the quest for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie: part II

I think I may have found them.

Were the cookies I made last night the best cookies in the entire world? I can't say for sure, most likely not.
However, they were by far the best I've ever baked myself.
In fact, they were so good I didn't have the opportunity to photograph them before.. well.. before I, and a few others, ate them.

The majority of the cookies met their demise straight out of the oven, the other two lasted just until 7:30 am this morning.

The recipe, again, was adapted from the Ghiradelli link I included in my previous post.
I used bittersweet chips (Ghiradelli), 60% cacao (makes for a better cookie than semi-sweet, jus' sayin)
Let them mingle, marinate, mellow, whathaveyou, in the fridge for just under 2 days
And finally, I sprinkled them with kosher salt before placing them in the oven (thank you NY Times)

I also made them a little larger than your typical cookie and baked them for 10-11 minutes at 375

blonde on blonde: a cookie even Bob Dylan could Love

Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chip Almond-Pecan Cookies


For years I have been on the quest for the perfect, yet classic chocolate chip cookie. Have I found it yet? I can't say for sure.

These little gems are the fraternal twin to a batch which is currently marinating in my refrigerator. Honestly, I had no intention to make these whatsoever. Three-quarters of the way through my chocolate chip recipe I discovered I only had about half as many chips as I needed. The solution was clear- half the dough and make another kind.

It starts with the basic Ghiradelli cookie batter which you can find here Ghiradelli
From there I added a touch of almond extract, white chocolate chips, and a handful of broken pecans. Then bake 10ish minutes at 375.

lemonade meringue pie

This is, to say the least, a bit of an experiment.
My brother, lemon meringue pie enthusiast, is in town for a few days. For as long as I can remember, visits from my brother have been synomymous with some sort of lemon creation.
This time, I decided to change things up a bit, stray from mom's trusty lemon recipe and give a lemonade version a try.
Despite a few bumps, lumps, what have you, in the road- I think it's rather successful.


I adapted the recipe from a Taste of Home magazine I received in the mail.

3 eggs, separated I used jumbo
1 pkg (4.6oz) vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4 c. milk
1 c. sour cream I used 1/2 s. cream, 1/2 plain yogurt
1/3 lemonade concentrate
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
6 tbsp. sugar
1 pastry shell, baked

Place egg whites in a small mixing bowl; let stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine pudding mix, milk, and sour cream- cook and stir over medium until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, cook 2 minutes longer.
Remove from heat and gradually whisk 1 cup hot filling into yolks; return all to pan. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat, gently stir in lemonade concentrate; keep warm.

*Note: This is where it all went horribly wrong for me. Instead of adding 1/3 cup lemonade- I poured the whole 12 ounces in. Fortunately, with the addition of a few obscenities and a couple tablespoons of Bird's Vanilla Custard Powder, I was able to turn my lemon soup back into some form of pudding.

Add lemon juice and cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is disolved.

Pour warm filling into pastry; spread meringue over filling, sealing edges to pastry. Bake at 350 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Cool, then refrigerate at least 3 hours.





The Verdict: A success! Turns out overdoing the lemonade element really worked for the overall taste, it added a certain freshness/tartness to the pie. Though, I will say this is not a lemon meringue for the weak of heart.