I’m sorry to say this for whomever’s feelings I hurt, but I hate baking from mixes. They never turn out right and barely ever taste edible. I’d much rather slave in the kitchen and earn my praises, than know Betty Crocker did the work for me.
I feel the same way about boxed mixes as I feel about this tattoo. I don’t think I need to explain further.
However, I made an exception for the Barefoot Contessa’s boxed mixes. She has one type, a chocolate white chocolate chunk cookie, that looks to die for. I decided to purchase the mix, and let me tell you this was the best experiment ever. I made the cookies from scratch, as well as using the mix. And surprise, the batch from scratch was incredibly better. The Barefoot Contessa is a genius. I’m still not sure why she would try to pre-package such greatness. Well here is the recipe, directly stolen from the queen herself. I take no credit, other than for my crappy pictures.
Biggest plus of moving into Rico’s place? The awesome counter tops. This is not even a counter, it’s a sweet island with stools all around it. Its a baker’s heaven worth of counter tops, minus everything that Rico keeps on this counter. And by everything, I mean everything he owns usually gets unloaded on this counter. Boys!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.
Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
P.S. USE GOOD COCOA FOR THIS. I used the Ghirardelli that I use to make my diet hot chocolate. Also, use good white chocolate. Trust me, I am all for the cheap, but when it comes to cooking these delights, don’t skimp or I’ll come and find you.
Is that a tattoo of Whappy?