As surprising as it might sound International Women’s Day is not that big of a deal in the States. Upon moving to Italy, I discovered that not only is it celebrated but it is characterized by the exchange of what is a rare flower in the States, the Mimosa. While I was very familiar the historical significance that underlies the day, I just never considered it to be something to celebrate. This year I decided to try to turn it into something that I can appreciate. Here is the FunLab Women’s Day proposal: chocolate chip cookies and a cup of hot tea.
These cookies are great because they are FOOL PROOF and yummy. They are so easy to make that this is the recipe that we use when introducing little kids to the art of making cookies.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups (350 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (one heaping coffee spoon full) salt
220 grams butter
3/4 cup (120 grams) fine sugar
3/4 cup (190 grams) light brown sugar*
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
2 eggs
2 bars (200 grams) Lindt dark chocolate (the silver package) chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C).
Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Add the eggs one a time, mixing well between additions. Add half of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and blend until completely incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix well, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the chocolate pieces.
Drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. Cook for 8 minutes. Check that the cookies are golden on top. The idea chocolate chip cookie is crunchy on the bottom and soft of the top. Another great thing about this recipe is that it makes lots of cookies (around 50)!!!
Pour yourself a cup of hot tea and take a moment out of your busy day to enjoy a great cookie made with your little ones. Now that is something that I can celebrate – an afternoon well spent!
*Light brown sugar. This is the KEY ingredient. I have tried a series of different brands and the Altromercato Dulcita works well. If you want to know why it is the key ingredient read on otherwise make and enjoy your cookies. Light brown sugar contains around 4% molasses which is very hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts water molecules during the cooking process generating cookies that stay soft even after they have cooled off (reference). The molasses is also acidic and activates our baking soda!!!
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