Chocolate Chip Cookies

These last few months have been quite a transition period.  They included finishing vet school rotations, a few trips to the US, planning a conference, studying for finals, planning a move back to the states, and taking final exams...  I have actually fit in quite a bit of baking into that period (its possible I'm a stress baker, oops!), but I only recently realized that I've let the blog fall behind!  My most recent baking has alternated between french macaron's (as usual) and recipes chosen purely to use up ingredients left in our cupboards - which didn't always lead to the most delicious, blog-worthy things.   I do have a few newer recipes to share at some point in the future, but I decided that as I'm moving back to the US, and started this blog about baking American in the UK, maybe an old fashioned classic would be a great transition recipe.  So here I present you with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  (My apologies if posts continue to be sparse over the next year, I'm not sure how many hours I will get to spend outside of the hospital walls!)

This recipe, if baked right, will give you a thick-ish cookie, soft in the middle, a little crunchy on the edges, and oh so delicious.  In fact is so good I've often had people ask for the recipe, which is impressive for something as simple as a chocolate chip cookie!  I'm sure anyone who bakes in the US already has their standard go-to recipe for the chocolate chip cookie, but if you ever have any disappointment in the outcome, then I recommend you try out this new variation, it has a few things going for it!  Here are some of the aspects to the recipe that I think makes the difference:

The Slutty Brownie

To me, the slutty brownie is the ultimate American dessert.  We take classic baked goods that are great on their own and think - Oh, why don't I just combine them all together?  When they first went viral two summers ago I thought it would just be a fad that quickly came and went and was likely more impressive in description and looks than taste.  But as usual, I was willing to try baking them, just in case, and I'm lucky I did.  After letting these fully cool (ideally overnight) the flavors really meld together into something amazing and special.

These are the ultimate pot luck treat - my mom says they often disappear before people start on the savory dishes.  They are also the best pick-me-up - I have started a tradition that I bring a batch of these to celebrate our last final exam at the end of each semester.  I first did this at the end of our first year exams.  Our last final was a long MCQ and people came out of it looking miserable and depressed.  Upon biting into their first slutty brownie - you could literally see some of the depression just melt away into deliciousness.  It may be just a transient feeling of happiness, but its worth it!  Tomorrow marks our last exam of our clinical teaching and after passing this we start rotations next year.  So of course I made the traditional slutty brownies and this time added some extra festive sprinkles on top (homemade!!).  If you still haven't tried these yet, go home and make them.  You won't regret it.