Desperate Times Call for Chocolate Chip Cookies

I craved chocolate chip cookies all day yesterday. This is a somewhat weird craving for me because I would classify chocolate chip as my least favorite cookie. My favorite is oatmeal, hands down. And, yes, I'm bragging, but I do happen to make the best oatmeal cookies I've ever tasted. Granted, I've never entered any sort of contest, but they are kiss-yo'-mama good! Oh, wait...Maybe my Grandma Irene's are better. But good luck on ever getting that recipe. The woman doesn't own a cook book, and never uses recipes. To learn more about this incredible woman click here.

Okay, I digressed...we were talking chocolate chip cookies. I was madly craving them. I read my sister's blog last night. Out to the side she has lists of things she loves. She listed homemade chocolate chip cookies. THAT DID IT!!! I continued to fantasize about those blasted cookies until I relented and made them out of desperation with Popcorn today. We are having an ice storm, so there was no school today. I wasn't needed at work. We cancelled all but emergency procedures, so my boss let me stay home (I have the longest commute.)

So, you know this is not just a simple post about making cookies, right? Not only making cookies, but the drama that I must infuse in every tiny crevice of my life. The title gives that away. What sort of drama could be involved with a simple cookie? Well, you KNOW I'm going to tell you!

I didn't have chocolate chips. I scavenged my cupboards. I found my Dove special dark chocolates. I'm a firm believer in having one piece every day at 4 o'clock. It gets me through the day, satisfies my chocolate cravings, and gives me a boost of powerful antioxidants! I chopped up about 12 chocolates.

We commenced with gathering the remaining ingredients....My brown sugar was no good. SOMEONE (and by someone I mean, of course, me) left the convenient zip lock bag OPEN and lo and behold, the sugar was all dried out and clumpy. I did not have patience to place an apple in the bag and let it set to resoften and declump my brown sugar. We used all granulated sugar, thank you very much.

I have a sickness...I'm always trying to cram secret nutrition into my baked goods. This means that about half of all flour is always whole wheat. The rest is unbleached all purpose. I also frequently toss in flax seed. I was out of that, so my family missed out on that supplement today. FYI flax seed helps lower cholesterol.

So, today Popcorn and I made dark chocolate chunk cookies. They were YUMMY! Would you like the recipe? Sure you would! Disclaimer: This is not my mother's recipe, which is indisputably better, but a) I don't have that recipe and b) it uses shortening which I also did not have. Remember my whole no hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup thing? Shortening definitely falls into the former category. Obviously I use it for pie crust, but other than that....Anyway, here's the stinkin' recipe.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

1 1/2 c granulated sugar (the original recipe is equal parts granulated and brown sugar)
1 c butter, softened
1 egg
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 pieces of Dove Special Dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (if I had had more, I totally would have used them, but I'm a chocolate lover, and the concept of "too rich" is weird to me)

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugars, butter and egg. Stir together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Taste mixture (just to be sure nothing was left out.) Have your child taste a spoonful. Second opinions are very important! The dough will be stiff. Stir in chocolate. Taste mixture again...You may need more chocolate! If it's just right drop by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.

My tip for you: Use your mixer for the sugar mixture, but NEVER use the mixer after that step. Your cookies will be chewier and softer.

My question for you: Don't chocolate chip cookies have vanilla in them? I didn't put any in. Let me know if I left out a vital ingredient.

So, now you're absolutely DYING to know what my recipe is for oatmeal cookies aren't ya? Well, too bad. I'm saving that post for another day. I've got to keep you coming back for more, don't I?