My kids SO wanted a snow day yesterday. They did kooky superstitious things, like putting ice cubes in the toilets, wearing their jammies inside out, and putting wooden spoons under their pillows. (I grew up in the Chicago area, which is plenty snowy, but I don't remember any of these superstitions. Am I the only one?) Anyway, there wasn't a snow day. It must be tough being superintendent and having to make the call that dashes the hopes of all those kids.
I thought I'd make an after-school snack that would take their minds off of their disappointment -- great big chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa. I remembered that my friend Anna, from Cookie Madness, went through a streak of making lots of different big chocolate chip cookies in the hopes of duplicating the cookies from Levain, in New York City, so I turned to her blog for a recipe. Since I've never been to Levain, I didn't care if the recipe was a copycat. I just wanted yummy cookies that didn't require me to leave the house to get an ingredient (the kids may have had to venture out in that cold, but I'm no dummy). I settled on this recipe and were they ever delicious. Once the kids had these, and we agreed that we'd rather have the day off in the summer than in the winter, the disappointment of not having a snow day was a distant memory.
Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted (with minor changes) from this recipe on Cookie Madness
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold – cut into little chunks (if they are too big, they may fly out of the mixer)3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used a combo of semisweet and Hershey's Special Dark)
Nuts, if you like -- we don't use
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chips.
Divide dough into big 4 oz lumps. Bake on ungreased cookies sheets for 18-22 minutes or until cookies appear set -- they will not get very brown but they shouldn't look wet or raw in the middle. Makes about a dozen.