Like many of you who live here in the beautiful north state, fires are at the forefront of our minds.
I worry about friends who live in the areas affected most by these fires. Of course I also admire the firefighters who battle this force of nature.
Last night my boys and I were brainstorming ways we could show our appreciation to the firefighters and also show compassion to those who were evacuated from their beloved homes.
Dexter, my 10-year-old, invented a game for the firefighters, an interesting ‘battle of nature’ concept.
Felex, on the other hand, thought we should share some cookies with everyone; something to make belly feel good for at least a moment.
This we can do!
So we quickly went to work making chocolate chip cookies to share. We took the cookie bounty over to the Shasta Learning Center, where many families were housed temporally while the fate of their homes loomed. The Red Cross volunteers were happy to accept our small offer of kindness, and promised to pass the cookies out to anyone who walked through the door for assistance.
Thank you to all who fought the fires and contine to fight them. We also thank the volunteers who help in so many ways.
Here is the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies that we delivered. They are super easy, and I suspect that all of the ingredients are in your pantry right now.
So what is stopping you? Go ahead and make them for someone today.
[print]
Andrea’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Yes, these are the ones we made at Rene-Joule Patisserie)
1 pound unsalted butter 1 1/2 cup brown sugar (I like dark, but that is my preference) 1 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups chocolate chipsCream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. (My favorite pastry chef that I worked for in San Francisco would tell me, “Beat the butter to death.” I always think of him when I make cookies.)
Anyway, add the vanilla. Now add the eggs one at a time, waiting until the egg has incorporated into the cookie dough prior to the addition of the next egg.
In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Slowly add the dry mixture into the cookie dough, making sure to scrape down the bottom and the sides of the bowl to assure that the cookie dough is properly mixed.
Add the chocolate chips and mix in.
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Scoop out the desired size of cookie with an ice cream scooper. Scoop out all of the cookie dough and place on this sheet. Now Pop that sheet into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Doing this step will help the flavors in your cookie marry and develop. Your cookie will come out beautiful.
Time to bake.
Preheat oven to 350
On a parchment lined baking sheet place cookies 3 to a row. You should get 4 rows on a typical baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies
are golden brown and the aroma wafting throughout the kitchen is just too much to take! Allow your cookies to cool. Remember, a scorched mouth is no way to enjoy these delights!
Now, pass some on!
[/print]