double chocolate pudding cookies

Right off the bat I’ve gotta say that when I first saw this recipe, I kind felt I should object to it on principal. I mean, I’ve halved the original recipe here, and the quantities of things still seem kind of outrageous– two sticks of butter, chocolate chips, all kinds of other stuff and…yes, a package of instant chocolate pudding. I held off making these for a little while because I just couldn’t quite decide if it was a good idea– it’s not like any cookies are good for you, but these in particular seemed just a tiny bit diabolical. But you know what? Now that I’ve made them, I cannot in good conscience not share the recipe. It’s too delicious.

the six month check-up, and toblerone cookies

For my preschoolers, half birthdays are like a serious deal, so I figured why not for grownups too? Today marks the half-birthday of this blog, and I can’t believe it’s been six months since things got underway! It feels like longer, but somehow has also gone by quickly. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how things are going in the kitchen, and this here half birthday seems a perfect time to do a bit of reflecting, evaluating and, if necessary, redirecting.

Also…toblerone cookies. Need I say more?

kitchen firsts: the silpat + ode to chocolate chip cookies

Every night after dinner, around 10 o’clock, Stephen suddenly announces that he wants some dessert. I’m not really in the habit of making desserts regularly on weeknights, so at that point I usually say tough cookies and make him fend for himself. But once in awhile, if the mood strikes, I’ll agree to make something sweet, and Stephen’s late-night dessert of choice is usually cookies.

The problem is, Stephen is somewhat of a cookie aficionado. Anyone who knows him knows that more often than not, a cookie can be found in his pocket no matter how absurd it might seem that one would be there (at least if we ever get lost in the woods, I can pretty much count on a cookie being there to sustain us). Having eaten so many cookies in his life, he really knows what he likes and doesn’t like, and so the process of agreeing on a cookie recipe can be arduous. Unless it’s one of those “I definitely need a snickerdoodle” moments, we usually have the same conversation:

Me: What kind of cookies do you want?
Stephen: Well, you know what I like…chocolate chip!
Me: Yeah, I guess…is there anything different you want? Like, what if we tried mint chocolate chip cookies?
Stephen: (frowny face) Why would you do that?
Me: Ok, what about chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal?
Stephen: Ew, no…
Me: Well could I just add pecans or something?
Stephen: I don’t know…I guess if you have to…
Me:  What, even that is too much?
Stephen:  Well, it’s just that as far as I’m concerned, the perfect cookie has already been made. Any alterations or additions to the concept of the chocolate chip cookie merely detract from its simple, zen-like perfection (this is a direct quote).

And thus the battle ends, either with me making chocolate chip cookies à la Stephen, or us not even making cookies at all. Stephen says that me suggesting all these interesting cookie combinations makes him feel “provincial” and unadventurous (if the shoe fits…), so I guess I had better learn that it needs to either just be chocolate chip cookies or something completely out of that realm.

kitchen firsts: mexican chocolate souffles (for two!)

This kitchen first is one that I have had on the docket (as in, ingredients purchased and ready to go, recipe picked out, no reason not to make it) for several weeks now, and indeed have been more loosely planning on making since before the new year. Given souffles’ reputation for difficulty, and having never made one before (or even eaten one, that I recall), I figured it was a natural choice for a kitchen first.

And yet somehow, the recipe just stayed on the docket for weeks, my extra carton of eggs taunting me from the fridge! It always seemed like too much work, and too many dishes, and in general, too high maintenance. Since you need to eat a souffle straight from the oven, a full 2 qt souffle for a two person household would be completely insurmountable, and most recipes that make individual souffles in ramekins still make at least 6 or 8 souffles (halving is generally difficult because of odd numbers of eggs). We planned on having people over to help us, but the moment was never right, so the souffles never came to be.

Then, thanks to Valentines Day, it finally occurred to me to google souffles for two, and lo and behold! A brilliant solution to all of the above-named holdups to the souffle making process. And so they finally came to be.