sweet treats |

Today is National Chocolate Chip day!

We thought the BEST way to celebrate this was with some delicious, soft chocolate chip cookies from the Chocolate Chip Cookie’s book from chroniclebooks!

SOFT

Bread flour, with its high gluten content, gives the cookie its soft bite, and an extra egg yolk helps bind the dough. It has a high percentage of brown sugar to white sugar, resulting in a deeper, more caramelized flavour.

Makes about 27 cookies

1¼ cups/155 g unbleached bread flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ cup/115 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup/50 g granulated sugar

¾ cup plus 1 tbsp/160 g packed dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

¾ cup/125 g semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup/85 g chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. Adjust the racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth and well blended, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix until completely combined. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until completely combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined, scraping the bowl if necessary to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) and mix on low speed until evenly distributed. The dough should be smooth, dense, and somewhat pliable. (This dough benefits from resting in the fridge, covered, for 12 to 24 hours before baking.)

Using a small ice-cream scoop or tablespoon measure, drop well-rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 in/5 cm apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time, just until the edges turn golden.

When cool enough to handle, transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days.

For those wanting to try something more than lemon & sugar today (classic as it is!) Try our The Ultimate “Puffy” Pancakes from Yvette Van Boven’s Home Made Summer!

The Ultimate “Puffy” Pancakes

FOR A BIG PILE OF 20 PANCAKES

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp (20 g) baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp (1 envelope) vanilla sugar, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
7 tbsp (100 g) butter, cut into chunks, plus more for the pan
1½ cups (350 ml) milk
2 large eggs, beaten

FOR SERVING

½ pint (200 g) raspberries
¾ cup (200 g) crème fraîche
superfine sugar for garnish

In a big bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and the plain and vanilla sugar (if using extract, add it later). Combine the butter and milk in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the vanilla extract, if using.

Pour the warm milk-butter mixture into the flour mixture in the bowl while stirring, then whisk until all the lumps are dissolved.

Beat in the eggs.

Heat 1 teaspoon butter in a skillet over medium heat and pour three ladlefuls of batter into the pan, slightly apart so you have three small pancakes.

Cook for about 3 minutes, or until small holes break out on the surface, then flip and cook them for 2 minutes on the other side. Repeat with more butter and the remaining batter. Keep the cooked pancakes warm on a plate covered with foil in a low oven while you cook the rest.

Serve with raspberries, crème fraîche, and a sprinkle of superfine sugar.