Oh high school gym class. Such memories. Not many wonderful ones, but lots of memories in general. Ah, who am I kidding, I hated gym class.
One game we played back in good old BHS was Mat Ball. Yea, it was like kickball except with mats as bases, and a bunch of rules I feel like someone made up, and I can no longer remember (just in case you don’t feel the hostility,be lucky you aren’t my keyboard). I sucked at this game back then, but for whatever reason, I decided it would be a good idea to join an adult kickball league through work. Maybe since I was more of an athlete now, and I’d be paying money to do this, I’d be better at it.
Wrong. So, wrong.
I suck at kickball.
I can’t kick, I can’t throw and I most certainly can’t catch. I feel like such an unproductive member of the team. It’s pretty awful.
Oh well. At least I’ll further perfect my skills of standing around and being invisible.
So, even though I may not be great at kickball, I can make up for it with some cookies.
Everyone has their own version of a chocolate chip cookie. I usually go for the America’s Test Kitchen version, but today I felt like trying something new.
Remember that episode of Friends where Monica was trying to figure out how to make Phoebes grandmothers chocolate chip cookies because she thought they were the best (and I’m dating myself now…)? Ultimately, they figured out it was a Nestle Toll House recipe. Well, a couple of years ago I did find a Nestle Toll House cookbook at a yard sale (Revised Edition, 1980), so I figured today was the day to give it a try and see if they were really that good.
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Adapted from the Original Toll House Cookies from Toll House Heritage Cookbook, 1980)
Gather:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
0.25 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1.5 sticks butter softened
0.5 sticks butter, melted and browned
0.5 cups Brown Sugar
0.25 cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
10 oz bag of dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (toasted if you want)
Go forth and…
Preheat the oven to 375 degF.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
In the mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugars, and vanilla and beat until creamy.
Beat in eggs. Scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Add in the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together.
Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix by hand until incorporated.
Drop rounded teaspoons of batter on some baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are nicely golden brown. They actually taste better if they get a little darker. Just be aware, these cookies spread, so give them a couple of inches between cookies.
My changes from the original recipe were minimal. I just subbed in 0.25 cups of whole wheat flour from the all purpose flour, reduced the sugar and browned 0.5 sticks of the butter.
The cookies were pretty good, but a touch greasy for my liking. The ones that I left in the oven too long actually were my favorites. They do spread a lot during baking and some of my cookies were a bit thin. Still good enough for me to eat a bunch more than I should have. All washed down with a glass of milk!
Take that kickball!
ChezSylvia 
Thanks for bringing up mat ball. I hated that game, but I’ve never been much for running. I applaud the fact that you joined a kickball league! I have friends playing kickball and dodgeball, and I don’t get it. They’re 2 sports I’d rather not revisit… (Like you said, I wasn’t good then, I have no reason to believe I’d be better or enjoy it more now!)
But the cookies on the other hand, I love the idea of browned butter in them. Might have to try that myself!
The only thing I have going for me is that there is a minimum number of girls required. So, I guess, being a girl, that is how I help out 🙂 Even though I suck, it can still be pretty fun 🙂 Browned butter makes everything taste good.