Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don't you just love lazy Sundays? Waking up late, lolling around in your jammies, reading the newspapers and catching up on Pinterest and Facebook. This Sunday was one of those Sundays. With nothing to do and nowhere to go (and we were really grateful for this since temperatures in Delhi have hovered around 45 degrees Celsius all week), the hubby and I just lazed around at home. While he read the newspapers, I caught up on some  of my favorite blogs and managed to do a little cleaning (something I strangely enough find very relaxing). 

For me lazy Sundays also mean baking and experimenting in the kitchen, and this Sunday it was chocolate chip cookies. Before I go ahead, I should warn you that this story is going to sound a lot like that Friends episode when Monica tried to make chocolate chip cookies just like how Phoebe's grandmother did when she was a kid.  For those of you who are Friends aficionados, you will remember she went on a baking spree and made several batches to arrive at a recipe that was 'the perfect cookie'. Well, when I was a kid a family friend, a lovely American lady by the name of Joanie, made me a batch of chocolate chip cookies and, I have never tasted cookies quite like that, ever again. And I've eaten a lot of cookies! For those of you who don't know me too well, my close friends say I am another Monica and I can be quite obsessive about something once it comes into my head. So, over the years I have been experimenting and tinkering with chocolate chip cookie recipes in order to come up with something that is remotely close to that yummy cookie I tasted so many years ago. 

I still haven't managed to turn out a cookie quite so delicious, but I came quite close a few days ago. I sent some of these cookies to the hubby's office. That evening he came home and reported that they were wolfed down and a few people had even requested the recipe. So I decided to put it up on the blog and this Sunday was the perfect time to improve on a few things and get the measurements right.

So here goes... my own chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Here's what you need...

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup plain flour (maida)

1/4 cup corn flour

1/4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

1/2 cup butter (chopped into small cubes)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1 egg 

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp cream

Here's what you do...

Mix all the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips and nuts in a bowl.  Add the butter and lightly rub the flour and butter with your fingers till the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Next add in the nuts and the chocolate chips. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg with the milk and cream and add to the dry mixture. Knead very lightly with your hands till the dough just comes together. Don't over knead as the butter will melt and the cookie will be hard and dense. Cover the dough and place in the fridge to cool for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime preheat your oven to about 180 degrees Celsius. 

Once the dough has cooled, make rough, one inch diameter balls and lightly press into discs that are about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on a lined cookie tray and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes till they just start to color slightly and the base is golden brown. 

Once the cookies are cooled, they will crisp up, but will still have a slight chewiness in the center. These cookies are great with a nice cold glass of milk or some hot chocolate.

Here's how they turned out...

[Images- Shalini Pereira]

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