Cooking Considerations

Today I was driving home from a hearing listening to NPR. One the show they were interviewing different writers about their writing process and such. One question was why they write. One lady said she felt like she had to write because if she didn't then it would bunch up and she would eventually explode. That kind of how I feel about cooking.

This weekend was the first time since June that I've been able to just relax on Friday night and bake because I want to bake. Not because I feel like I should or just simply don't have time to bake. It was very relaxing. I made a pan of cookies and then V and I went on a walk. Then Saturday afternoon I finished the batch. Nothing like warm cookies straight out of the oven. Yummy.

This weekend we went on two long walks to break in my new walking shoes to get ready for Disney. Saturday we just went along a walking trail for two hours. Sunday we decided to go to the zoo to switch things up. That was about 3 hours. The zoo was much more enjoyable. I get too bored just walking for walking's sake to do it for a long time. The zoo was nice because there were actually things to look at and enjoy while walking. My shoes (Merrell) are super comfy but all that walking gave me a few blisters anyway. But they do a good job of helping me last a good bit longer before my back starts to really hurt which is nice. I think they will do well at Disney.

Here's the recipe for the cookies I made. The Saturday batch was still cold when I put them in the oven and I don't think the consistency is quite as good. It made them cook funny I think. So if you can bring them to room temperature before baking, it's worth it. I splurged and used Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. Their semi sweet is pretty bitter and V likes milk chocolate whenever possible. So I indulge him every now and then.

Buttermilk Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Melt the butter.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with cocoa powder and whisk (I did this with my stand mixer and handy dandy scraping paddle). Whisk in sugar, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. (I did ten because I like slightly undercooked cookies. When with chilled dough I should have done 11-12)

Enjoy!