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By Request
Betty Shimabukuro
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Cookie recipe reaches for perfection
In keeping with today's theme of chocolate chips and cookies, comes the answer to Bev Waggener's request for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Waggener recalled cutting the recipe out of this newspaper a few years back. Her request was printed here, and based on her one clue -- the cookie dough was frozen before baking -- two readers turned up the recipe.
It was printed in 2001 and not in this newspaper but in USA Weekend, which is carried as part of that other paper down the street. Still, we aim to solve mysteries here, wherever they may lead.
Thanks are due to Susy Kawamoto, who wins a cookbook for her help. The other faithful reader, who actually had the original newspaper clipping, was anonymous, but did include this note: "My grandson just loves these cookies -- they're delicious and huge!!"
The recipe hails from Pam Anderson, author of "The Perfect Recipe" (Moughton Mifflin, 2001, $27).
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons butter (2 sticks minus 2 tablespoons), cut into chunks
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate cut into 1/4-inch chunks, or 1 cup each chocolate chunks or chips and 1 cup toasted nuts
Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. Mix eggs, vanilla and salt; set aside. Microwave butter on high until just melted, not hot, 30 to 45 seconds; set aside.
Mix sugars in a large bowl. Add butter and oil; stir until smooth. Add egg mixture, stir until smooth and creamy. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate and nuts, if using.
Use an ice cream scoop to spoon 16 dough balls onto a pan. (It's OK if the dough balls are crowded; they'll pull apart.) Freeze until dough is hard, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to upper middle position.
Place 8 frozen dough balls onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until cookies are golden-brown around edges and lightly brown on top, about 10 minutes more. Cool on cookie sheet.
Repeat with 8 remaining cookies, preheating oven to 400 degrees again.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 328 calories, 17g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 1g fiber, 295 mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 3g protein.
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com