Chocolate Chip Cookies 2014

NPR had a nice Science Friday about a week and a half ago about the science of making cookies crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Of course, they should be fresh.  But they talked about how manufacturers simulate this using multiple types of dough.  Yuck, right? But it made me want cookies.  Then, my friend gave me chocolate chip cookies which are truly divine, but they are a secret recipe from her husband's grandmother.  So, I might be a grandma one day, I should start trying to alter cookie recipes now so by then I might be good at it like our friend Bill's grandma!  But Bill actually told us his grandma's secret. Kindof.  It was the same secret a colleague had awhile back.  Crisco.  So, today I'm trying half Earth Balance and half Butter Flavored Crisco, as a way of getting the flavor of the one and the texture advantage of the other.  So far, they taste fine.  I started with *the* standard recipe as my bounce-off point.  I say this, because Ghirardelli and Sunspire and Nestle and Hershey (I think all 4) all boast the same recipe on the back.  What a coincidence.  So it must be in the public domain.

Group A:
1c Oatmeal Flour (oatmeal was ground in a spice grinder)
1 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 c Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp baking soda

Group B:
1 c Earth Balance (2 baking sticks) (in microwave 15 sec from fridge)
1 c Buttery Crisco (1 stick) (in microwave 25 sec from room temp)
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c dark packed brown sugar and/or honey sugar crystals ("Mommy! You are making a sandcastle!")
1/4 c coconut milk (from a can, first mixed for consistency)

Group C:
2T vanilla
3 eggs

Group D:
2 bags (20 g.) Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips 60% cocoa.
2c coconut (Baker's Angel Flake)

Preheat oven to 350F. Stir (Group A) together. Set aside. Beat (Group B) together until creamy. Add (Group C) slowly on low speed. Add (Group D).
Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 min.  (Go ahead and grease your cookie sheet, but it won't matter... I don't know why they always tell you not to.  I guess it's so you know you don't need to, but wow.  If you thought you had to, you'd have issues.)

Enjoy about 8 dozen or so.
(Editing done 1/2/2015.)

chocolate chip cookie bars

It amuses me that this same awesome recipe is everywhere and can be cookies or bars. Apparently all the chocolate chip companies agree.... They can't all be wrong!

Chocolate-Chip-Pan-Cookie

Farro Tomato Soup

Farro Perlato 260 g
some frozen broccoli bits
2 tomatoes fresh
garlic. fresh.
rosemary
black pepper
black mustard seed
onion powder
nigella
celery seed
ajwain
mushrooms. fresh
Del Monte diced tomatoes 411g. w basil, oregano, garlic
Hunts tomato paste 12oz
coconut milk. 400ml
garbanzo beans. 15.5 oz can

all spices burned or nearly burned. also mushrooms.

Thai peanut sauce link

This peanut sauce reicpe is actually pretty good! It's about 5wo to three times the amount we usually need, so be ready to save it.

Harmonic Play-dough Cookies

1 cup + 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn oil
1 t baking soda
1/4 t almond extract (or some other extract if desired)
1/8 t salt
1/2 cup water colored as explained below

measure 1/2 cup water into some other larger cup (for non-white dough)
add at least 15 drops of red
or 25 drops of blue or green
or 10 drops red + 10 drops blue (purple).
Mix with a fork.

Then add this water (or 1/2 cup plain water for white dough) Mix with fork.

Repeat for each desired color. Start with white so you can adjust the  flour on the next level as needed.

Let kids play as if it is play dough.

Treat cookie sheet with oil, then bake at 375 F until just before they turn brown on the outside.  (Will update blog when I figure this all out.)

UPDATE: It seems to be about 10 minutes.  However, the bigger issue is the flavor, which still needs some work.  The dough seems to be a soft texture, but too close to biscuits and too far away from cookies. They need more sugar too, so they don't taste like "dinner food".  On the plus side, it is a great texture for the kids to play with, and it is certainly fine to eat it, and kids eat anything they make, so it's fair enough.  I plan to try this another time and update as it improves.

No-fry eggplant parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.  Slice

2 eggplants

into slices 1/8 inch thick.  Dredge both sides of each slice in flour, then

place on cookie sheet lined with foil.  (You will need about 3 sheets.)  Sprinkle with salt and put in oven.  Forget.

Slice 1 onion and mince
4 cloves of garlic.

Saute, then add 3 diced tomatoes and an additional can of tomatoes.  Season with

salt,
parsely,
oregano, and
basil. 

Simmer, then mash with potato masher.  Let cool.
Mash

1 package tofu with
1/2 t salt,
1/2 t onion powder,
1/2 t msg,
parsely,
chives, and
yeast flakes.

Remember the eggplant -- it should be browned and crispy -- remove from oven.  Reduce temperature to 350 deg F.  Layer eggplant, tofu mix, sauce, and nondairy mozzerella substitute in a glass baking dish.  Bake about 20 minutes, or until bubbling.

Unexpected sausages

1 sliced onion
4 smoked apple sage sausages
2 tomatoes
12 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
2T ginger paste
1t garam masala
1t ground coriander
1/2t salt
1T paprika
minced fresh sage
minced fresh rosemary
1/2c water