Martha Stewart’s Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

24_chocolate_chocolate_cookies

I first saw these Martha Stewart cookies on Steve’s Flickr photostream. His fiance Laura bakes and he takes photos of what she makes for her blog. So, I clicked through and loved how these cookies sounded. Chocolate on chocolate is what I am into. I have since made the recipe twice and each time they were the perfect brownie consistency and taste with melted chocolate pools on the inside. The first time I made the cookies was for my dad’s birthday and the second time was as a hostess gift for Alpana and Charles when they threw a party a few weeks ago.

1_ingredients

Here’s what you need. Salt, vanilla, brown sugar, baking powder, flour, butter, eggs, and semi-sweet chocolate. It’s not too much. You should be able to handle it.

2_weigh_chocolate

Weigh out 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate. I just used chocolate chips, since that’s what I had in the house. I never get the measuring right on the dot the first time, which is ok. That means I get to eat the chocolate, chip by chip, until the number says 8.00. Yes, I use a Weight Watchers-branded scale to measure my chocolate. Ironic, dontcha think?

3_add_butter

Add the butter to the bowl.

4_20_seconds

Microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Not quite melted and smooth enough.

5_40_seconds

Microwave for 20 more seconds and stir. Lookin’ good now. If yours is still not melted enough, do 20 more seconds, but don’t go too far with this. You want the chocolate and butter melted but you don’t want to scorch it. Also, later on, if you happen to lick this bowl you might die and go to heaven. Butter? And chocolate? Yum!

6_flour

Set aside that tempting chocolate for now. Mix together the dry ingredients. I always use a whisk. I’ve also lately been using coarse salt in baked recipes. I don’t know if you’re supposed to, but I like to taste a bit of a salt tang with my sweets and I think coarse salt is better at that.

7_egg

In 12th grade I had met all my required credits for high school except for in English. So I took some easy Lit. class, took some easy home economics classes and worked in the afternoons on an internship program. I don’t remember much about the home ec class except that our instructor told us always to crack your eggs into a small bowl before adding to a recipe. I’ve never had a bad egg, but I always follow her advice anyway.

8_mixing_bowl

Dump the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla into your mixing bowl.

9_beat_on_high

Kitchenaid action shot! Beat on high!

10_add_chocolate

Add in melted chocolate.

11_blend_in_chocolate

Blend on low.

12_add_flour

Dump in the flour mixture.

13_blend_til_combined

Mix til just combined. This means turn the mixer off as soon as things look blended. Don’t overbeat.

14_12_oz_choc

Measure out 12 ounces more of the semi-sweet chocolate. Feel free to eat a few chips.

15_add_choc_chips

Dump the chocolate chips into the chocolate batter. Lookin’ decadent already.

16_blend_in_choc_chips

I don’t think you’re supposed to mix in the chocolate chips with the Kitchenaid. It kind of makes a funny noise. But I’m lazy, so I do.

17_fridge

Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes. Or 25 if you fall asleep, like I did. Oh, and yes, we do have a shelf in our fridge dedicated to beer (and one bottle of tonkatsu sauce). Yes, it is just a ploy to get our friends to come over and visit more often. Yes, it does work. Our friends are suckers.

18_dough_scoop

Now that you’re rested up from your nap and the dough is set up more, it’s time to dig in.

19_cookie_scoop

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2-3 inches apart. I use this cookie scoop because it’s easier and my hands don’t get messy, but you can just use a regular spoon.

20_silpat

I always bake on silpat, but you can use parchment paper or a plain baking sheet if you don’t have a silpat mat.

21_cookies_oven

Bake. This photo is all askew because I was drunk on the thought of how tasty these look…. and the smell.. omg!

22_cookies_cooling

Cool on a wire rack. If The Hawaiian was home I’d have had to slap his fingers away from these cooling cookies but luckily he was off watching March Madness at Messner’s.

23_melty_cookie

I only had to try to control myself, which was not easy. Also? I need a manicure.

24_chocolate_chocolate_cookies

So delicious with an ice-cold glass of milk. These cookies, along with a fridge shelf full of beer, will win you over new friends!

Can you tell I’ve been reading The Pioneer Woman‘s cooking section a lot lately?

Martha Stewart’s Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks. Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Working

photo-1
Logan Square, Chicago

Aside from a half hour break for lunch and to rewatch 30 Rock, I’ve been in our home office since about 8 a.m. Bleh. Still have so much more to go. Seems like everyone’s working today, though, so at least I’m not alone. And the weather is crap too, so I’m not missing much outside. At least when I’m working at home I can wear a sweatshirt and yoga pants and have movies playing on the side.

Fake Segway

fake_segway
The Loop, Chicago

I saw this in The Loop a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was a police officer on a Segway, but a Segway doesn’t have a 3rd wheel. It’s like a training wheel here or something. The side of the “fake Segway” said “Sheriff.” Sheriff of what, I don’t know.

Idol Worship

posters

Found all this stuff when we were moving. As a teenager I had tons of posters all over my bedroom.

Few things to note:

  • The posters are almost equal parts of Teen Beat, Metal Edge, & cute baby animals.
  • There are lots of posters of the Coreys – Haim and Feldman. It is clear that I liked Corey Haim more.
  • There is a lot of Menudo, GNR, Def Leppard.
  • Neal Patrick Harris is looking about 10 years old (or maybe I’m just old now).
  • I loved River Phoenix.
  • There are only a few New Kids on the Block posters and there are many, many more heavy metal posters and glam rock (?) posters like White Snake, Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue.
  • I have Skid Row posters and really was into Sebastian Bach. I even named one of our cats Sebastian.
  • There are posters of people I do not remember or recognize at all like Ty Miller? And Andre Gower? Chris Young anyone? Enuff Z’Nuff? Obvs their careers went nowhere.
  • Teen stars looked like babies next to the heavy metal guys.
  • I had packaging of brands I liked.. Exclamation perfume, A&W root beer. I’d hang this on the wall next to my favorite bands and actors. It occurs to me that this was kind of an old school proclamation of everything I supported.. like you do now on Facebook and MySpace.. but pre-internet. It was my Facebook wall… but it was a literal wall.

– – –

homemade_posters

I also drew and doodled a lot and would make little posters of things I liked.

– – –

To incorporate all of this, my cousin Dawn and I made these notebooks where we’d write down lyrics and cut out pictures and paste them in. Kind of like scrapbooking before it was trendy?

notebook

notebook_kirk_cameron

notebook_beastie_boys

notebook_johnny_depp

notebook_tony_danza