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THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY...
of how we met is that Taylor and I were both working as tour guides at Cornell University. One day, while I was working in the CIVR (Cornell Information & Visitor Relations) call center (I still love to reminisce about the enormous variety of calls people make to an educational institution - everything from rare document research to unique bird sightings) I heard her voice behind me: 'Would you like a cookie?'
I spun on my swivel chair to find her proffering a woven basket filled with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies the size of my face.
Once I got over the fact that she was just carrying around free cookies, I got accustomed to her unmatched openness and generosity, enough so that we agreed to go on that infamous outing to Dryden Dairy Day.
As Taylor shares with us this week, her nickname in high school was 'Cookie Cocalis'. She writes: In my junior year, I discovered baking and I never looked back. It was my gateway drug to DIY endeavors. Before that I had known that you could make cakes and brownies from a box, but from-scratch baking was methodical, adventurous, and pure pleasure. I would fill baskets full of cookies, muffins, brownies, buckles - and pass them out to people at school, or folks and friends down at the beach in the summer.
The absolute most essential cookie recipe in any repertoire is a chocolate chip cookie. Everyone has their own version that they love - are they thin and crisp? Or thick and chunky? Moist? Crunchy? Chock full of goodies? Or just straight up chocolate chips? Just as our friendship has branched and evolved over the last 16 years, we've each adapted our recipes to bring you two versions: Taylor's Kitchen Sink cookies, and my Best Gluten Free cookies.
TAY'S KITCHEN SINK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb (4 sticks) butter, ideally at room temperature for a few hours
- 1.5 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt + 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 18 oz dark chocolate (my favorite are Valrhona Manjari feves)
- 1 cup pecan halves (optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together. Don't rush this step. Do it for a few minutes on medium speed. Really get some nice air in there and make sure it's all well incorporated.
- Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into dough, mixing only until just combined (you will still be adding in the other ingredients, so it's okay if you still see a little bit of flour).
- Stir in the final ingredients. The mixer will help break up the chocolate and nuts.
- Portion out into ragged 1/3 cup balls. Bake for 11-14 minutes. The tops should just be dry, but pull them out a little sooner than you might think - undercooked and a little gooey is better than overdone. When they come out of the oven, they will deflate a bit and become craggy. Wait at least 10 minutes to move the cookies / eat them so that they gain some integrity when you try to pick them up.
NOTE // This is technically a 'double batch', but it's my standard size. I always prefer to portion them out and freeze in a single layer - then store them in a Ziploc freezer bag and bake off a few at a time (they will need an extra minute or two in the oven). If you can't tell, I have very little self control, so if I had a whole batch baked on the counter, I would eat the whole batch baked on the counter (as would my three-year-old). Plus it means that you can have a little sweet treat at the ready anytime you hit an afternoon slump.
DOR'S BEST GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (5 oz.) at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour (I keep a jar of the Minimalist Baker recipe in my pantry for quick use, but I always skip the xanthan gum)
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt + flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- 8 oz dark chocolate (you can always add more to taste, if you like your cookies super chocolatey)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a mixing bowl, using a big wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugars together.
- Add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add egg and beat until combined.
- Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into dough, mixing only until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate.
- Spoon out in the desired size, and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, depending on how big they are (larger cookies will take a little longer to bake). Cookies can bake for another minute or so on the residual heat of the tray after they've been removed from the oven, so take them out a little early, and allow to cool before you remove them from the tray.
NOTE // I follow David Leite's advice to let your cookie dough sit in the fridge for 24-36 hours before you bake. This allows the moisture of the eggs and butter to incorporate fully with the dry ingredients, which is the point behind making sure that you blend the butter and sugar together completely in step 2. It also allows me to eat the cookies in my favorite way - a few spoonfuls of dough each day until I'm finally ready to bake them off.
To making your own classics,
Tay + Dor
Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs
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tidbits...
what we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday…
'When guilt starts to creep into my consciousness, I try to remind myself that it’s unproductive even when things are great, let alone during a crisis.' - Merrill Stubbs of Food52's Ultimate Guide to Quarantine
Safety is of high concern these days, and for good reason. But has it crossed your mind that there are a lot more disposable plastic items going into the garbage right now? UPSTREAM is an organization working to solve plastic pollution by promoting reuse (we love their motto, 'make throw-away go away'). Check out their info and resources on safe reuse during the pandemic.
It's Taco Tuesday (yes, again) and here's the thing: I love Brené Brown's voice. Each week I try to make time for a new episode of her podcast, Unlocking Us, and as soon as her voice comes into my ears, I sigh with satisfaction. It's so magical, in fact, that I couldn't hear her give one more plug for Siete foods without buying some of their grain-free tortillas to try out myself (there's a great story behind them, too).
In the ongoing effort to promote resources for those in the hospitality industry, please continue to share / add to / check in with our friend Dana's open source google doc.
got a tidbit? drop it here for us, and you just might see it in next week's newsletter.
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