chocolate chip cookies

Hi,
today's message is one of extreme importance. Pay attention carefully.

I'm on a quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, with macadamia nuts & coconut. Our neighbour, Malcolm, has thrown down the gauntlet in my kitchen and challenged me to re-create this cookie that he buys from a Jewish deli down near Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I have to admit, it is one of the best cookies I have ever tasted and I am obsessed with trying to crack the recipe.

Last night was my first attempt. I got a decent cookie out of my effort but not nearly close enough to perfection. The deli cookie is thick and chunky, but soft to the pallet, not crunchy. I think I nailed the 'flavour' of the cookie but not the texture. My soft Canadian flour makes for a smooth, light dough and it needs more bulk.

In round #2, I plan to get some 'harder' flour, maybe some with more wheat bran in it (that will aid in digestion issues if nothing else). Dark brown sugar instead of the light version I usually use. More flour and less butter in the next batch... I have a few ideas I want to test out.

The biggest problem is consumption. Baking these is easy: getting someone to eat the inventory up is the real challenge. Marshall is great, but I don't want to turn him into Jabba-the-Hutt. After dinner, and a few cookie tastes, we walked around the neighbourhood, delivering cookies. I felt like a Keebler elf.

Malcolm gets first taste of course, since it's his cookie I am trying to replicate. He certainly liked my initial try and was thrilled to get warm cookies delivered. We talked about what needs changing to get the recipe closer to his store bought version but the fresh ones we showed up with were not going in the garbage either. If he was handing out grade points I probably got a C+ for my first effort.

I had to give some to our backyard neighbour, Kathleen Collins. She's a fabulous cook & baker. She even gave me some harder flour to try. Since she hasn't tasted the original cookie she could only guess at what corrections I need to try to get to Malcolms' version. If nothing else her husband John is going to be happy to have a sweet treat in the house. We played with their dog, Snickers and then toddled off.

Last stop was the Larricks' home. John is a really big man so I know he's got room to hide a few cookies on him. What can I say, I need eaters and have no shame in inflicting my cookies on nice people.... Kathy is a good sport about everything and is a willing victim for my baking experiment....they also have a great dog, Brandon, who will let me rub his tummy for ever if need be. A perfect household for cookie delivery. Marshall got to talk 'stereo equipment' with John, I unloaded more cookies, everyone was happy.

In the next couple of weeks I plan to bake my little heart out trying to get this cookie just right. If you are in the neighbourhood, hungry and feeling philanthropic, please come by to get some cookies. Your donations of a willing pallet and no fear of caloric intake is all I ask.

xox
the cookie monster