Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband asked me to bake cookies again. He's the cookie guy at work. His co-workers ask him if he has any cookies so he's asked me to make some so he can take them to work. Tonight I have decided to bake off the rest of my whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.

I'm definitely not one to care too much about using healthy ingredients when I cook or bake. I just use what tastes good. Well, at least I used to not be so concerned. After having a baby and as I get older, it's just not that easy to maintain my old weight, so I better start caring. So here's the best of both worlds. Sort of. At least as healthy as you can get with chocolate chip cookies...not that they're healthy in any way, but whatever. I got this recipe from Orangette. She knows how to pick 'em. This is an amazing cookie recipe AND it uses whole wheat flour. It can't get any better than this. It reminds me a lot of the New York Times Cookies, but with less guilt. If you're looking for a whole wheat cookie, this is the one.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (see note above)
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼- and ½-inch pieces, or bittersweet chips

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. (If you have no parchment, you can butter the sheets.)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate, and mix on low speed until evenly combined. (If you have no stand mixer, you can do all of this with handheld electric beaters and/or a large, sturdy spoon.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Scoop mounds of dough about 3 tablespoons in size onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. (I was able to fit about 8 cookies on each sheet, staggering them in three rows.)

Bake the cookies for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. Transfer the cookies, still on parchment, to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

These cookies are very good while still warm from the oven, but I find that you can taste the wheat more – in a good way – once they’ve cooled.

Yield: about 20 cookies

Guisados

Last week we headed out to try a new eatery in East LA with my dad. He's super adventurous and is always looking for new places to eat. I always think it's interesting that he chooses Mexican food because the last time we ate it, 3 out of 6 of us became violently ill. My husband included. Fun times. I guess what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. This time we tried a place called Guisados. It's kind of a modern take on Mexican food. The best part is that they hand make their tortillas. They were really delicious. I almost wish they just sold the tortillas on their own. They have a variety of tacos, but they recommend the sampler which consists of 6 mini tacos. Enough for one person. You don't get to choose the 6 tacos you want-it's the chef's choice. They said that their most popular taco was their chuleta, but it wasn't my most favorite. I really liked their mole poblano taco. I ordered an additional one after. My husband liked almost everything-I think it was a little too spicy for his taste. He just liked their plain old quesadilla. But it's not what you think-they use Mexican cheese and it's grilled so it's got a great grilled flavor. Their tamales were filled with fresh corn which was good and they always start off your meal with a little styrofoam cup of cream of cilantro soup. Overall we enjoyed ourselves. The owner came by and thanked us for coming and told us to visit their partner store called Cook in Monterey Park. We will be trying that place soon.

Dunking Platter Cookies

My Auntie Joy makes these cookies and sends them down with her sister (my other Auntie) whenever she comes down to visit. They are my absolute favorite non chocolate chip cookie cookie. They're crispy and thin, filled with toasted coconut and tiny little currants. This recipes makes like a thousand cookies, so cut it in half-or freeze the dough and save it for another day. They are truly delicious!

DUNKING PLATTER (JOY'S DELIGHT COOKIES)

(a) 2 cups margarine (4 cubes)
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla

(b) 2 cups corn flakes (Kellog's Product 19 preferred)
2 cups oatmeal
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teasoons baking powder

(c) 1 l/2 cups currant (1/2 cup enough)
1 cup shredded coconuts
1/2 cup chopped nuts

(1). Blend first 5 items together. above
(2). Add (b) to (a)
(3). Stir in next 3 items (c) into above(2)
(4). Make 1-inch round balls
(5). Line balls 1 inch apart in cookie pan and flatten them with bottom of glass bottle.
(6). Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
(Bake longer until dark brown for crispier cookies.)

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

This is my go to recipe for cornbread. It's so simple and delicious. Sure, you could buy the pre-made mixes, but this is so easy that there isn't much more to it. I made it for Thanksgiving and my Aunt actually put some aside so she could save it for later! My husband often asks for me to make it just because. I love it warm with butter. Last night I doubled the recipe and poured it into a 9x13 inch pan. We had hot bowls of chili with all the fixins and a side of warm cornbread fresh out of the oven. It's nice to double the recipe because you have more than enough for guests to take home and some to snack on the next day like I am doing now.

Ingredients
(allrecipes.com)

* 1/2 cup butter
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup cornmeal
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I used a plain old regular pot to melt my butter in. After the butter melted I added the rest of the ingredients in the same pot. People were concerned about adding eggs to the hot pot, but the sugar lowers the temperature somewhat and as long as you're continually whisking, the eggs won't cook. It's so good!

Pretzels

I was intrigued with these pretzels. They looked so darn cute. The mini ones especially. These are an adaptation of Martha Stewart's recipe which I found on Smitten Kitchen's blog. Overall, they were good. They remind me of the ones that they sell on the streets. They're not the Auntie Anne's type where they're super buttery and squishy. They're firm and dense. My husband really liked them. The only change I made was that I didn't sprinkle salt on it and I drenched them in melted butter at the end. I ate it with parmesan cheese, my girlfriend ate it with mustard and my husband ate it with cinnamon and sugar. To each his own. They take a little bit of work, but they are great snacks!

Soft Pretzels
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Updated with a few tweaks 2/20/2009

Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature

2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook* and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.

3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic.

5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

7. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy. I actually just put them in a tupperware with no lid and kept them in the microwave to store.

Strawberry Crumble

I had some leftover crumble so I decided to make a strawberry crumble. Mmmmmmmmmmm...
I tossed the strawberries with some sugar and let it sit for a few hours. I put them in individual ramekins, topped it with the crumble and baked it in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes until they were bubbling and perfectly brown on top. I served it with vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. See the apple crumble recipe posted on 2/26 for crumble recipe!