My Complete and Utter Distain for Chocolate Chip Cookies

It should be no surprise to anyone that has read my blog that I love to bake.  Give me an excuse, or no excuse at all, and I will be more than happy to whip up a tasty treat. With one exception.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am here today to profess my complete and utter distain for an American favorite: the chocolate chip cookie.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.  “Nestle Tollhouse commercials show the perfect family making cookies together with a smile on their faces and enjoying every second.” Well, I’m here to set the record straight. 

This afternoon I received a text from Nick saying one of the firefighters he mentored passed a big test.  Fantastic news!  Nick had told him the day before that if he passed, I would bake his favorite dessert.  Nick’s station is no stranger to my culinary skills.  I love baking for them and it’s always appreciated. So when I got the text bearing the good news I asked what I was making.  He said the unthinkable…chocolate chip cookies.  I asked Nick if his fellow firefighter would change his mind and rattled off a list of other baked goods I had perfected.  But alas, chocolate chip cookies it was.

I got home and went straight to the kitchen. The dough turned out fantastic and the cookies became a lovely golden brown.  They looked picture perfect. Well, that is until I had to take them off the cookie sheet.  For some reason or another, every.single.time. I make these freaking cookies they fall apart from the center out.

I am the first to admit that I have slight OCD when baking because in my mind, if the end result looks like a crumpled mess, no one is going to eat it. (I secretly blame my 4-H days).  I ended up getting so frustrated with the half dozen destroyed cookies that I tossed spatula into the sink, grabbed the bowl of cookie dough and a spoon and sat down at the table to drown my sorrows.  Nick and his patience were able to successfully get the cookies off the sheet without doing too terribly much damage.  That’s why we make a good pair.  BUT I don’t get it!  Why don’t these stupid cookies just come out in one piece just like every other cookie I make?  Why do these have to be so difficult? And WHY do these have to be the favorite of not one, but TWO firefighters at Nick’s station.  Ugh…

In the end about three dozen decently looking cookies were packed up to be brought in to the station in the morning. Yes I survived but that doesn’t mean I like these cookies any better.  In fact, I may hate them even more as I lay curled up in a ball on our couch simultaneously wanting to get sick from eating about 5 cookies worth of dough and craving a little more.  Damn these cookies anyway. 

Nick's Birthday Cupcakes

Nick and I celebrated his birthday yesterday but I made cupcakes for his fire station tonight. His two favorite things are peanut butter and chocolate so I created a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream frosting. I finished off the top with a crushed up Reese’s peanut butter cup.

Nick just finished sampling the finished product and said they are pretty good...or at least I think that is what he said through a mouthful. Hope you enjoy!

For the cake you will need:

1 cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp.
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.


Working with a paddle attachment for a stand mixer, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat about 2 minutes, until it is bended into the butter.


Add the egg, then the yolk, beating for I minute after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with rubber spatula as needed.


Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear.


Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in remaining dry ingredients.


Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt it using a double boiler.

Note: If you do not own a double boiler, you can create one by boiling water in a medium sauce pan and placing a glass bowl on top. The heat from the steam will melt the chocolate without burning it. The glass bowl will also become hot so use an oven glove or mit.





Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix with the rubber spatula.


Divide the batter evenly among 12 lined muffin pans.



Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Transfer pan to cooking rack and let cakes cool 5 minutes before taking them out of pan.

Note: To transfer cupcakes out of pan (or muffins for other recipes) I use an Oxo Pie Server. Trust me, you will never again break into a cupcake or scratch your pans.


Cool to room temperature before icing.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting you will need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter- not natural (I used Peter Pan)
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 pinches salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth.


Add powered sugar and salt, beat medium-low until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined.


Scrape down bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, beat at medium speed until incorporated.


Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.




To frost and decorate:

Chop the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I use the Pampered Chef Hand Chopper. Bonus: It doubles as a stress reliever after a long day. :-)


Next,fill pastry bag with buttercream. I use a round tip and start from the outside and work in. Feel free to be generous. You will have plenty of buttercream.


Sprinkle chopped Reese's on top.


And Voila!

Bonjour Sur la Table!

Today I ventured into Sur la Table for the first time looking for some tartlet and Madeleine pans. I had only window shopped and looked longingly at the cooking classes but I never knew exactly what they offered inside. For someone who loves to bake, this store is like Christmas. Why did I not know about this sooner? The first thing I noticed when I walked in was an entire section dedicated to spatulas. Spatulas! My jaw about dropped. Next to it were rows of decorative paper liners for cupcakes, hangers full of cake decorating tips and shelves of pretty much every baking pan one could ever need. Sigh….I’m in love.

Before I could talk myself into purchasing anything else, I grabbed the pans I intentionally came for and walked to the counter. I did saunter a little as we left while Nick tried his best to coax me out of the store. As soon as I got home I looked through my favorite baking book to see what else I could make that would give me an excuse to go back. Nothing yet but I do have some ideas.

In a few weeks, check back on the blog for photos and recipes of the Madelines and fruit tartlets. I can hardly wait to try out my purchases and fully expect to be returning to Sur la Table very, very soon.