I fancy myself a pretty good cook -- husband doesn't complain -- but there are two things in this world that I simply cannot make to save my life: meatloaf and chocolate-chip cookies.

Since I'm angry at the whole concept of meatloaf, so vividly are my last 2 attempts etched in my memory -- a black, crunchy splat that's raw in the middle was made ever more disgusting by the various cheeseburger ingredients, like pickles and mustard, that I added to spice it up -- let's tackle the chocolate-chip cookie, shall we?

For those of you who, like me, have disappointingly resigned yourselves to being 'roll 'o cookie dough from the grocery shelves' kind of people, these secret chocolate-chip tips on how to improve this perennial favorite of all ages will make you raise your eyebrows in hopeful interest. I would have never though of resting the dough for 36 hours (like it would survive that long in my fridge anyways -- yours either, don't lie), but adding a touch of sea salt at the end? That's sheer brilliance! Is there a better flavor combination than salty and sweet in the whole world?

If you don't think you can wait the 36 hours for the dough to rest, try this method of vacuum-packing the dough. It helps force the moisture in more quickly because of the lack of air and the dough's compression. Pretty cool trick.

I may just have to strap my vintage apron back on, dust my cheeks with flour and give this who cookie-making thing one more go. Because, seriously, what's better than a warm, gooey *homemade* chocolate chip cookie dunked in cold milk?

Labels: apron. sea salt, chocolate-chips, cookies, cooking, meatloaf, science

This entry was posted by Amber, on Friday, July 18, 2008. You can leave your response .