In actuality everyone’s definition of the perfect chocolate chip cookie is different. Asking 20 people what qualities define their perfect cookie and I am sure you are going to get as many different responses. I will say however that I have converted many followers to my recipe. In fact, just recently I was told that I had ruined someone from ever eating another cookie that wasn’t this one. And for that I am not sorry and I am not surprised.

My perfect cookie is varied in texture. The exterior rim, the color of golden brown sugar, is perfectly crisp. Beyond the crunch there lies varying levels of chewy gooey-ness. I remove the cookies from the oven just when the edges start to brown. People think I’m crazy and question my timing as the cookies appear under baked. But I assure them that I am a professional I have done this thousands of times. The cookies continue to bake on the tray and as they cool the gooey center transforms to a perfectly chewy interior. Cookie eaters question no longer.

The dough, although perfectly flavored with salt and a high proportion of brown sugar, exists to hold the chunks of chocolate in place. That’s right I said chunks and not chips. The funny, (more sad than funny) thing about chocolate chips is that they are filled with substance similar to wax. I don’t know about you but I don’t really enjoy eating wax. The reason for the wax in the chips is so that they do not melt – they hold their shape, which is quite cute but I’ll take taste over cuteness any day. Using couverture (fancy name for quality chocolate that is used for coating truffles and such) allows the chocolate to melt and pool. If you were to break these cookies in half you would see layers of chocolate and dough – similar to the layers in puff pastry, and you all know how crazy I am about those layers.

Look how much Roman loves cookies (actually he wasn’t eating the cookies he just always looks that happy)

I use large chunks of bittersweet chocolate, lots of brown sugar, a touch of Turbinado sugar, and sprinkle of pink salt on top – making these this the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need.

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie

8 oz.         2 sticks butter

2 oz          1/4 cup white sugar

2 oz          1/4 cup Turbinado sugar

12 oz        1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2  eggs

1/4 oz       2 tsp vanilla

1 lb.          3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)

Cream the butter and the sugars until light. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk, stir to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.

If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.

Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

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My Great Aunt Abe loves to play Uno and evidently she loves to bake as well. Recently I went through some of my Aunt Abe’s things that were gathered from her home as she is now moving to assisted living.

In the box of miscellaneous items I chose a set of hand stitched pillowcases that belonged to my Great Grandmother, a little cleaver (I have no idea what she was doing with a mini cleaver but I plan on using it for cheese platters as it will be easily able to hack through hard cheeses), and a book filled with her hand written recipes.

Hand written recipes are so precious to me. Someones personal collection of favorite recipes is more intimate than a journal and more revealing than dirty laundry. I long to find the cook’s notes in beautifully written script on the edge of a yellowed page in a used cookbook.

I just really love old recipes. Today we are bombarded by the precision required in baking. I can not dispute the fact that baking is a science but recipes given to me by those in my grandparent’s generation focus on the art and feel of it rather than the technicality required.

In the few but precious moments of baking instruction given to me by my grandmother she did not recite a recipe accurate down to the 1/8 teaspoon. Rather she taught me what to look for and what it should feel like. Similarly as I skim through this newly acquired treasury of retro recipes, the notes on the method are simple and brief. There are no sweat inducing introductions to the recipe that demand that every ingredient be 97.2 degrees. They are simple, delicious and memory-evoking dishes.

When I saw, “Crunchy Chocolate Cookies” in her collection I just knew I had to try them. With corn flakes as an ingredient I was intrigued. And with two sticks of butter and one cup of vegetable oil I knew they couldn’t be that bad. It turns out my intuition was correct. These cookies are truly delicious. One bite and I was flooded with memories of snagging these cookies off the potluck table in the basement of my Grandmother’s church.

They are as the recipe suggests, “crunchy”. But it is not the kind of crunchiness you taste from and over baked cookie. It is the addition of the oil that gives it a tender crispness that shatters in your mouth. The oats in the recipe give the cookie some bulk and chew, which I find very enjoyable. Although the cornflakes are not very easy to detect in the finished product, every once and a while you get a slightly salt crunch that reminds of you scarfing down a bowl of the flakes in the morning before jetting off to first period.

Don’t be to scared of the amount of fat in the recipe. This batch makes a very large quantity. However it is still early in the evening and I have already eaten six.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my Aunt Abe and I do.

Crunchy Chocolate Cookies

Bake at 350* for 12 min.

3 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

3 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup corn flakes

1 cup quick oats

1 (12 oz) pkg. chocolate chips

Sift the flour, salt and soda onto wax paper. Beat butter and sugars until well creamed. Combine egg, vanilla and oil in a small bowl. Alternately add the oil mixture and the flour mixture to the creamed sugars. Mix until just combined. Stir in the corn flakes, oats and chocolate. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until golden.

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There are few things in life that I enjoy more than shopping for used books. It’s truly a thrilling hunt as you scour the piles of musty books in search of a real find.

(Let’s be honest I always find something. I will always make room on my already crowded bookcase for another book.)

I used to feel guilty for my insatiable quest and overly abundant collection of books but I have come to realize that each one has a unique purpose and reason for having their coveted position on the bookshelf.

There was one expedition that landed a real gem in the treasure hunt of used recipes. It was a day like most, cold, gray and wet. With coffee in hand, like a kid anticipating the inevitable trip to the candy store I approached the bookstore giddy with excitement.

There it was, re-covered in plastic protecting its dated rust orange cover. The LIFE Picture Cookbook… to date the greatest find in all my years of used book hunting.

I resist the urge to cut out and frame every picture in this book. They are all so delightfully dated. The text beckons back to the days of yesteryear where men were in charge of grilling the steaks and women made liverwurst sandwiches with protein bread for the children’s lunches.

Chapters include:

Man’s Job: Steak

French Lesson in Innards

Cooking on Ice

Luxury with Leftovers

and Elegant Picnics

There is even a section on dining out that includes some of the top restaurants from the countries biggest cities.

Published in 1958 this classic is more than just an old cookbook. It is a snap shot of a life that was once lived. Food transcends the dinner table. It tells us so much about who we are and what our lives are like. It is culture and this book tells me more about this period of time than many history books ever could.

I have to admit that there are numerous recipes that I am eager to try. Some look tasty, others – not so much. This one sounds intriguing. A retro twist on a Fall classic.

Acorn Squash Baked with Pineapple

3 acorn squashes, halved

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 tbl. dry sherry

2 tbl. brown sugar

6 tbl. butter

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

Scoop out squash seeds and fibers. Place in greased baking dish and put 1 tsp. each of sherry, brown sugar and butter in each half. Cover and bake in a hot oven (400*) for 30 minutes or until tender. Scoop cooked squash out of shells, leaving wall about 1/4 inch thick. Mash squash and combien with 4 tbl. butter and remaining ingredients, beating until well blended. Spoon back into shells and return to hot oven (425*) for 15 minutes. Serves 6.

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I enjoyed countless cups of cocoa adorned with the sweet heavenly marshmallows… so many in fact that I had to go on a cocoa sabbatical so I can once again truly enjoy it’s chocolaty pleasures come December (true cocoa season).

So no more cocoa and marshmallows for me. Then what to do with the remaining marshmallows? Not really a hard question at all. Melt them, add butter then stir in a little snap, crackle & pop.

Rice Krispie Treats!

These sophisticated snacks made us smile. The process to make them was almost as much fun as it was to eat them. Just ask Baron who thoroughly enjoyed licking the spoon and then consequently his fingers.

Check out Cooking for Engineers for an in depth study (including pictures) of how to make these cereal treats.

Rice Cereal Bars

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 10 oz. homemade marshmallows
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Spray a 9 x 9 pan and a rubber spatula with cooking spray.Optional: Line the pan with parchment paper or waxed paper for easy removal of the treats.
2. In a saucepan, heat butter and marshmallows over medium heat until melted.
3. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in the cereal, using the prepared spatula.
4. Spread into the prepared pan. Flatten gently with the spatula. Let cool and harden completely. Cut into squares or any fun shape.
5. While waiting for treats to harden lick the spoon and the bowl until thoroughly cleaned. Then wash your hands and face to remove inevitable stickiness.

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I have so many wonderful things to post but no (or very little) time to write so I wanted to give something.

I, like so many others during this wonderfully chilly season, love the soothing warm and versitility that soup provides. Soup is a wonderful clean-out-the-fridge sort of a meal.

A few times this season I have found myself with an abundance of beautiful locally grown broccoli. So with this abundance I have made numerous batches of Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I have started stock piling my broccoli in the freezer so that at any moments notice I can through together this hearty and satisfying soup.

This soup is chock full of broccoli goodness and because it is also packed full of cream and cheese my son loves it (so does the Mr.)

So please enjoy this soup while I try and find time to get you the post you deserve.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

• 7 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds fresh broccoli, stems and florets separated and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 6 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3 tbl flour
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli stems and onion; sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and tarragon; sauté 1 minute. Add stock; bring to boil. Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Process in a blender to get a smooth puree. Stir in cream.

Mix remaining 3 tablespoons butter with flour in small bowl to make paste. Whisk paste into soup. Add broccoli florets. Simmer until soup thickens and florets are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese reserving the remaining for garnish.

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There is a subtle chill in the air. The sun is sleeping in longer than I am. Wearing my thick knit orange sweater and my big brown boots I am hit with the realization that today is my first day of fall. Whatever the calendar says, I ignore it because today is the day that my Fall has begun.

I have been reluctant to warmly welcome this new season as I feel Summer went on without me even realizing it. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to raspberries and tomotoes. I didn’t want to bid ado to stone fruits and snap peas. I shed a tear as black and blueberries have come and gone.

I am honored to be writing a monthly recipe for Terra Keramik, an online marketplace that sells handcrafted, eco-friendly and down-right gorgeous dinnerware and beverageware. Check out the rest of the post and the recipe here.

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