Today we have a guest post from someone near and dear to our heart- our mom! K and I owe our love of cooking to her. She is always sharing the latest recipes she has found on various food blogs. Today she shares with us a cookie recipe she recently made: chewy chocolate cookies with fleur de sel. If you can’t find fleur de sel at your local store, it can be found in the 2S2C Amazon store or at O&CO.
One of my fun memories as a newlywed in the 1970s was searching for and trying five new recipes a week. At that time, my search was limited to magazines and my collections of cookbooks, which grew not surprisingly large with time. Trends over the years certainly have changed. I remember the very first Asian stir-fry beef recipe that I cooked- it used 3/4 cup of oil . A contemporary version would have a tablespoon or less!
The quest for new recipes continues 38 years later, but today there are so many new options for finding them, including food channels and of course , blogs, that m. introduced me to a few years ago. She may have created a monster. I follow so many blogs that it often takes a full afternoon to read through my blog list, but I am partial to 2 Sisters 2 Cities!!
While my 4 children were growing up, we baked and cooked and ate together! Although, some of their memories are fading and only k. can remember great details about every recipe that I cooked! Now,my 4 daughters are all grown adults , but I still like to bake for my husband and myself. The evening is not complete without a “treat” with our tea. Here is a recent cookie recipe that I tried. I just enjoyed one with a glass of milk this afternoon- so good!
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs ( I try to bring to room temp, it makes the mixture cream together easier)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder ( I used "Special Dark" but regular would work)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- Fleur de Sel for sprinkling (or coarse sea salt)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats, if you are lucky enough to own them.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk or sift (if yours is lumpy) together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and light, about 3-4 minutes with mixer on medium high. Add each egg, 1 at a time, mixing briefly after each and then add the vanilla extract.
- Now, add the dry mixture to this and gently combine until mixed. Using a medium cookie scoop ( or 1 rounded tablespoon), drop onto prepared cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with your hand and sprinkle the tops with the fleur de sel.
- Bake about 9-10 minutes until the edges are crisp. Cool slightly on pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They keep well for several days if you can keep them that long. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Source: Adapted from Erin’s Food Files
-Mom