Gifting Half-a-Batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love to gift food. Yesterday morning I got up early, before work, to make chocolate chip cookies for my co-worker Lisa's birthday. Her birthday was last Friday but she took the day off, and then there was the weekend, and then Monday we treated her to lunch but I forgot to bake! So, early yesterday I made a half-batch of chocolate chip cookies, boxed them up, and delivered them to her office. (Note: the box pictured is actually a pie box, ordered from Amazon, perfect for a half-batch of cookies!). 

Previously, I asked Lisa what her favorite baked thing is. She replied that it's chocolate chip cookies. I asked if she liked them crispy or chewy, and she said "I've never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like!" Knowing I didn't need to make a full batch to create a nice gift, I halved my regular recipe. Halving this recipe yields about 2 dozen, perfect to fill a gift box or your cookie jar. 

Here's the recipe: 

HALF-BATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit 

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper 

Mix together: 

1 softened bar (4 oz.) unsalted butter  (room temperature)

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

Whip that together until light and fluffy. 

Add: 

1 egg 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Beat well. 

Lightly stir together and add: 

1 cup plus two tablespoons all purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels 

I use a small cookie scoop but you can use a spoon to distribute about a tablespoon of dough per cookie, about 2-inches apart. I get 12 to a cookie sheet. 

Bake for 8-9 minutes, checking to see that the outer edges are beginning to brown but the centers are just about set - still light in color but no longer wet. Sometimes I add another minute to get there. I bake two cookie sheets at a time. 

Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely. 

ENJOY! 

PS - Dear readers: if you share this post with your friends, I will greatly appreciate it! I am working to get my readership back to previous levels. That will take some time, I understand, but a little boost will certainly help. Thank you! 

Contest!

You can win one (or more!) of these!

CONTEST!!!  Happy April! To celebrate the 2nd best month ever for my Adirondack Baker blog (I don't think anything will beat December 2011!), and to generate more comments on the blog itself, I'd like to offer up twelve cakes - one 8" round 2-layer a month to twelve lucky winners.  If you live out of the area, I will send you one dozen chocolate chip cookies in the mail).  All you have to do is sign on as a follower on my blog, and starting today, comment on the postings, even past postings.  If you're already a follower, and you continue to comment, you're in the pool.  I will judge comments on sincerity and content (don't just say "hi!")  You can add your comment under "Name/URL" and it will be easy.  You can win more than once.  Feel free to share - the goal is to increase the number of followers!  Thanks so much!

Getting Ready for the Transformation

This morning I arrived at the Skidmore College Sports Center at 6:55 a.m. to undergo initial testing for an exercise science study.  It was an earlier-than-usual morning.  My cell phone also serves as my alarm clock, and the alarm can be set eight different ways.  Slept right through the first one at 6:10 a.m.  I did hear alarm #2 at 6:15 and chose to ignore it.  The third blast at 6:20 got me up out of bed.  Once at Skidmore, I was greeted by two student interns who escorted me back to the lab area where I underwent a number of (personally) humiliating measurements.  Height, not so bad. I'm pretty consistent there and know what to expect.  Weight -- well, I am SO glad they weighed me in kilograms rather than pounds -- it's a much smaller number.  Waist and hip circumference - ugh.  Dexoscan, where your body mass is calculated...is it optimistic or pessimistic to think of my body as half-empty of fat rather than half-full? What an eye-opening experience!  The technician who conducted the scan showed me the picture on the screen.  It looked like a shadow of the Staypuff Marshmallow Man with a skeleton hidden within.  And yes, I am my own worst enemy and my humor tends toward self-depricating, but I gotta tell ya, this is a tough way to begin the day!  On top of that, my blood draw didn't go particularly well.  My friend Patty, the RN, had a little trouble with me (my curly veins' fault, not hers) and I left there with more than one Band-Aid.

To prepare for this test, I had to cut back on caffeine yesterday (just one cup of tea rather than the three Diet Cokes I typically consume).  And then there was no food allowed after 8: 00 p.m. last night, which would never really be a problem because I usually have dinner and that's it, but knowing you CAN'T eat anything after 8:00 makes one very hungry at about 10:00 p.m., especially when that person is baking a last-minute batch of really perfect chocolate chip cookies as bartering currency for a friend doing my taxes (only to find out that I owe Uncle Sam, as usual).

When I was leaving the Sports Center this morning, I was struck by what a beautiful spring day we have.  I thought about all the leaves that are just beginning to unfold from their buds (early this year) and how I hope to unfold from the bondage of too much good living and begin to enjoy a healthier life.  I'm on my way!

Photos:  Budding tree, and shadow, near the Skidmore College Sports Center this morning

Mini Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

I served really good food last night to a house-full of friends and relatives. A big hit were the mini chocolate chip almond cookies. There are none left! This is a great cookie - crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. My adaptation of the traditional Toll House recipe has proportionately more brown sugar than white, which makes for a chewier cookie. It also uses half butter/half shortening rather than all butter. You may want to resist shortening, but don't for this. It is key to the perfect texture of this cookie. Slivered almonds give these a nice crunch.

Mini Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup shortening (don't substitute butter, it will change the texture)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Beat sugars with butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Toss dry ingredients together with a fork and add to sugar mixture. Mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and slivered almonds.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls. Place two inches apart on cookie sheets. Slightly flatten balls with two fingers, just to level them off a bit. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they just begin to brown around edges. Don't let them bake too long!


Photo credit: http://img4.southernliving.com/i/2009/02/chocolate-delights/chocolate-chip-cookies-l.jpg