[Cookie 067] Milk Chocolate Cookies

Alright, New York, what gives? I thought we were done with this winter snowstorm crap, but I guess you thought it would be pretty damn funny to whip out one more blizzard and be all "JAY KAY IT'S STILL WINTER SUCKAS LOLZ!!!!1" I don't appreciate that, Old Man Winter, I really don't. Especially when you throw a few 43º days at us, filled with sunlight and happiness, and then take it away faster than we can say "brunch at a sidewalk cafe."

As I write this, I'm looking out my grimey dorm window, which now has quite a few inches of snow pressed up against its sill. Great! Love it! At least I get a snow day, and the school was thoughtful enough to let us know this before my class started (unlike last time, when I went to class, no one was there, and then the school announced it a snow day at 12:30 in the afternoon--thanks!). Yep, it's white out there. Fortunately, this makes for great ambient light for photographing cookies by the windowsill, but it makes everything else kinda shitty. Oh well, it looks purdy from inside my warm room.

Actually, let's stop this complaining, alright Lizzie? Because it's a beautiful day to stay inside, wear your slippers and silk kimono, listen to the new Joanna Newsom album (it's great), and enjoy these Milk Chocolate Cookies with a big mug of milky coffee. Perfection! That's better, far more positive!

Aren't you glad I'm finally posting a great recipe again? These cookies are so tasty and chocolatey and oversized and perfect for a snowstorm baking session. Personally, I have to admit, I'm not a milk chocolate fan. I used to be, as a child, but since then my palate has grown up and now I finally understand the beauty and greatness that is dark chocolate, and I can't turn back. However, I bet a lot of you do like the milk chocolate, or you are baking for kids (who, generally speaking, couldn't think of chocolate any other way), so these are perfect. They're sweet, crisp yet have a nice flexibility to them, and can easily be modified if you want to use darker chocolate or add in some extras (like nuts, or maybe some sour cherries, or hey, maybe some cayenne pepper or sea salt??).

This time around, I remembered the lesson I learned after having baked those Chocolate Charms with cheap-o chocolate, and I bought some nice Green & Black milk chocolate bars, and I highly recommend you do so as well. These cookies are all about the chocolate chunks, so get a nice chocolate bar--none of this Hershey's or Cadbury crap! No ifs ands or buts, I don't care how much you like those, just don't. If anything, they have too much sugar in them and will make your cookies way too sweet and icky and lowbrow (call me an elitist...I am when it comes to chocolate).

So, I hope I have you convinced, especially if you're stuck inside this weekend because a storm is a-ragin' outside. And if you live in sunny wonderland (hey Ma and Pa!), bake 'em anyways, because they taste just as good out on a sunny porch melting in the Southern California heat ...siiiigh

Milk Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 pound good-quality milk chocolate, 4 ounces coarsely chopped and 4 ounces cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt 4 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
2. Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.
3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft). Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

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{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 4.5/5
Attractiveness: 4/5
Is it worth it?: Indeed! You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like these

{Pairings}
Drink: Milk, again. But I think vanilla ice cream could be a decent substitution, you know, if you have to...

Song: Baby Birch -- Joanna Newsom
Activity: Trying to not think about what this city is going to look like come Monday when all the snow has turned to fields of ice death traps!