Receta Chocolate Chip Cookies and “Heartburn”
What kind of post title is this? I hope it is a somewhat humorous one although I cannot hold a candle to the dark, sarcastic, snarky humor in Heartburn by the late Nora Ephron. I loved it!
Heartburn by Ephron is the current selection for Cook the Books, a club of food bloggers and avid readers who glean inspiration from foodie literary works. I truly enjoyed this read.
But, what to make, what to make?
Key lime pie or carrot cake….that was my conundrum. These two recipes play a prominent roll in this novel, especially the climactic key lime pie. Which one would I make for this CTB post?
Well, I did not want to tackle a layer cake and I really do not care for key lime pie.
I had no idea.
Then, I reviewed my underlinings and scribblings from my dog-eared copy of the novel.
I found this sentence about New York:
I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance.
That would be it. I had been planning at least one post on a quest for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie EVAH. This would be my CTB post. I would also make the most famous (and “Best EVAH!”) Chocolate Chip Cookie from the prestigious Levain Bakery in NYC. I found the recipe at Juanita’s Cocina. (I heart her blog and she cracks me up!) The only change I made was to add some chopped Scharffen Berger chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I also added walnuts instead of the originally called-for pecans.
Only the finest will do.
Leave some chunks.
Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Juanita’s Cocina
- 1 c. cold unsalted butter
- 1 c. light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 2 large farm fresh eggs
- 1 t. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 T. cornstarch
- 3 1/3 c. all purpose flour
- 9.7 oz. 70% Scharffen Berger Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate bar, chopped
- 1 c. nuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon pads.
Using a stand mixer (or large bowl and hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs one at a time, mixing in between each addition. Mix in the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Gradually add in the flour, mixing in between each addition, until all flour has been added and dough is just mixed.
Stir in the chocolate pieces and pecans, mixing until ingredients are just incorporated.
Drop using a medium cookie scoop onto lined baking sheets.
Again, please ignore my burnt silpat.
Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or just until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cool.
These are very “bakery” like. If you like a crisper yet fluffy cookie, you will love these. We did.
The original recipe makes twelve (12) HUGE cookies! I made smaller, more managable ones. Plus, don’t you just feel better when you eat a tiny (in comparison) chocolate chip cookie??
Thanks to the great hosts at CTB:
We all bid a sad farewell to Joanna of Food Junkie Not Junk Food as she turns over her hosting duties and reigns to Heather. Welcome, Heather! Heather leads off the next selection for CTB.
Heather of girlichef is leading us of with the thrill-a-minute mega-best seller, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, adding a fun optional opportunity to share some foodie book and film fun. She says, “Imagine if you will, a post-apocalyptic world in which the select few dress, eat, and live extravagantly. The rest? They hunt, forage, and farm to put foods in their bellies. Also imagine having to send your child between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death, with only one winner, alongside 23 other children. A tale of survival set in the Nation of Panem sometime in the future, this novel may have been written with a young audience in mind, but I think that people of all ages can (theoretically) relate.
*Special edition: This book was recently made into a film, and we will be announcing an optional feature this round – combine reading the book with watching the film-adaptation. We will be joining forces with Food ‘n Flix for an extended dose of The Hunger Games.” (Details to come but you can learn more about Food ‘n Flix here.)
I can’t wait to finish this novel and compare notes with my nephew who loved this book and has read all of Collins works in this series. Check out the CTB site to keep up with the other upcoming selections and post dates.