Your Best Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Make it rain.  No one tells me I don't use my sifter!

Joy the Baker says these chocolate chip cookies are the tops. And it's true they do have some unique things going for them, including melted butter, bread flour, and extra brown sugar.  They also call for kosher salt, which I previously heard was not ideal for baking... 

Now, I'm making these cookies for charity, so I obviously have no idea how they taste, but if I had to guess, I'd say they're soft and sweet with just a hint of salt ;)

One cookie got damaged. By accident. But I can't give a broken cookie to charity. So. 

What's your favorite cookie? One time I made chocolate chip cookies for Todd - I didn't try them, but Todd seemed to like them. Not thinking they were anything special, I tossed the recipe and forgot about it. A couple months later, Todd told me they were the best cookies he's ever tasted(!). Unbelievably, I've never been able to re-find the recipe, so I tend to think the best cookie recipe is still floating around somewhere on the internet... (If I absolutely had to pick a recipe, though, it'd be these!) 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Alton Brown via Joy the Baker

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar.

Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5

minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in

an airtight container.

Something to Read:

Reading Fiction Can Make You a Better Cook

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Candied Bacon

Yesterday I dipped sugared bacon in chocolate. No biggie.

These cookies were a hit at our friend's open house yesterday night! Just be careful - the bacon is well disguised in the chocolate, so give your vegetarian friends a heads up. Despite the bacon, know this cookie is sweet, not sweet/savory.

It's been a cozy Christmas over here so far, including toad in a hole, a pot of coffee, Christmas music on spotify, and youtube yule logs. Todd even surprised with a Christmas stocking like his family does! Can't wait to skype with them later!

Food for Todd in front of one of my favorite homes at Winterhaven

Happy Holidays from Food for Todd!

Thank you for reading, and we wish you a beautiful holiday surrounded by loving family and friends!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Candied Bacon

From How Sweet It Is, makes about 20 cookies 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup white sugar 

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

4 slices cinnamon-sugared candied bacon (mix 3T brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Pull bacon through mixture and pat lightly. Heat oven to 375. Lay bacon strips on wire rack sitting atop a cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes, maybe slightly longer depending on how thick your bacon slices are). 

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip candied bacon slices in melted chocolate and let come to room temperature while preparing the dough. If needed, stick them in the fridge for a few minutes. 

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars together in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy – about 3-4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mixing until just combined and dough forms. Crumble bacon and fold it into dough. Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.