fear not…

…i have not abandoned you. some say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, so those of you must be missing me dearly. others say that distance makes the heart go wander, so you folks have moved on and perhaps didn’t even stop to look at this. in any case, i certainly miss updating you with my weekly baking escapades, so i hope to resume doing so! i have been experiencing a rough patch in my health problems and focusing most of my energy on getting better. i have, however, been baking a bit here and there…just nothing impressive. i will leave you with a recipe i tried out that claimed they were the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. they were quite good, but i am not sure about the whole “ever” claim.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes about 18 cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. (*instead of this, i took a half cup of dough, twisted it in half, and put each half separately jagged edge up onto the baking sheet)

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.