NomNom: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It always amazes me when I witness the kindness of strangers--only because it's such a rare thing to come across these days. Last week I had this dilemma with a HUGE mirror I bought (we're talking 10ft in height with heavy brass lining surrounding) that I decided to return. At the time I bought the mirror my parents had their SUV so it was no big deal. Now the SUV is gone (may it rest in peace) and I got stuck with the mirror.

I mean, I was okay with keeping the mirror but the original plan was to hang it behind my sofa and well, the mirror was too heavy so I was told that it might be a bit...dangerous. So, temporarily I set it upright against the wall as a "decor piece." I dunno.

I was talking on the phone with my friend Mel and asking her what I should do and somehow or another she ended up coming over to help me with my problem. She's the best.

Now, where do I begin with the first problem with the mirror? First of all, it is so big that we had trouble having it fit in my building's elevator. Second, we thought that if we put the car seats down, it would easily slide into the car. Umm no. It wouldn't fit. BIG PROBLEM. So there we were, in the garage, with half of the mirror sticking out of the car. After all the trouble we went through trying to get that thing down to the garage, I refused to bring it back up just yet.

Just as we were about to give up, a lady stopped by and basically told us that it wouldn't fit in the car. Duh lady. But then she proceeded to say she had a SUV and asked us where we needed to go. Thankfully the store was 5 minutes away and she basically said, "I think the good neighborly thing to do would be to help you guys out."

!!!!!!!

After dropping the mirror off, I got her name/unit number because I really wanted to do something for her beyond a thank you because she has no idea how much of a help she was that day and I wanted to show her a token of my appreciation in someway.

I recently came across a recipe for the best chocolate chunk cookies. I've made many recipes involving chocolate chip cookies but this was my first time using chocolate chunks instead of chips. It makes such a difference and it might be one of the reasons why it really is the best. I know, bold statement.

Anyway, I ended up baking these soft, chewy, chocolaty cookies again for my neighbor and wrapped it up with a cute polka dot ribbon, attached to a thank you note. Polka dots makes things so much cuter, right?

Moral of the story? Be kind. Make these cookies. Both are worth it.

Have a great weekend. xo.

Ingredients (Adapted from whiteonricecouple.com): Yields 36 cookies
160 g  (3/4 c)  Light Brown Sugar
160 g (3/4 c + 1 T)  Granulated Sugar
255 g (1 c) unsalted Butter
2 large Eggs
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 t Sea Salt
370 g (3 c) all-purpose, unbleached Flour
1 t  Baking Soda
350 g (.75 lb) Dark Chocolate (cut into 1/2" chunks or smaller)

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375° F (350° for convection ovens)

1. Beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt.

2. Sift together the flour and baking soda.  Stir into batter, then add chocolate chunks and stir until well mixed.

3. Roll into 1 1/2" thick logs.  If not using soon, freeze the logs for future use, otherwise cut the cookies into equal portions, about  3/4" thick.

4. Pat the discs even and circular then place on a silpat or baking paper lined sheet pan. Space the cookies so they won't bake into each other when they spread.

5. Bake at 375° F for at10-12 minutes, making sure to take them out when they are still slightly underdone. They will be a light golden brown on the outside edges.  After the cookies cool for a minute, transfer to a cooling rack and allow them to cool enough that the chocolate won't burn your mouth.