You could seriously survive for months with the amount of food stuck in the nooks and crannies of my iPhone.
Its disgusting really. Cookie dough, cake batter and I even found some curry from the other night.
And to think I put this in my mouth when my hands are full. Someone should do a study on the relationship between amount of iPhone dirt and incidence of illness in the population. Because I have to say I think I got one tiny wee cold this year and that has been it.
Why do I have so much food in/on my phone?
Because I am too poor/retarded for a proper camera to take photos of so my phone is always in the kitchen. Often my hands are covered in cookie dough when I go to take photos of a stage or process.
And as we all know cooking/baking doesn't count unless you Instagram it right :P
On that note, apologies for the dull/yellow photos. My flatmate was watching tv and had all the lights off hence why it looks like I live in a cave . . .
There aren't that many cookies you can make. They are all sort of variations of a specific type. You can have oat based, vanilla based, ground nut based or chocolate based. In the back of my mind I have been on the hunt for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. One that is crisp at the edges, rustic to look at and most importantly chewy and gooey on the inside.
My usual recipe just doesn't quite cut the mustard. They are great when they come straight out of the oven but the next day I find them to be a wee bit hard. They still get eaten but the satisfaction and delight just isn't there.
But, there is this glorious blog. . . .
If you love cookies, chocolate, peanut butter and most importantly Nutella then you should probably go and look at it right now.
I am not even going to attempt to describe its wonder. There are no words.
Apparently the New York Times recipe is the best recipe she has ever made. The only problem is that you have to let it chill for 36 hours. I don't know about you but when I want cookies I usually want them now! So I shall prepare the dough for that now just in time for my next cookie attack. In the meantime I shall share my adventure here.
It is a pretty typical chocolate chip cookies recipe. I would say the main difference is in how you shape the balls to bake.
I really dislike fork marks on cookies. It really grinds my gears. I have been searching for a way to get around this for yonks and I think this is the answer I have been looking for.
After you chill the dough for half an hour, roll it into balls (the size of which is up to you really). Then you take the ball and tear it in half. You then turn each half 90 degrees so the jagged internal surfaces are facing upward. You then awkwardly join the two pieces together like that at the base being careful not to flatten the jagged top edges. When you pop them on the tray they kind of look like dumplings.
There are pretty pictures describing it
.
These could have been made better if I splurged out and bought the larger Cadbury chocolate drops. But I am too poor and they were almost double the price for half as much. There is a serious gap in the market here . . .
Roughly chopped chocolate chunks would have been a dream in these too. I am thinking the Whittaker's creamy milk would be an absolute dream. Yes?
So without further adieu, lets get down to business.
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
As made by
, original recipe from
Makes around 30 medium sized cookies
165g butter, melted but cooled until warm
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups and 2 Tablespoons plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks or whatever
In a standing mixer or with an electric beater, beat together the butter and sugars until a thick and smooth mixture develops. Mix in the egg then the yolk and vanilla until thick and smooth.
Add in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the mixture in the fridge for half an hour before rolling out.
Preheat the oven to 170C on bake and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Take heaped tablespoonfuls of dough and roll it into a ball. Then tear this ball in half, turn the halves 90 degrees so the jagged edges face upwards then join the halves together at the sides to form a 'pinched' dumpling looking thing.
Leaving about 5cm between each ball, place the balls on the tray and bake for 12 minutes or until they only just start turning golden (they will continue to bake themselves even when they are out of the oven). Once cool and firm enough to move, transfer to a wire cooling rack or clean tea towel. Bake the rest.
Enjoy with a nice glass of milk! They are even fantastic the next day (if they last that long!)