I plan on sharing tips and tricks of the trade, recipes, techniques, pictures and love with all of you who go on this adventure with me! I will always welcome and answer any questions that you have. I am good at what I do and l love to share my skills and passion. I hold a degree in baking and pastry arts from the most prestigious culinary school in the world. I have worked in world class hotels, multi million dollar catering companies, five star white tablecloth restaurants and award winning bakeries. I have a lot of skill and knowledge to share! I encourage everyone who reads this to try the recipes, eat the food, take pictures and share with me! I love to hear of your success and even look forward to help with those "not so successful" adventures.
So to start off my blogging, I am going to share a recipe for something simple and classic but always a crowd pleaser! Chocolate chip cookies.
A couple of tips to start you off:
Make sure your butter is soft. The softer the butter, the easier the whole process will be. You can even let it sit out overnight for optimal softness.
Let your eggs come to room temperature as well, don't let them sit out overnight, but when you start getting everything together, take the eggs, in their shells, and put them in a bowl of semi-hot water. This will warm them up and make them blend into the sugar and butter easier.
Always use un-bleached all purpose flour. I prefer to use King Arthur flour for all the baking I do. The all purpose is in the red bag!
Only use pure vanilla extract. The imitation extracts really taste just that, fake. They always leave a chemically flavor in your mouth and aren't the real thing. It may cost a bit more, but I guarantee it makes a big difference.
Salt your food, even your baking. It may seem odd, but even sweet recipes call for some salt. Believe it or not, salt is a flavor enhancer and actually brings out the flavor of what your are making, when used sparingly. Salt also acts as a tenderizer, making your cookies melt in your mouth!
When baking your cookies, take them out a bit early to ensure chewiness and not over baking. Whenever you bake something, it continues to bake for a bit aft it is pulled out of the oven. As the cookies sit and cool on your cookie sheet, they will continue to brown and bake. If you like your cookies on the crunchier side, leave them in the oven for the maximum recommended baking time, and when they are all cool they will be nice and crunchy.
Your cookie sheet is very important. The best baking sheet for cookies, that I have found, is a double insulated one with the air pocket in the middle. This ensures an even baking and you will very rarely, if ever, get a burned bottom! I also use a tool called a Silpat. It is a silicon baking mat that you bake your cookies directly on. They are guaranteed not to stick and you will not end up scraping the pan to get the cookies off. You may spend a bit on the baking sheet and Silpat, but it definitely make all the difference.
Ok! Now time for the recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (always, always, always use unsalted sweet cream butter for baking)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to use mini chips so everyone gets a lot in one cookie)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in Chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. It is important to cool them on a wire cooling rack so that they don't sweat on the baking sheet and get soft and soggy.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in Chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. It is important to cool them on a wire cooling rack so that they don't sweat on the baking sheet and get soft and soggy.
If you make some cookies, share your experiences with me! Post a picture, tell me how it went! I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks for reading and look forward to the next blog!
Bake well!
Bryan
Recipe courtesy of Nestlé foods website
Recipe courtesy of Nestlé foods website
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