Recipe: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Let’s talk math. Not Calculus kind of math. (Eww.) But rather, cookie math. Oh hubba hubba. You can do that, right?

When it comes to cookies, there’s two very distinct school of thought.

Pythagorean vs. Newton.

Eh? Homegirl, say what? Okay okay, when it comes to cookies, all you really need to know is two things: cookie vs. the add-ins.

Take the chocolate chip cookie, for instance.

The most basic choco chipper consists of a sweet, buttery shortbread lusciously dotted with melty chocolate chips.

I know, I know—you’re thinking, “Well, DUH. That’s easy!”

But there is a key factor between the two: the ratio.

Too many chocolate chips and you’re on the verge of going koo-koo for cocoa puffs. Too little chips and people may start saying, “Great sugar cookies.” And the perfect about of chips + cookie?

Perfect. Kinda like these.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don’t typically like to use the word “perfect” and mean it, but I do believe these are the best chocolate cookies I’ve made to date. With crispy edges, chewy centers, and a deep caramel flavor, these cookies were a huge hit at home. Did I mention there’s some whole grain action in there too?

Barely adapted from Tasting Table DC(Original recipe from Shannon Boyle, Uncle Chip’s Cookies, Washington D.C.)

1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 tbsp molasses ½ cup butter 2 egg whites 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter. Beat until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the egg whites one at a time, mixing to combine between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix just to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Place the dough in the refrigerator. While the dough is chilling, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, remove it from the refrigerator. Using a heaping tablespoon, portion the dough into ½-inch balls and place, spaced 1 inch apart, on the lined baking sheets. Place in the oven and bake until golden around the edges and just set in the center, 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Give these a go. SERIOUSLY.

Find your ratio, and happiness will ensue. I think Confucius said that? Let’s go with that.

Are you about it? Irrelevant when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. Be about it.

Off to work at the coffee shop and then NYC for the weekend!

Wahooooooooooooo. <---This is me just thinking about coffee.

Small Kitchen College Repost: The Perfect Fourth of July Dessert

I like holidays. A lot. Most people just have an extra bit of pep in their step and easiness in their voice. But me? Well, I get crazy. (But you already knew that.) So naturally, you would understand that I’m just a tad excited borderline beside myself with enthusiasm about spending the Fourth of July in the heart of the nation itself.

Red, white, and blue everything. Firecracker popsicles. Barbecues in the name of independence. Star-spangled nail polish. The national anthem…and plenty of pop dance anthems too. Fireworks? Fireworks! Uncle Sam costumes. And of course, AMURRICA!

You know— just the usual.

But despite my overenthusiastic patriotism, I feel a little guilty. The thing is, I have a little secret. Okay okay, a terrifyingly big secret. I don’t like the most all-American thing of all.

I don’t like apple pie.

Now before you go shouting, “The horror! The horror!” and registering me as public enemy #1, allow me to explain. Pie and I are just friends who were never quite meant to be. I don’t like apples when they’re cooked and mushy. Ick. Pie crust, for all its flaky tenderness, is just a tad too buttery and plain for my liking. I love making pie, but eating it just doesn’t have the same appeal. However, spending my summer in Washington D.C. without a patriotic alternative is quite simply crazy talk. And speaking of crazy talk, I’m prepared to make a bold statement.

What would you say if I told you that these summer shortcakes rock the red, white, and blue like a boss?

If I told you that they use local, in-season produce?

If I told you that they take less than 30 minutes to make?

If I told you that these Red, White, And Blue(berry) Shortcakes trump silly ‘ole apple pie any day?

You would say that I’m crazy.

Crazy awesome, that is.

**Recipe**

See more, HERE!!! 

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie Batter Truffle Balls

Yes, you read that right.

Second SKC repost!

It is very possible that this post will change your life. That you may have an epiphany. That you may discover God’s gift to man. It takes some serious balls to back up a claim like that. But believe me, you’re about to get just that.

I’d like to introduce you to Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie Batter Truffle Balls.

Wow, those balls sound like a mouthful.

That’s what she said.

Or maybe that’s what I said, right as my maturity launched itself out the window. Chocolate³ will do that to a girl. But I digress. Let’s stop trifling and talk about truffles.

Head over to http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/04/triple-chocolate-fudge-brownie-batter-truffle-balls.html for the rest. And for the love of all things good and chocolatey, comment and tell your friends—college student or not, they will fall in love with this orgasmic creation  

Recipe: Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding

<<Note: This is actually also serving as the Dining Hall DIY sample post that I’m submitting as a part of my Contributing Writer Application for Small Kitchen College!>>

You skip into the dining hall, waltzing with excitement after your latest encounter with “The Cute Boy Who Shalt Not Be Named.” And then you stop in your tracks—hit by the tsunami of sloppy joe aroma that, unfortunately, you know a little bit too well.

Le sigh.

After finishing your dreaded, wannabe (wo)manwich, you stare ruefully at the empty plate before you.

At this point, you’ve come to accept that there is only one type of food that can possible cheer you up: dessert.

Oh yes, dessert—da King Kahuna, the Elvis, the knight in shining armor, the love of your life and perhaps mine as well. But which dessert to pick?

Cake? Not New Year’s resolution approved.

Cookies? You can do better.

Soft Serve? Problem: Nameless cute boy does not dig ice cream mustaches.

Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding? Oh *&%#! Swoooooooooooooooooooon.

Innocently sexy. Gourmet and guaranteed mustache free.

Oh, and did I mention perfect for sharing with “The Cute Boy Who Shalt Not Be Named”?

Lexi is a freshman at Georgetown University, where she is considering an International Business/Management double major and proving that not all business school students have to end up on Wall Street. A nutrition aficioncado and laid-back vegetarian, she is a connoisseur of healthy baked goods, lover of farmers’ markets, and expert in freakishly cheesy puns and one-liners.

Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding

Serves 1

Sweet, gooey, and banana-y, this rice pudding will surprise your friends with its simple deliciousness and impressive nutrition profile. Because it combines whole grains, potassium-rich fruit, and healthy fats/protein, it also makes a wonderful breakfast that will keep both your snobbie inner foodie and stomach going for hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
• ½ cup milk (Note: I use almond or soy milk, but feel free to use any kind you like!)
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon plus extra for topping
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp nut butter (e.g. peanut butter), for topping

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except nut butter.

2) Microwave for 2 ½ minutes on high. Remove and mash until the mixture is mostly smooth. (Some small banana bits are okay, but try to mash the big chunks.)

3) Microwave for additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until mixture is warm and pudding- like. Add an extra drizzle of milk and stir, if the mixture is too thick for your liking.

4) Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nut butter, and enjoy!

When I’m not away at school, most of my rice puddings begin more like this…

The almighty to-go box.

After our family goes out for Asian food of some sorts (usually Thai), we end up with a heaping box full of brown rice leftovers. By that, I mean we always seem to end up with a disproportionate amount of rice: curry.

Thanks family…

And let’s be real now—a girl can only pretend she’s Mulan eating plain rice for so long.

Then again, I guess that means more Caramelized Banana Bread Rice Pudding for me!

Mwhwhahahaha

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve!

Velvety Deliciousness

That color is unmistakable. There's cherry red, brick red, fire engine red..and then there's this.

Red as in...

Red.

Velvet.

Cupcakes.

Trendy? You betcha.

Delectable? Sometimes.

Healthy? Usually, no. Today, yes.

I wish I could give you the recipe tonight, but I'm not satisfied.

Well, my eyes are satisfied, but my tastebuds are not. These are good, but they could be better.

And we like "better," right? Right.

Sorry to be a tease, but if perfected, these could very possibly complete your life. But until then, I'm afraid they'd leave you feeling like destiny has yet to be truly fulfilled.

Whoa nelly, this is getting to be deep stuff.

Let's stick to food, if that's okay with you.

For now, go make these wonderful cookies of uber amazingness.

They will make your life complete.

And once you've finished making those and telling me how great life has become because of a cookie, we'll talk red velvet.

We  will talk. Don't worry--I won't forget.

There's a reason I can't walk straight or whizz through Calculus. That part of my brain is devoted to cupcakes. No multitasking. Just cupcakes. I like to call it "selective brain function."

Aight, all this science stuff is getting too fancy for me. Pinky promise you'll come back to talk red velvet with me?

Okay, good. Sounds like a plan, Stan.