Friends. Not just
a rollicking tv series, but also an integral ingredient in one’s life.
a rollicking tv series, but also an integral ingredient in one’s life.
There are those who’ve seen you through the
tumultuous years of high school and college.
These people have seen you through bad hairdos, small(er) waistlines,
and back-seat tequila shots in the university parking lot. Hang on to these ones – you’ll want someone
who knows you were once a bottle swilling free-wheeler when you are shoulder
deep in bills and work reports, debating the purchase of a new vacuum cleaner.
tumultuous years of high school and college.
These people have seen you through bad hairdos, small(er) waistlines,
and back-seat tequila shots in the university parking lot. Hang on to these ones – you’ll want someone
who knows you were once a bottle swilling free-wheeler when you are shoulder
deep in bills and work reports, debating the purchase of a new vacuum cleaner.
There are the new ones who you’ve connected with in
recent times, bonding immediately over common passions and beliefs. People who may have come from far afield of
you, whose paths you may not have had the pleasure of crossing but for a shrewd
twist of fate and a shared love for gustatory indulgence, getting lost amidst
books, Finnish forest creatures, or cheesy movie lines. Hang on to these ones – they will keep your
passions fresh and your horizons ever-expanding.
recent times, bonding immediately over common passions and beliefs. People who may have come from far afield of
you, whose paths you may not have had the pleasure of crossing but for a shrewd
twist of fate and a shared love for gustatory indulgence, getting lost amidst
books, Finnish forest creatures, or cheesy movie lines. Hang on to these ones – they will keep your
passions fresh and your horizons ever-expanding.
Then there are friends who are actually relatives. They are connected to you in ways that nobody
else is. They knew you back when the outside
world was still unaware of your awesomeness…and they loved you anyway (well,
most of them at least!). They are where
you came from. And there is a special
bond that shared experiences like chicken pox can forge that no man can truly tear
asunder. Hang on to these ones – they’re
lifers.
else is. They knew you back when the outside
world was still unaware of your awesomeness…and they loved you anyway (well,
most of them at least!). They are where
you came from. And there is a special
bond that shared experiences like chicken pox can forge that no man can truly tear
asunder. Hang on to these ones – they’re
lifers.
Then, if you are
lucky, you have a soul mate friend. The
quintessential ‘best friend’. The person
with whom you share your deepest secrets.
The one with whom you share your deepest joys. They will stick by you come hell or high
water, and fight like a tiger in your defense.
You finish each others’ sentences.
You make each other grow. I don’t
have to tell you to hang on to this one – with tooth and nail if necessary.
lucky, you have a soul mate friend. The
quintessential ‘best friend’. The person
with whom you share your deepest secrets.
The one with whom you share your deepest joys. They will stick by you come hell or high
water, and fight like a tiger in your defense.
You finish each others’ sentences.
You make each other grow. I don’t
have to tell you to hang on to this one – with tooth and nail if necessary.
And then there’s chocolate. Both a friend and a very integral ingredient in my life.
Double Chocolate Cookies
(very slightly amended from Donna Hay’s Simple
Essentials: Chocolate, page 22)
Essentials: Chocolate, page 22)
- 100 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 130 grams brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 grams all purpose flour, sifted
- 30 grams cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 125 grams (4 oz) dark chocolate, melted (I use a
makeshift double boiler) - 280 grams dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
– Beat butter and sugar in a mixer until light and
creamy, about 8-10 minutes.
creamy, about 8-10 minutes.
– Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully
incorporated.
incorporated.
– Stir the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and melted
chocolate into the egg/butter/sugar mixture.
Add to this the chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring by hand until just
combined.
chocolate into the egg/butter/sugar mixture.
Add to this the chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring by hand until just
combined.
– Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls, place on a
parchment-lined cookie sheet, allowing room for the cookies to spread, and
flatten slightly.
parchment-lined cookie sheet, allowing room for the cookies to spread, and
flatten slightly.
– Place in a pre-heated 320F oven and bake for 10-12
minutes. Cool on wire racks.
minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Fresh out of the oven these cookies are warm nuggets of
deep, dark chocolate goodness, with pockets of melted chocolate chips all
throughout. The walnuts are not in the
original recipe but I wanted something to both contrast, and complement, all
that chocolate. My cookies did not turn
out anywhere near as pretty, nor as flat, as Donna’s. I am still trying to figure out what caused
that lack of spread so comments and suggestions as welcome!
deep, dark chocolate goodness, with pockets of melted chocolate chips all
throughout. The walnuts are not in the
original recipe but I wanted something to both contrast, and complement, all
that chocolate. My cookies did not turn
out anywhere near as pretty, nor as flat, as Donna’s. I am still trying to figure out what caused
that lack of spread so comments and suggestions as welcome!
True friends and chocolate. Gems worth more
than anything a jeweler could ever measure!
than anything a jeweler could ever measure!
OMG, those look sinful!
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks so gooey delicious!
wonderful place to visit!!! I will come again!!1
Cheers
I DON'T CARE if they're not as pretty or flat – these look and I know will taste AMAZING!! Thick cookies = more to bite into and chewier!!
Lovely writing as usual 🙂
Ling
Heart!!!
And then there's CHOCOLATE.
So so so so so perfectly said!
Hi Rosa! Maybe a little 😉
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks!
Hi João! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hi Ling! Thanks for the kind words!
Thanks Shalum 🙂
Hi Marivic! Ah…I knew another chocolate lover would understand perfectly 😉
I think the walnuts and choco chips somehow held the mixture together better, thus less spreading/melting. These look good, I'll try these recipe one of these days. Cheers. 🙂
I certainly agree with you that good chocolate and great friends are wonderful, non-negotiable treasures that make our lives so much better. 😀
Yumm…looks so delicious! I will definitely try these double chocolate cookies 🙂
What chocolate do you use? 🙂
Perhaps your butter was not soft enough for the cookie to spread as much as you would want to?
What I do with my cookies, which I learned from David Lebovitz's salted butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, is to take the cookies out of the open and quickly tap them with a spatula on top and put them back in the oven to cook more. For the cooking time for these, I would do that at the 8 or 9 minute mark.
I actually don't mind that it didn't spread as much – the image of chunky cookie looks better, in my opinion. This doesn't look bad at all! 😀
Yes! And friends in the blogging community 🙂 these cookies look amah-zing! nom-nom-nom!
Oh my goodness! They look so good. I showed these to my daughter (she is 17 and has been cooking for 10). She will be making these very soon! Yummy!
Those look soooo good. Bookmarked for next time I succumb to cookie baking LOL. Great bit on friends! All so true.
send me some please! chocolate=happiness -stary
I actually prefer that they're thick – that means they'd be softer, chewier and more moist. In fact, I can't stop looking at that photo — I love that I can see that little bit of melted chocolate in the middle. YUM!
So, did little C taste this? Please do post about when she finally does get to taste chocolate! I'm excited to know how she reacts! 🙂
Hi Geh! That may be true…and I’m not willing to give up either! 😉
Hi Midge! So true!! 🙂
Hi Chef D! Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Winter! I use unsweetened cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips 🙂
Hi Kat! Hmmm, could be…I have another cookie recipe that calls for melted butter and those spread really nicely 🙂 Thanks for sharing David Lebovitz tip…so trying that next time!
Hi Gio! Thank you 🙂 I love both chunky and flat chewy cookies…which I guess is what gets me in trouble, too much cookies!!
Hi Jen! Oh yes, those too! 🙂
Hi Valerie! Wow! Your daughter must be quite the baker! Hope you both enjoy this 🙂
Hi Katie! So true indeed 🙂 I think I succumb to cookie baking more than I ought!
Hi Stary! Will send you some next time I make!
Hi Katrina! I love chock-full of chocolate cookies…thin or thick! I am still trying to reach the perfect thin, chewy cookie though, which I particularly like. No, little C did would not even take a bite no matter how I enticed her! This from the kid who just yesterday happily munched away at steamed okra (which I only learned to love in adulthood, and only with bagoong). As I was spooning the cookie dough onto the baking pan I heard her tell her yaya that it was (gasp!) poo!!! 🙁 Which I think it really the main reason why she won’t try chocolate…because it’s brown 🙁
Well…chocolate cookie dough *does* kinda look like that, even more so than a chocolate bar does. Maybe she'd be more amenable to try if it wasn't totally brown. For example, chocolate chip cookies. Or how about in a different form, like chocolate milk, hot chocolate, a sponge cake with chocolate icing, or the other way around — chocolate cake with the classic white frosting? Anyway, when she gets older and can understand that it's NOT what she thinks it is, I'm sure she'll come around. When that happens, I can't wait to hear about it! 🙂
I love chocolate, either its cake or desserts.
Mom To Chef
u r blog is freaking awesome…bookmarked
http://megaliving.net/
What a nice looking recipe but so simple! With this combination of flavors it has to be good!