Beginning with Cookies

Of course, no one will be reading this (at least for a while) until perhaps my blog gains more notoriety.

However, as this is a new blog, I believe it deserves some sort of post. I s'pose I shall tell the non-existent audience a little bit about myself.

I am just finishing the tail-end of high school and am prepared to enter the college world to study nutrition. Why nutrition? Well, I am very intrigued by how food can both harm and help one's well-being. I also have a love affair with cooking and am absolutely obsessed with trying new recipes and perfecting my favorites. Hence, I decided to make a blog about food.

In most recipes that I try, I tend to substitute in my own "improvements" that cater to my taste. Very often these additions are extremely well-received by others that try my cooking, so I want to share my greatest successes with the world (or anyone who cares to read).

Let's start off with a recent success:"Nutella" Cookies with White Chocolate Chips:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup Nutella (or similar chocolate-hazelnut spread)
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce package white chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Sift first four ingredients into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, nutella, and brown sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I like to use those silicone mats. There's no waste, and clean-up is a snap). Using one level tablespoon or small ice cream scoop for each cookie, roll dough between palms of hands into one-inch balls. Arrange one inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about twelve minutes. Let cool on sheets for five minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.

These are a somewhat crumbly cookie, but they are also delightfully soft and chewy. The nutella gives it a light chocolate flavor, and the white chocolate chips add a hint of vanilla, so it's not too overwhelming for those that aren't partial to chocolate (but are still delicious for those choc-o-holics out there). As much as I love nutella, this recipe is one of my favorites.