Martha's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

look at this. I mean look at it. I DARE you not to make this ;)

I have no idea how this past week has come and gone. I promised myself I would update at least another 2 times during the week, but alas, it is Sunday again. I’ve been so very busy this week running around town going to interviews. I have been quite the mess! I would wake in the morning at the early wee hours (in my case 9 am…the insanity!) and get dressed in my most dressed up blazer and pants I own and run out the door in my heels, always managing to leave a lot later than I anticipated! I now have a pair of feet covered in painful blisters from all that running around in all those heels. *cries*

Perhaps I should back up a little first and explain that I am enrolled in my degree’s coop program. For those of you who don’t know, coop is basically a structured to fit into your program student work program. For example, in first semester of this year I took a course in coop, then a bunch of jobs are posted for us to apply to from different ministries and NGO’s etc, and we apply and get paying jobs in our field, while still studying. This is a perfect opportunity no?!

But of course, this is Zahra’s life we are talking about. And nothing is that easy. The year that I got into coop (this year) the fee has jumped about 10x the original! As well, due to the rough economic times….there has been a decrease in jobs available for students (one coop advisor told me more than half of usual employers aren’t employing!). Thus, I have had no interviews all semester (I’ve been applying since January) and was quite depressed at the fact that I would lose all the money I paid and still be unemployed.

However, this week had turned up more positive, I suddenly had interviews right after another! But unfortunately, it seems that they wont amount to any jobs! :( Anywho, I thought I should just update you guys on why I have been gone and whats going on with me.

Now, what always helps with the unemployment blues are these soft chocolate chip cookies – that is if you end up with cookies at all! (the dough is very yummy) What I particularly enjoyed about these cookies was how soft and cakey they were. I’m used to eating crunchier ones, and these were absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making more of this!

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

(via Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sour cream ( I used yogurt)
  
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I only used 1 cup of semisweet chips and I found it was more than enough)
  
• 3/4 cup milk-chocolate chips
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with sour cream, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Cover, and freeze for 10 minutes.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until centers are set and cookies are pale golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
   
   

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Chocolate Almond Cookie Bark

Yay! Brand spanking new layout! What do you guys think?:)

After having such a busy and colorful one for a while I realized I needed a change to something new and simple and not so color packed :p. I originally loved this at first….but now I’m not as happy with it…maybe its because I spent a few too many hrs on it? Fixing the glitches and tweeking this and that? Lol You guys should let me know what you think...is it just me? Or is it missing something?:/ (Also, how does it look in your browser? Everything working right? I only tested it on my browser [firefox])

Anywho, moving on to these yummy yummy bars!
I made these a little while back as Christmas gifts for some friends. They didn’t turn out how I intended them to originally….I was going to sprinkle some butterscotch and white chocolate chips that I had left over all over them…but they went…weird….

I think they may have gone bad? It was the WEIRDESS thing…it WOULD NOT melt! Just turned into this gunk thing…and smelled like cow manure :P SO suffice to say I had to throw it out…but I needed to put SOMETHING on there! So I decided to toast some almonds and sprinkle them on top…and omg am I glad I did! They are SO good! I intend to make these again…and omit other chocolates and just do the almonds!

The original recipe is from Bon Appetite but I got it off recipegirl.com (to give credit where credit is due ☺ ) The only difference between this recipe and hers is that she dropped on 1 cup chopped Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses and 2 ounces of white chocolate instead of the almonds.



Also, I’ve decided to start rating my recipes… both for my own reference and for my readers. SO, here’s my rating scheme:

1 star = DISGUSTING …..5 stars = its good…nothing AMAZING but its good…average…. And 10 stars = AMAZING FOOD SENT FROM HEAVEN

I intend to rate pretty harshly yet fairly, so I will rarely give anything a 10 (unless it really deserves it…and my readers will KNOW its THAT amazing), nor will I rate things a 1 often (lets hope I don’t have to!)

For this recipe I would give it a solid 8 stars….reallyyyy yummy :)

Chocolate Almond Bark Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
½ - 1 cup toasted sliced almonds (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

4. Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle toasted almonds. Chill until set, about 30 minutes.

6. Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces.

Cooking Tips:
*DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator (or freezer) in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper. Can be stored in the freezer for several weeks.

Yield: About 36 pieces

a few of the Christmas gifts I gave this year :)

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