Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm all about trying new and exotic recipes, especially when it comes to sweets. Sometimes, though, there's nothing more satisfying than the classic chocolate chip cookie. I've been baking one version or another -- most commonly the one found on the back of the Chipits bag -- for years, and they're the ultimate in instant gratification. Virtually no time to whip up, 12 minutes in the oven, another five and they're in your hand, the chocolate gooey and melting.

Tonight I did a few things differently, the main thing being my choice of recipe. I went with the one from Michael Smith's Chef At Home (the 2005 edition), as it seemed straightforward and didn't muck about with extra ingredients such as nuts, coconut, etc. Also, I realized as I was about to start that I only had about 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour left in the canister, so I decided to try cake and pastry flour instead. For all of you bakers wondering if there's a difference, there definitely is! The cookies baked up higher than a butter-based cookie usually does, and they definitely seemed more cake-like, less chewy. At least that was the consistency five minutes after they came out of the oven. Not sure what they'll be like when they cool down.

Smith recommends starting with cold butter, which is harder to cream with the sugar. I used a technique I learned when making pie pastry in cooking class last year, which is to grate the butter into your mixing bowl. That way it's easier to blend with the sugar.

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to make this my 'ultimate' chocolate chip cookie, whether I'll go back to the Chipits recipe, or whether I need to try more iterations. I think I like the latter option, as it means more cookies for me! Mwah ha ha!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A heaping cupful of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick of cold salted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
Spoonful of corn syrup
1 egg
Splash of pure vanilla extract
Cupful of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.

Cream the cold butter and sugars together, beating them until they're smooth in a countertop mixer. If you don't have a countertop mixer, beat vigorously by hand in a large mixing bowl, or combine them in a food processor. Add the corn syrup, egg and vanilla, and continue beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon.

Using a spoon, scoop out a ball of the dough and drop it onto a lightly greased cookie tray. Flatten slightly. Repeat, leaving lots of room between the balls for the cookies to expand. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove and cool on a rack.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Source: Chef At Home, Michael Smith, Whitecap Books, 2005

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Tips and tricks - homemade salad dressing

Despite my claim in a recent blog post that I don't enjoy salads in winter, every so often, usually after a few days of eating rich food, I feel like some simple greens for supper. But with one stipulation: no bottled dressing!

I only reach for the bottled stuff, with its myriad of mysterious ingredients such as xanthan gum and potassium sorbate, when I'm at my laziest, and I pretty much always regret it. Because there is no substitute for homemade, and really it couldn't be easier.


At its most basic all you need for a decent salad dressing is oil and vinegar. But buying a good quality olive oil - I enjoy Olio Carli for its fruitiness - makes a big difference. Find one you like the flavour of, and use that oil for dressings and other things like dipping bread into, while keeping a cheaper olive oil on hand for cooking with.

As for the vinegar, I have a few bottles in my pantry, as it's nice to have options depending on the kind of lettuce you're going to be eating - some common ones include red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and rice wine vinegar. But you can use other things to add tartness to the oil - the rind and juice of most citrus fruits works well.

The general thinking as far as ratio of oil to vinegar is using three parts oil to one part vinegar. I like my dressing on the tart side so I tend to add more vinegar but it's all a matter of personal preference.

So, a few glugs of oil, a splash or two of vinegar, some salt and pepper to taste and all that's left to do is toss it with your salad.

There are a few other ingredients you can add that will really perk things up - for example I learned at my cooking class last night that adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to an oil and vinegar dressing will really bring out the flavours of the other ingredients.

If you find your dressing is too tart, add a teaspoon or two of honey or maple syrup. Honey is my favourite choice as maple syrup can be too dominant, but if maple is your thing, give it a try.

Don't like the separation factor of oil and vinegar? Add something to emulsify the dressing and give it a uniform appearance - Dijon mustard works well. Egg is another emulsifier but not everyone likes to consume raw egg, and of course there's the worry of salmonella poisoning.

There's a lot of room for experimentation where salad dressing is concerned, and so many possible additions and combinations, all of them relatively simple. Consider any of the following ingredients: ginger, soy sauce, miso paste, anchovies, parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, fennel seeds, dried spices, fresh herbs - the list is endless of what you can add. And play around with the dressing until you find the right balance - keep tasting it until you're happy with the results.

If you find you're eating a lot of salads make a large portion and keep it in the fridge - depending on the ingredients you'll probably be able to use it for upwards of a week.

One trick I learned from Chef At Home host Michael Smith is to make dressing in a Mason jar. Throw all the ingredients in the bottom and either whiz them together using your immersion blender (one of my essential kitchen tools), whisk them together quickly, or, simplest of all, screw the lid on and give the mixture a good shake.

Salads can be uninspiring, but I guarantee you that taking that extra two to five minutes to make your own dressing will make a world of difference. You may never go back to the pre-bottled variety again!

Here's a very simple and tasty dressing I whipped up tonight to use in a simple salad of hydroponic Ontario green lettuce and sliced McIntosh apples, based on a recipe by Chef Michael Smith.

Honey Lime Dressing

The juice and zest of 4 limes
A few heaping spoonfuls of honey
A spoonful of mustard
A cupful of olive oil
A sprinkle or two of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or Mason jar and mix well to combine.

Makes about two cups.

Recipe courtesy Chef At Home, Michael Smith, Whitecap Books, 2005

Salut!

Suzanne

Tips, suggestions, comments, advice? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.