With some time to kill before I left to Tahoe on Tuesday (which was amazing, by the way.. but more on that later), I decided to bake some cookies. I skimmed through my baking bookshelf and pulled out my good ol’ favorite: Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Every recipe that I’ve tried from that book has always been more than pleasant, so I figured why not? Now, I’ve made these cookies before… but they weren’t too successful the first time around. The first time I made them, the dough was crumbly and refused to form into desirable shapes– heck, they wouldn’t form into any shape! Even after freezing them and cutting the dough, it would shatter into tiny pieces with every movement of my knife. Being the cookie dough tester that I am, I just ate the dough as is and was amazed. The dough was beyond DELICIOUS! I probably snacked on half of the cookie dough the first time around because I couldn’t bake them (the recipe doesn’t use any eggs, either… so eating the cookie dough is practically harmless!) The cookie dough tasted so good that I was determined to try this recipe again.

I followed the recipe exactly as stated and made sure to press the dough firmly together when rolling into logs. I didn’t give up this time! If the cookie broke apart after cutting them into slices, I pressed the cookie dough back together with my hands and formed them into discs (this happened quite a bit). I found an easy way to do it.. You roll the dough into a ball, then flatten it between your palms. To shape the dough, you then put your left hand into a shape of a “c” and move the dough around inside the “c”, gently pressing your forefinger to your thumb. This will make an even circle shape while your right hand keeps the surface even by pushing and forming the dough together. I have no idea if that made sense to you, but I tried to explain my method the best I can! Sorry if it’s confusing. :/

The second time around was a total success! Boy, were these worth it. The fine sea salt in it makes all the difference. I might even dare to say that these are my favorite cookie! If you don’t already have Dorie’s book, I highly recommend getting it! It’s a great first baking book and an essential for your desserts. You can buy it online HERE.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Makes about 36 cookies.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

SERVING: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

I honestly don’t think that someone can ever try enough chocolate chip cookie recipes. This is my 3rd of 4th on my blog so far, but trust me, I’ve baked far more variations of this cookie than that. Now this particular cookie & recipe will always relate to a 42″ plasma for me. Why? Let me tell you the story…

My boyfriend had a 32″ LCD TV in his room and had been researching for weeks in search of a reliable 42″ plasma to replace it. He read review after review about pretty much every TV out there. He wanted something bigger and better than his old one. Oh, boys… They’re all the same when it comes to technology gadgets and gizmos- what they have is never good enough and they always have to have the best, the top of the line. He was going to buy this particular TV online for a steal, but his mom convinced him not to at that moment and I told him save his money. The very next day, the TV was sold out/discontinued from the store online. Boy, was he angry.. there was no other deal like that online or in stores and he missed out on his chance on getting the TV at that price. The very next day, I went with him to Costco to check out the TVs there because they had the one that he wanted to buy online. Three hours later, he walked out of Costco with a brand new 42″ plasma for nearly $100 less than the online price. Good thing he didn’t buy it online when he had the chance to!

The next day, my boyfriend went to The Getty Villa Museum in Malibu with my family and was telling my dad about his amazing purchase. The instant my dad heard the price tag for the 42″ plasma, his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. My dad turned his head to my mom and said, “That’s so cheap! Let’s get it,” with a big smile on his face. Mind you, we have this disease that runs in our family called the “Nguyen disease” (yes, we made it up and that is my family’s last name).

What is the Nguyen disease? The Nguyen disease is basically the act of impulse buying on bargain items. We cannot let great deals go by us and when there is a good deal.. we usually don’t just buy one, we buy multiple numbers of the same item and usually give them away to other family members. Example? My dad bought five digital scales because they were only fifteen dollars, marked down from like fifty. What in the world could you do with five scales in one household? He kept one and gave the other four away to my cousins/uncles/aunts/friends. Ridiculous, I know.

After the Getty, we went out to lunch and I would catch glimpses of my dad whispering to my mom, ending with “…please? Can we get it?” Finally, my mom agreed. The moment we finished lunch, my dad drove to Costco and bought the TV. Why? We don’t even need a TV in our house. We already have 3 flat screen TV’s that are 45″ and up… but because the price tag was so cheap, my dad couldn’t pass up on it. We didn’t even really have a spot for the TV, so where did my dad put it? In my tiny room. Now he hangs out in my room all the time, playing the guitar and turning my room into his own little sanctuary.

While on this trip to Costco with my family and boyfriend after lunch, I picked up Martha Stewart’s Cookies, which has been on my list of baking books to get for quite some time. The book has lots of tips and recommended tools, accompanied by colorful pictures. This is only my first recipe from the book, but I guarantee you it won’t be my last. These cookies are delightfully chewy and flavorful, making it to my list of top 3 chocolate chip cookie recipes. Give them a shot! you can find the recipe online here.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.