Chocolate chip cookies are just one of those familiar things that for me at least, conjure up memories of my uni days in Sydney - I used to grab one of those giant cookies at the uni café on my way to lectures, swapping them up for jumbo chocolate chip muffins every now and then in my own version of a 'varied diet'. Back then, my metabolism was still a good friend of mine. Fast forward to now, where I am learning about the woes of being in my 30s, and what the hell, I guess I just look back at my younger self and go, dang girl, at least you enjoyed yourself back then.
Do I miss the 20-something year-old me? Sometimes. (Speedy-recovery from a wild night out really is privilege of those in their 20s.) Do I yearn to be my younger self again? That, absolutely not. I think I speak for many women when I say this, but there is something truly wonderful about turning 30 and living - and growing - through those years thereafter. I know I'm not perfect and never will be, but life seems so much clearer now than it was before, unencumbered by all those petty insecurities that were almost like markers that dictated most of my decisions back then.
It's like the cloud is lifting, slowly.
Through a haze of cookie dough-scented air.
Thoughts can go deep whilst staring down at a single chocolate chip cookie.
So, with those thoughts, I made a batch of these cookies last week and baked some, and conserved some dough in the freezer. And almost every night of that week, our little Milan apartment smelled like cookie dough. (I basically turned 🐸 into a cookie monster, who after perhaps the fifth consecutive day of cookie-eating, finally decided enough was enough.)
Cookies being cookies, you can keep the dough in the freezer and bake them at a whim, when your sweet tooth starts nagging you, for breakfast or after dinner, or basically when you just need a good warm cookie hug.
This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, try it and get the good vibes going!
Love,
🍪🐼🍪
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes about 20 cookies
INGREDIENTS
220 g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbs caster sugar
2 tbs raw sugar
150 g packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
220 g dark chocolate, cut roughly into 1cm chunks
flaky sea salt, to sprinkle on top
HOW TO
Line a baking sheet or two with baking paper (you can always save the unbaked dough in the freezer for later).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy with an electric mixer on medium speed, about 4-5 minutes.
Slowly add the egg and vanilla until combined. Reduce speed to low and add in the flour mixture, and beat just until combined, don't over mix - you don't want to mix it too much as it will make a tough cookie!
Stir in the chocolate using a spatula or wooden spoon.
Scoop out the dough using two dessert spoons or an ice cream scoop. At this stage, you can scoop out the cookie portions on the baking tray and stick this in the freezer for an hour before tossing them altogether into a freezer bag for baking at a later time. Otherwise, scoop the dough out on to the tray, and let them hang out in the fridge for about an hour, sprinkle with some salt, then bake at 180°C for 10-12 minutes.
Baking them straight away without chilling will also work, you will just get slightly flatter cookies. If baking from frozen, take them straight to the baking tray and hot oven - they won't take much longer to bake, just keep an eye out for doneness as your 10-12 minutes comes up.
Let cookies sit on the tray for 5 minutes during which they will harden up. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. If, you can stand the wait.
