Issue #41 Of Snow Days And Cold Kitchens
Snow Days
Winter has been flirting with us recently, teasing our area with above average temps and almost no snow to speak of.
Well, there was the big snowstorm on Halloween just to mess with the trick-or-treaters and the “last gasp” garden tomatoes.
But this week Mother Nature stopped being coy and decided to get our attention in a serious way with a major snowstorm system and truly dangerous cold.
As far as the snow was concerned, my neighborhood got lucky. Both Wednesday and Friday were supposed to fling Matterhorn amounts at us but the temperature stayed just high enough that we got more freezing rain and snowy slush than piles of snowman fodder.
But the area businesses and school districts were not playing – they cancelled everything ahead of time just to be on the safe side.
Which meant a lot of us were able to stay home.
I did some desultory shoveling – just to clear away the worst of things – and then took my own advice and went back to bed.
And later baked cookies.
(Scroll down for the recipe.)
Then there was today.
This morning the thermometer registered minus 11° F with a wind chill of “don’t even ask”.
Which put us squarely in the depths of “hard butter”season. That special time of year when the kitchen counter temp seems to be indistinguishable from the climate inside the refrigerator.
So that trying to take butter straight from dish to toast is a fool’s enterprise which will only result in a ball of butter that rolls around the surface, picking up crumbs, or worse, tearing the bread to shreds.
For the butter to be spreadable - or better yet “meltable” – one either has to try to scrape thin little shavings off the top of the stick or soften the whole shebang in the microwave. (Seriously, how did we even live before microwaves…)
But you have to get that microwave business just right. If you don’t properly fiddle with the power settings and timing, you will very quickly have a mess that must be applied to your toast with a ladle. Or a pastry brush.
Today I took my eye off the ball.
Where’s my pastry brush?
Copyright© 2024 Anne Morse Hambrock All rights reserved.
Dottie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have been using this chocolate chip cookie recipe exclusively since I was old enough to trundle cookie dough into an oven. It came from my “Aunt Dottie” who was not a relative but a dear friend of my parents and my first babysitter. They are, hands down, my family’s favorite.
A couple things make this recipe special.
First, there are fewer chocolate chips. The part of the cookie that is NOT chocolate is so tasty - almost like a very light peanut brittle or English toffee - a perfect balance of salty to sweet - that too much chocolate interferes with that flavor rush.
And second, these cookies have wonderful light crispy height. Astonishingly, they have no butter. Only vegetable shortening. Using butter just makes them tough.
I have a few extra cookie making tricks that that you can find by clicking here.
Dottie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (higher,lighter, fewer chips)
1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar (either kind but I prefer light brown)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6-10 oz chocolate chips
Pre-heat oven to 325 ° F (slow, low oven)
Cream together the shortening and sugar until you get a nice grainy paste.
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat at the same high speed you used for creaming together the shortening and sugar – beat at least two minutes – the goal is to get the mixture as light and fluffy as possible.
Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl then add gradually to the shortening mixture at low speed, beating until just combined.
Add the chips and run the mixer just long enough to work them in. You will notice the recipe says 6-10 oz. This cookie is less about the chocolate and more about the fantastic taste of the rest of the cookie so I only add 6-7 oz of chips. You can add as many or as few as you like.
I’ve tried cookie scoops and such but really the best thing is to drop by teaspoonfuls (using two spoons) onto a cookie sheet.
Bake low and slow, turning halfway through and checking visually rather than using a timer. The low temp mimics the control of a convection oven and allows the sugar and shortening to caramalize inside while baking. For softest cookies pull out when the edges are golden and there is some color in the center but not too much. For crunchier cookies leave in until the whole cookie is golden in color.
Remove from cookie sheet and cool on racks. Makes about 5 dozen.
Here you can see how sometimes the cookie is almost hollow - it’s what makes it so light and caramelized.
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