Since my days are generally filled with menial tasks and the occasional lunch date with Mom, I decided that maybe it'd be a good idea to put all of this free time to good use -- starting yesterday with my decision to bake cookies. It was partly out of boredom and partly out of my desire for something sweet that I figured I should bake and I chose to bake chocolate chip cookies because if I'm going to practice baking, I might as well start with something fairly simple.
Chocolate chip cookies are generally the picture that comes to mind when I think of cookies and there's a reason they're such a classic -- they are SO tasty! So I set about making some for my own consumption and I figured I could spare a few for my parents. I've made them once before from scratch on my own, and since I was attempting to bake them this time unsupervised, I figured it was best that I had a little bit of experience under my belt to ensure that I would not be needing to call 9-1-1 to put out any kitchen fires.
First thing was assembling all of the troops for battle. You might ask where I got my recipe -- maybe it was my great-grandmother's or my mom's that she whipped up one day and has been passed around the family.... Unfortunately, for those of you who were hoping for a sentimental story about a secret family recipe, I just got my recipe off of the back of the chocolate chip bag, as pictured above. Rest assured friends, just because I got generic milk chocolate chips doesn't mean my cookies tasted generic! They were delicious and the recipe was very handy.
Then began the beloved process of throwing everything together and mixing it all up. I felt somewhat like a witch throwing random ingredients into her pot to create something magical. After all, I was creating something magical -- to quote that pesky leprechaun from Lucky Charms cereal, chocolate chip cookies are "magically delicious." I used to be terrible at mixing dough. I am a complete weakling. But somehow, I managed to summon the strength to mix it, and hopefully, in the process, I was able to work on my biceps.
The only thing I did this time that was different from the first time I made chocolate chips sans assistance was add salt. The recipe has always called for salt, but for some reason, my mom never includes it. Since I was curious and since it was included in the recipe anyway, I decided to add it. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it didn't kill my cookies.
Because of my meticulous nature, when placing the dough onto the cookie sheets, I try to form the most even dough-balls as possible because I like my cookies to be aesthetically pleasing and tasty, if possible. However, for some reason, the dough was extra sticky, which made it hard to roll it into balls. I tried sticking it in the refrigerator in between putting the cookie sheet in the oven and that seemed to help a little bit, but I suppose these are the things that more masterful bakers understand.
I had a slight bit of trouble with the first dozen I put in the oven -- not surprising, due to my amateur baker status -- but I adjusted the temperature to 350 (one of the recipes I had looked at suggested 375...nope) and the rest of my cookies turned to a nice golden brown. My dad had the pleasure of trying one of the first out of the oven and despite the slightly charred bottom (SLIGHTLY), he said they were delicious. SUCCESS! I didn't ruin a classic and my dad said that they were some of the best chocolate chip cookies he had ever had. Sure, he has to say that because he is my dad and because if he wants to have more cookies, it's probably better to compliment me. But at the same time, my family is used to delectable baked goods so I will take that compliment and stick it in my back pocket for the next time I'm cooking or baking.
And if you were wondering, I actually did clean up the mess I made this time. I still need to work on minimizing the mess I make while baking and cooking, but I suppose I should work on the actual baking and cooking part first.
Chocolate chip cookies are generally the picture that comes to mind when I think of cookies and there's a reason they're such a classic -- they are SO tasty! So I set about making some for my own consumption and I figured I could spare a few for my parents. I've made them once before from scratch on my own, and since I was attempting to bake them this time unsupervised, I figured it was best that I had a little bit of experience under my belt to ensure that I would not be needing to call 9-1-1 to put out any kitchen fires.
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| Everything I would need for chocolate chip cookie bliss |
Then began the beloved process of throwing everything together and mixing it all up. I felt somewhat like a witch throwing random ingredients into her pot to create something magical. After all, I was creating something magical -- to quote that pesky leprechaun from Lucky Charms cereal, chocolate chip cookies are "magically delicious." I used to be terrible at mixing dough. I am a complete weakling. But somehow, I managed to summon the strength to mix it, and hopefully, in the process, I was able to work on my biceps.
The only thing I did this time that was different from the first time I made chocolate chips sans assistance was add salt. The recipe has always called for salt, but for some reason, my mom never includes it. Since I was curious and since it was included in the recipe anyway, I decided to add it. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it didn't kill my cookies.
Because of my meticulous nature, when placing the dough onto the cookie sheets, I try to form the most even dough-balls as possible because I like my cookies to be aesthetically pleasing and tasty, if possible. However, for some reason, the dough was extra sticky, which made it hard to roll it into balls. I tried sticking it in the refrigerator in between putting the cookie sheet in the oven and that seemed to help a little bit, but I suppose these are the things that more masterful bakers understand.
I had a slight bit of trouble with the first dozen I put in the oven -- not surprising, due to my amateur baker status -- but I adjusted the temperature to 350 (one of the recipes I had looked at suggested 375...nope) and the rest of my cookies turned to a nice golden brown. My dad had the pleasure of trying one of the first out of the oven and despite the slightly charred bottom (SLIGHTLY), he said they were delicious. SUCCESS! I didn't ruin a classic and my dad said that they were some of the best chocolate chip cookies he had ever had. Sure, he has to say that because he is my dad and because if he wants to have more cookies, it's probably better to compliment me. But at the same time, my family is used to delectable baked goods so I will take that compliment and stick it in my back pocket for the next time I'm cooking or baking.
And if you were wondering, I actually did clean up the mess I made this time. I still need to work on minimizing the mess I make while baking and cooking, but I suppose I should work on the actual baking and cooking part first.
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