Okay, so I know its hard to go wrong on a Chocolate Chip Cookie (CCC), but I thought I would inform you as to the best one ever made. Brian got this magazine from American's Test Kitchen where they test recipes over and over and and have professional tasters decide what is the best.
The cookie recipe they came up with was "perfected" after 48 batches and adjusted every which way. We took them up on their title and sought to compare to our favorites. In the end, we have to agree with the magazine. These cookies are the best CCC I have ever had. Judge for yourself.
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1 3/4 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (important that it isn't salted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups sesisweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
3. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 table spoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
4. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips, giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
5. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cook cookies completely before serving.
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Seriously, AMAZING!
Different than any CCC I can remember having but really, really, really good.
Tell us what you think.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie You Ever Had
McKinley
Its been a while since we have posted much so sorry about that. :)
Here are some pictures of McKinley and her brother's and sisters. She is our most photogenic for sure!
Here are some pictures of McKinley and her brother's and sisters. She is our most photogenic for sure!
More Pictures of Memorial Day Trip
We left Friday at 1:30pm from Utah in our car and by Saturday around 7:30pm we had not been to our hotel room yet. We are both going on about 5 hours of sleep combined. Considering all that, these first two pictures turned out alright. The Nauvoo Temple is worth seeing in person!
We spent other parts of our time touring Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. The first picture below is the coolest picture of the trip. The Missionary giving tours through the carthage jail gave us his "patented shot." Which is, literally, a picture through the gun shot hole of the carthage jail door to which Hyrum was killed. That is us, and Mike and Jessica, standing by the window sill and window where Joseph was shot and leapt from.
The second picture is with us and Jannelle (Maegan's Cousin) and her Husband (also named Brian) who we just happened to see at the Carthage Jail tour! Very, very random. Small world. The window just above Jannelle and her Husband is the outside of the window in first picture. It is the window Joseph Smith jumped from and died just below there.
The third picture is of us by the grave of the Prophet Joseph. This is in Nauvoo and just near the Mansion and Summer house of Joseph and Emma.
These pictures are of the Lovely Maegan and our little baby Reagan who made the trip with us. Just Beautiful!
Here is Brian, Mike, Katie and their Dad at the funeral of Doris Eleanor Duryea.
We spent other parts of our time touring Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. The first picture below is the coolest picture of the trip. The Missionary giving tours through the carthage jail gave us his "patented shot." Which is, literally, a picture through the gun shot hole of the carthage jail door to which Hyrum was killed. That is us, and Mike and Jessica, standing by the window sill and window where Joseph was shot and leapt from.
The second picture is with us and Jannelle (Maegan's Cousin) and her Husband (also named Brian) who we just happened to see at the Carthage Jail tour! Very, very random. Small world. The window just above Jannelle and her Husband is the outside of the window in first picture. It is the window Joseph Smith jumped from and died just below there.
The third picture is of us by the grave of the Prophet Joseph. This is in Nauvoo and just near the Mansion and Summer house of Joseph and Emma.
These pictures are of the Lovely Maegan and our little baby Reagan who made the trip with us. Just Beautiful!
Here is Brian, Mike, Katie and their Dad at the funeral of Doris Eleanor Duryea.
Memorial Day Weekend Pictures
Here are some scenic pictures we took on our trip to Canton, Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois.
Brian's favorite is third one down. That tree was amazing. It is just outside the cemetery where his grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great grandparents are buried. Brian's initials come from B.F Duryea (his grandfather) who was named after his grandfather as well (B.F. Duryea). Those two and their wives are in this cemetery. Its in a perfect little country cemetery in Canton, Illinois.
Maegan's favorite is the very last one. Its at the end of Parley street in Nauvoo, Illinois. Parley street (or the end of it) goes right into the Mississippi River and was the street many of the Saints took in the beginning of the trek westward. The statue is some 40 to 50 feet away from the River and depicts Joseph showing Brigham Young the way.
There is something else that we learned is in the 6th and 7th picture down. This is a replica of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in front of the Nauvoo Temple on their way to Carthage Jail. The Temple face points Westward towards the Mississippi just like it did in the original. The only difference to the outward structure of the temple today when compared to the earlier temple is that now Moroni is on the top instead of a weather vein. It is also the only Moroni on all of the temples to face west instead of east. President Hinckley asked that the Moroni here and the one on the Salt Lake Temple (which faces east) work like book ends to the Saints' trek. We thought that was very interesting and very appropriate.
American Idol Auditions continued
One more vocal by Lincoln showing off his upper register.
Truman is a much more shy contestant and I think if he could let his personality really show through in his performance he could be a star.
American Idol Auditions
We have some avid American Idol fans. Lincoln hopes to one day try out. I don't think he is quite ready, but a few more years and performances like this under his belt and who knows! By the way, this lyric is an original by him, so no pirating! (Notice Truman in timeout in the background.) The next video is the rock version of a song we hear sung by JJ nearly every day. McKinley has an even cuter version of her own that sounds like this, "Bama knee! Bama knee! Bama knee!"
INSTRUMENTS ROCK! by Lincoln
OH SUSANNAH! by Jefferson