My father lives high on a ridge overlooking the Tanana Valley and
the town of Fairbanks, Alaska. On a clear day, he can see across the
mountain ranges to the massive mountain, Denali. He takes care of
my sweet mother who is confined to a wheelchair.
And
he bakes. Fluffy white snow piles up under the eaves beginning in
late September and lasting until late April. The thermometer can drop
to forty below though usually, with temperature inversions, it’s
much colder in the valley than on the ridge. The deeper the snow,
the colder the temperatures, the more inviting baking is. He bakes
bread and he bakes cookies—cookies for friends, for family that
stops in regularly, and for the grandkids.
He
makes great cookies. He uses worn-out recipes that my mother perfected
from decades ago, like a boiled raisin and applesauce cookie. He makes
oatmeal drop cookies and lots of chocolate chippers. His cookies are
softer and better than most. If you ask him what his secret is, he’ll
tell you: “Always under bake them.” He gets his cookies
out of the oven just a bit before they look done. They continue to
cook on the hot sheet before he can remove them to a wire rack. And
after they have cooled, they always seem to be just right. If you
bake them until they look done you’re likely to have dry, crusty
cookies.
I’ve
been making cookies since my mother gave me a cookbook for my eighth
birthday, but still, there’s not much that I can add to my Dad’s
expertise. But I’ve discovered great chocolate. The best chippers
can only be made with the best chocolate. Buy the best chocolate you
can find and afford. There is an amazing difference in chocolates,
not just the major brands but the expensive brands as well. Do your
own taste tests to find the best. If your chocolate doesn’t
taste very good or if it is bitter, if it’s waxy or grainy,
if it doesn’t have the right “mouth-feel” so that
it melts in your mouth, if it it’s not intense, then it’s
not right for cookies. The cookie should showcase the chocolate, not
mask mediocre chocolate.
Start
with a good recipe. Use only the best chocolate. Don’t over
bake your cookies. Chances are, you’ll have great chocolate
chip cookies.
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