A Chocolate Chip off the Old Dog

Dear Nestle Corporation,

Perhaps recently you have received a challenge, double dog dare (not involving buckets of ice, or iced up flagpoles), or other dumbassery humorous rant about the rich warm melty awesomeness of your products.

Well, I am writing to thank you as well! With the addition of dark chocolate chips to your product line, you have accomplished several things. First and foremost, a new chocolate chip ‘option’. Milk Chocolate and Semi-Sweet chips have been the mainstays for a long time; with the addition of Dark Chocolate chips we now have the best of both worlds; the intense flavor of semi sweet chips AND the meltability (not a word, in the dictionary, though I suspect you all have internal buzzwords) of milk chocolate. It is now my go-to for any cookie or baked good that requires it (or if it’s optional, or even if it’s just logically possible).

This leads to a question I have, and I decided that since you have mastered all things chocolate, I would ask. As Ms. ODNT says “Gimme cookies – after all I have my own cow, so the milk sitch is taken care of.” She also says “Never hurts to ask!” (I verified this with her on her FB page. Yes I used trickery, since my Force powers are not quite Master level).

Submitted for your discussion/considerations, the (n) chip cookie. Yes I know, undefined, perhaps even infinite?! How did we get to this point? Well a little unauthorized biography never hurt anyone, so here’s what I have figured out…

First there were chocolate chip cookies. There were also chocolate cookies, and it was inevitable that the two would be spliced together to create double chocolate cookies. At some point afterwards, white chocolate chips crashed the party and the first triple chocolate chip cookie was baked, and enjoyed. Soon claims like ‘ultimate chocolate cookie’ and ‘death by chocolate’ were tossed around, probably because many people don’t know past ‘quadruple’. Including me. So I have the following in mind (which I may or may not have already made, and I will not confirm because if people even suspected I have a cookie like this in my house, well, need I say more?)

1. A chocolate cookie batter
2. White Chocolate chips
3. Milk Chocolate chips
4. Dark Chocolate chips
5. Semi-sweet chocolate chips – which means…quintuple chocolate cookies!

But wait! There’s more!

6. Frosted with melted chocolate – which means…sextuple chocolate cookies! (ok readers, get those ‘a cookie better than sex….tuple?!’ jokes out there).

But wait! There’s even more!

7. The frosting is spread on the bottom of the cookie and another quintuple chocolate cookie is attached to it. Which means…um…

This is what I wonder – would #7 make it an undecuple cookie ( 5 +6 =11), or would it ‘simply’ be a septuple cookie, as the additional cookie would count as just another ‘topping’?

As well as writing to you, I will be posting this to my blog, asking Ms ODNT to pass it along as well as Ms MelMags (consider also that Mags’ decision on this and anything might be the final word), running a classroom poll, and perhaps asking random people on the street. I feel that we can settle this issue as accurately and chocolaty as possible.

Thank you for your time and for continuing to expand your product, so that our own baking experiences can push the cookie sheet even further.

Peter D.

________

Yes, I will be sending this letter/linking them here.

Yes, Yes I want to know your opinion and/or recipe.

No, I do not have these cookies in my home.

If I did, then yes you can have one.

 

Ketchup With Us #37: Re- Lenting

Ms Mel and ODNT want you to revisit another entry of yours.

This seems fitting to update.

in 2012, I wrote this first post on what I was going to do for Lent. I don’t think I actually decided on anything.

In 2013, I made a choice – I gave up ‘seconds’ in food. I was gaining a little weight, but more than that, I was gaining bad food habits; mainly taking more of something- another helping of rice, chips, cookies, meatballs and pasta, etc. I mean, seconds on veggies isn’t so bad, but that’s not what I was doing. So I made the rule – I can pile it on a plate, bowl, whatever, but that’s all I can have. At first, I took the liberties; a big bowl of pasta and 3 meatballs. The thing is that I don’t eat that at one quick sitting, so what was I actually doing? I hardly finished it, and when I did, there were no firsts on dessert! Gradually I realized that I was portioning out exactly what I thought I would be able to eat and not save for leftovers. As my portions and habits went back to normal, so did my weight (also my energy went back up a bit). Even on Easter Sunday and beyond, the one plateful rule was still in effect. Still is.

Now for this year, I am doing something different.

There is a lot of talk regarding the idea of ‘giving up’ something. Much like a new year’s resolution, everything sounds awesome, doable and a mark of your strong character & faith. So you give up chocolate or cursing.

And you last a day, then get Catholic guilt.

So now it is the emphasis of doing something GOOD each day. Good for you, society, your faith, or just your general well being.

I like that last bit. On that note, I had some unexpected news on Ash Wednesday that rattled me a bit.

(Side note – I got my ashes. Dude, check out the job the priest did!)

Ok back to that feeling. I’m giving up something. Doubts.

Doubt that I can lead others in a good direction. Doubt that despite my awesomeness*, (whatever) it (is) can and will happen. Doubt or second-guessing any/every decision I make. None of those fcuking things that keep me everyone up at 3am.

Already I feel this challenging me, and I bite it back and down. I’ll make it, maybe not perfectly, but I will emerge after 40 days having replaced doubt completely with something very different. Something better.

It might make it easier to look at it in comparison – chocolate would be waaaay harder than this.**

*notice that I have no doubts about that.

**Case in point – Double chocolate & cherry brownies.

Original Recipe found at Kary Osmond.

Banana Muffins

Summertime equals fresh fruit. It also means, with heat and humidity, quick-ripening fruit. Some are versatile, and have a good shelf life, like apples and pears. Others, like bananas, can turn one shade to another within a day or two. Depending on your personal preference, it may be the difference between eating them, and deciding that they are too brown and soft to eat. Seems like a waste, and in my house, many times it was.

However, one person’s “ewww gross!” fully ripened banana, is another’s “perfect!” If you are adding them to your Cheerios, it’s probably the former. If you have a banana bread/muffin recipe, you are the latter.

In fact, since you started reading this, it is already too late…you have descended into the realm of the latter. Good for you!

Here is the recipe that I have faithfully used for over 10 years. As you can see, I make it often – it’s incredibly easy, and there’s a steady supply of ‘nanas around here. You can also see that I typed it on NotePad (yes I used word wrap). Typing out the directions here would be redundant, so just follow along with the directions and photos!

Some extra notes…
–I’m making muffins, which only changes the cooking time, about 35 minutes a batch. Also, you can use those paper cups or butter the pan, it’s your choice.
–Walnuts are suggested, but you can leave them out, or sub for choco chips (which I am doing here) or use both. Keep in mind it will yield more than listed if you add more ingredients
–When mashing the bananas, no need to make them into paste. Some small banana chunks in there will keep it moist and even more flavorful.

The Directions

Everything you need. Note the bananas, which look like chocolate at this point. Perfect.

Blend the sugar and butter. Resist the temptation to taste a smidge of it. Oh what the hell, go ahead. Yes it’s so wrong.

After adding the eggs, you will get this smooth mixture. If you didn’t sneak a taste before, it’s too late now!

After adding bananas, it will look less enticing to take a spoonful for yourself! All ‘wet’ ingredients are now mixed. On to the dry.

In a smaller bowl mix all dry ingredients together (of course you can’t tell here!). Stir it together with a fork to ensure everything mixes nicely. You will pour this into the larger bowl of wet ingredients, keeping in mind to fold it gently, not like a cake batter.

Choco chips (or whatever you are adding) are also gently stirred in, and you are ready to start filling the cups/tray.

Done! Be sure to hide some away from the greedy, unappreciative masses, but reward the faithful believers that will follow you to the ends of the Earth with a couple of these.
If you store them in the fridge or not is up to you. Reheating in a microwave takes about 15-20 seconds.

Enjoy!