{"id":2356,"date":"2012-12-17T00:00:35","date_gmt":"2012-12-17T06:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.walkingwithcake.com\/?p=2356"},"modified":"2012-12-16T21:08:38","modified_gmt":"2012-12-17T03:08:38","slug":"christmas-cookies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.walkingwithcake.com\/?p=2356","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Cookies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Cupcakes and Cashmere’s<\/em><\/a> “Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies.”)<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m a big fan of Cupcakes and Cashmere<\/em><\/a>, the famous blog by Emily Schuman.\u00a0 It was my introduction to the world of fashion blogging, and since she is such a consummate blogger and writes regularly, I faithfully read her daily posts the moment I wake up each morning.\u00a0 I’ll never wear the designer pieces she showcases or take the time to create a glitter manicure, but I love her simple elegance and I look forward to her take on things.\u00a0 I bought Schuman’s book last summer and enjoyed its simplicity, too.\u00a0 It’s really a companion piece to her blog and expands upon some of the basic ideas she covers each week, from fashion and decorating tips, to delicious recipes.<\/p>\n

Last Thursday was the boys’ last day of school, and I wanted to send something fun and easy for their class parties, so I tried the recipe for “Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies,” from the Cupcakes and Cashmere<\/em> book.\u00a0 It was simple and delicious, and the boys loved the yummy cookies, so I consider it a huge success!\u00a0 (This particular recipe is not listed on Schuman’s blog, but there are several other chocolate chip cookie recipes featured there<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

To be perfectly honest, the recipe itself is your basic, run-of-the-mill cookie recipe, but what inspired me to try it was her description of the ingredients.\u00a0 I’m not a true cook or baker, in that I don’t particularly enjoy the process, but I do keep basic ingredients on hand and I can easily whip up a batch of cookies or muffins if the mood strikes me.<\/p>\n

But Schuman discusses the importance of using only the very highest quality ingredients and (this part is key) allowing the butter and egg (this recipe calls for 1 large egg) to warm up to room temperature before adding them.\u00a0 I’m always a rushed cook, and just grab things as I go, so the idea of waiting for ingredients to reach room temperature was new to me.\u00a0 I will often melt butter in the microwave to soften it, but this time, I let it sit out for a while, along with the single egg, until they weren’t so cold to the touch.<\/p>\n

And since I’m a lazy cook and employ the use of my KitchenAid mixer, I have been known to leave it mixing while I run in the other room to do something, like check on the boys or put some laundry in the dryer.\u00a0 According to Schuman, over-mixing only results in flat, dry cookies, and I can definitely attest to the truth in that statement.\u00a0 So this time, I was extremely careful not to leave my mixer unattended, and I was rewarded with three-dimensional cookies that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like the book describes them.<\/p>\n

Since they were really for school the next day, I had to ration the boys’ portion, but they were still a big hit!\u00a0 I stored them in plastic cookie containers overnight, and I think they dried out a bit the next day, making them crunchy, but they still tasted delicious, and I will definitely pay closer attention to my ingredients and mixing time from now on.<\/p>\n

Who knew making chocolate chip cookies could be so educational?<\/p>\n

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