything was perfectly round and the same size we would be able to maneuver easily through life instead we are sometimes faced with uncertainty that causes us to crumble but in the end will result in a better you.. Like these cookies.. :) On another note.. the best coffee in Atlanta is made at Steady Hand Pour House.

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  4. Thanks! Cookies have some serious healing power I think.

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  5. It certainly wasn't fun, but it is healing well! Thanks Stephanie!

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  6. Oh so true! I have to keep reminding myself of that. And thanks for the Steady Hand love--it's always appreciated! :)

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  7. I love the fact that you still wanted the tacos after the knife incident (I can so relate!). :) Hopefully you're not in too much pain now, mentally, or physically. Cookies are wonderful little fixer-uppers - yours look perfectly imperfect. xo

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  8. Your poor finger! Hope you're feeling better now and that these gorgeous cookies cheered you up - they look so so delicious.

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  9. It is kind of like patent has nοt yеt cell phonе bеen
    approved.

    Chеck out my wеb blog dien thoai

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  10. Ha, I was so determined to eat those tacos! And I am most definitely doing better. Thank you!

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  11. Agh, I know! Cookies to the rescue!

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  12. I am so glad that your finger is on the mend! I'm the clumsiest, most dangerous person in the world when life gets topsy turvy. I'm so sorry things have been rough. I don't have any solutions, but just wanted to chime in and say I know what rough, uncertain times are like and I really hope that things settle for you soon. And of course I love these cookies. They look pretty much perfect, and it's kind of ruining my healthy lunch plans thinking about the golden edges, lacy chocolate, and what I'm certain is a light and buttery crumb. Here's to a better, brighter April with lots of cookies.

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  13. Yay to soft, crumbly, and straightforward chocolate chip cookies! That's just how I like them!

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  14. Ah, I'm glad that your finger. I felt anxious while I read through the rest of your post, through the tacos and the (delicious looking) soft chocolate chip cookies.

    I hope they provided you with comfort. They look delicious

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  15. OUCH! I did the same thing to my thumb a week before my senior piano recital 15 years ago.

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  16. So happy that your finger is great :)
    Soft chocolate chip cookies are amazing. So much better than the hard ones.

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  17. Eva | Adventures in CookingJune 28, 2013 at 4:18 PM

    Oh no! I hope your finger is healing okay! I always get to that sort of tipping point too, and since I cook all the time it's usually a recipe that pushes me over the edge, which ends up looking ridiculous, but its not about the recipe its about the build up of all the other things that are going on. It's so sweet that Dale knew it wasn't about the food, Jeremy knows that too when I appear to be crying over a rubbery cake. But at least these cookies look fantastic, and quite comforting too :)

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  18. Knives never seem sharp until they cut you. I once accidentally cut my wrist with a knife because I wasn't very careful. Glad you're okay! As for the non-perfectly round cookies, perfection is boring. :)

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  19. My ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE cookie recipe!!!!! Perfect every single time and exactly the way I love them. I was always trying to find a really yummy cookie the way i like them and could never find the perfect recipe or even one from a store.


    THANK YOU THANK YOU!
    so easy to make with the everyday things in your pantry. I will never go back

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