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Posts from the ‘Cookie Posts’ Category

May 11

Cookie Philosophy 101


Before even discussing methods or ingredients I need to get a few things on the counter.

Cookies are not supposed to be health food. I’ve tried that deviant approach on my children and it just isn’t pretty.

Cookies ARE good for you – on a level that doesn’t necessarily relate to body
topography. Moderating the number eaten is the key to calorie control.  Compromising on the ingredients you dump into the mixing bowl to lower calorie count is the path to mediocrity and self-deception which leads to overeating of stuff that isn’t worth what it’s going to do to your waist line. So, take a deep breath, break out the butter and do it right. Think: excellence with self control…or just spend some extra time in the gym. Good cookies are worth it.

BIG cookies are better. They just are. Less scooping, fewer trips in and out of the
oven, better overall shape and texture. In a big cookie, there’s room for a soft center and crispy edges, not to mention that saying you ate two sounds a whole lot better than confessing to the consumption of six or eight.

BIG batches are better. If you’re going to all the trouble of mixing and measuring, why not have something to show for the effort, which leads me to the next critical truth about cookies.

Cookies are supposed to be shared. Nothing else that comes out of your kitchen is so easy to divide up and hand out! With a big batch you can feed crowds or take generous plates to your neighbors and still have a reasonable number for your own family. If you play it right, you only eat 2 or 3 out of each batch yourself –
hot and fresh, (with the possible addition of one eaten in the form of dough) and you don’t compromise the landscape of your own hips with leftover dozens.

Okay, with that out of the way, we’re ready to begin equipment
and methods…

May 6

My Black Apron in Ku-Ki-Do

Cookies are my thing.  So, blogging must start with Ku-Ki-Do.

First a little background…

The road to cookie mastery began last time we lived at West Point where I spent three years baking a batch every Tuesday afternoon for “our cadets”.  That kind of
repetition inspires either boredom or experimentation.  I opted for the later.  New strategies were initially born of poor planning and an aversion to last-minute grocery runs with toddlers who approached the aisles of the commissary like a pack of baby goats.  Eventually though, a few seriously sumptuous batches emerged from my cantankerous oven and the process of fine-tuning became a healthy obsession that continues to this day.

The first objective was to master “The Chocolate Chip” and after about twenty tweaking sessions with different combinations of equipment and ingredients I got to the point where I could consistently turn out blue-chip specimens.   From there, I
began the process with other varieties, all of which are my very favorite on whichever day I happen to bake them.   And, on rainy afternoons with aging dried cranberries or other equally odd ingredients staring me down, I still like to audition new ideas for the lineup.

I share my recipes without keeping any secrets.  I REALLY do, but I am often
accused of holding something back.  Crazy!  I would never sabotage the process of cookie creation!   Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what I do differently from others who bake from the same recipes, but I have come to the conclusion that method and ingredients are critical to results.  Not everything is easy to put on a recipe card but I believe anyone can turn out great cookies.  You too can award yourself a legendary black apron in this newly established order!

Thus, the blog begins. Stay tuned for philosophy, pictures, methodology,
and of course the recipes.

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