I've always loved my friend Jessica's point on chocolate chip cookies. "The Chocolate Chip Cookie," she says, "when executed properly, is one of few very foods in the world capable of producing happiness." For me, chocolate chip cookies have long acted as a sort of chewy, buttery antidepressant. Back when I lived in Santa Cruz, rough days would end in a visit to the Pacific Cookie Company. I loved those cookies. Dense and moist, with a hint of salt, and enough fat to leave your fingers a bit slick. Now that I'm in DC, Casey's Coffee has my favored pick-me-up, although I wouldn't dare argue their cookies are much better than good, and they're never fresh-baked. And while a room temperature cookie may be delicious, it's the warmth of a freshly baked cookie that makes it comforting, that elevates it from mere dessert to emotional remedy.For that, you need either better bakeries -- which I don't have nearby -- or your own oven. And if you have your own oven, you need a good recipe, and more than a good recipe, you need someone to guide you through the complicated science of baking a good cookie. That, in general, is why I don't bake: If cooking is like composing music, baking is like chemistry. And I was never very good at chemistry.Others, however, are. Which is why the following link is the most important thing I'll post today. All my other links will probably piss you off, or at best, leave you a bit more informed. This one will actually bring you a step closer to personal happiness and fulfillment. I'm not much of a baker -- in part because it's too precise, and in part because I have no impulse control -- but I'll make these soon and tell you how they are. If you have some cookie making secrets you want to contribute to the project, divulge them in the comments.Image used under a Creative Commons license from Jessica FM. THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.
I've always loved my friend Jessica's point on chocolate chip cookies. "The Chocolate Chip Cookie," she says, "when executed properly, is one of few very foods in the world capable of producing happiness." For me, chocolate chip cookies have long acted as a sort of chewy, buttery antidepressant. Back when I lived in Santa Cruz, rough days would end in a visit to the Pacific Cookie Company. I loved those cookies. Dense and moist, with a hint of salt, and enough fat to leave your fingers a bit slick. Now that I'm in DC, Casey's Coffee has my favored pick-me-up, although I wouldn't dare argue their cookies are much better than good, and they're never fresh-baked. And while a room temperature cookie may be delicious, it's the warmth of a freshly baked cookie that makes it comforting, that elevates it from mere dessert to emotional remedy.For that, you need either better bakeries -- which I don't have nearby -- or your own oven. And if you have your own oven, you need a good recipe, and more than a good recipe, you need someone to guide you through the complicated science of baking a good cookie. That, in general, is why I don't bake: If cooking is like composing music, baking is like chemistry. And I was never very good at chemistry.Others, however, are. Which is why the following link is the most important thing I'll post today. All my other links will probably piss you off, or at best, leave you a bit more informed. This one will actually bring you a step closer to personal happiness and fulfillment. I'm not much of a baker -- in part because it's too precise, and in part because I have no impulse control -- but I'll make these soon and tell you how they are. If you have some cookie making secrets you want to contribute to the project, divulge them in the comments.Image used under a Creative Commons license from Jessica FM. 
