In the month of February, we celebrate the lives of African Americans that have made an impact on our society. There are so many people, with so many stories to tell. We use this month to tell the stories of past, present and future. Personally, our history should be celebrated all year round. But we use this month, in particular, to highlight us and the contributions we have made to society.
While thinking about those who came before us, I also thought about myself. What is my history? What stories do I have to tell that others could learn from? So, this first post will be about my personal journey, the people who inspired me, and all the little things that have made me who I am.
The recipe that started it all….
Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. These three words mean a lot to me. Let me explain why. I love making chocolate chip cookies. They were the first cookies I learned to bake without my mother’s help. It was the first recipe that I learned to modify without completely messing up the final result. Chocolate chip cookies, to me, are the best cookies on the planet. Especially if you love chocolate. Yummy!!
Now, I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies since I was a teenager. My mother and I started taking desserts over to my aunt’s house for the holidays. I can’t remember if we volunteered to do it or if we were assigned to make the desserts for the holiday meal. But we started off by making cupcakes and those were a hit with my family. Apparently, one year we wanted to change things up. So, we decided to make cookies. What cookies would we make? Chocolate chip, of course!
Like I’ve said before, in my opinion, it’s the perfect cookie. Now I’m about to show my age a little bit. There was no internet back then. We had to rely on the resources we had on hand. My mother had an old McCall’s cookbook she received as a wedding gift from her mother. She always told me if there was anything I wanted to cook or bake; I should look in that book. That cookbook was a wealth of information for me at the time. That book was the source of the first ever chocolate chip cookie recipe I ever used. Oh, in case you were wondering how things went, let’s just say the cookies were also a hit with the family. After the cookie baking success, my mother let me completely take over and make the traditional holiday chocolate chip cookies. This remained our family’s holiday tradition until I went off to college.
That cookbook, that recipe, was the foundation of my love of baking homemade treats. I’ve used so many other chocolate cookie recipes in my life, but that recipe will always hold a special place in my heart. I want to give a special thank you to McCall’s cookbook, you started a holiday tradition in my family that did last for some years. This sparked my desire to create the ultimate chocolate chip cookie and my love of baking. Thanks McCall’s!!!
The McCall’s recipe was my foundation chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve changed some things up over time. I have several chocolate chip cookie recipes in my recipe box, but this one is a good one to start with. If you like a chewy cookie with those yummy, toasted caramel notes all mingled with chocolate. I think you will enjoy this recipe.
Simple Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 3⁄4 cup All-purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and browned (See Note Below) *
3⁄4 cup light brown sugar
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 whole egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces of your favorite chocolate chips (I love to use dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, but use what you prefer)
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (this is optional)
*Note: Browning butter is really simple, and it will give your cookies those toasted caramel notes. Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to foam and turn brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer browned butter into a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature.
To make the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar and room temperature browned butter. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy. This may take a while, 10 minutes or so, but continue it will happen.
- Add the egg and egg yolk, mix until fully incorporated. Then add vanilla extract, mix until incorporated. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl often.
- Add dry ingredients to sugar, butter, vanilla and egg mixture and mix until just incorporated.
- Add chocolate chips and pecans (if using). Finish mixing.
- Take a #40 (1 1⁄2 tablespoon) scoop and portion out 12 cookies on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and the middles are set.
- As soon as cookies come out the oven, place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
And then enjoy these delicious cookies! Yummy!
