SSC Presents: Chocolate Chip Cookie-tastic Edition!

Uggh its March. You're hoping for Spring, but no matter how hard you wish otherwise, mother nature has at least one more big snowstorm up her sleeve. On this, the most depressing of seasons, there's nothing better than to stay in, crank the heat, curl up with a cocktail and get into some intense baking action!

Since cookies are warm, fun, highly sharable and great for parties, SSC has put together a kickass variety of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. There are about a million different variations of the traditional chocolate chip cookie, so if you like your cookies chewy, cakey, crunchy, munchy or magical, not to worry, we've got them all!

- Christa



Christa's White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
Cranberry Cookies
Say what you will about oatmeal cookies, I've never had anyone think this recipe was anything short of totally awesome!





2/3 cup butter (softened)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
8 oz white chocolate chips
8 oz sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixture. Add eggs. Combine flour, baking soda, oatmeal and salt in a medium bowl. Add gradually to butter mixture. Stir in white chocolate chips and cranberries.

Spoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Each cookie should be about a tbsp of dough.

Bake 10-12 min or until golden brown.




Jamie's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.




Sarah's Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Sweet, savory and wonderfully chewy-gooey this recipes suits any taste!

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking pan (which is an 11 X 7 pan-I used a glass Pyrex dish) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave caramels on High until caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Pour hot caramel over the cookie dough. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel and spread dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.

Bake cookie bars for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut bars into squares and serve.

Mom's Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is the recipe my mom would use to make the most perfect, cakey chocolate chip cookie imaginable. I grew up helping her make these so they've always held a special place in my heart and of course my stomach!

2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup Crisco
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp vinegar
1 package chocolate chips (6 oz or more)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl cream together sugar, Crisco and eggs. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add vinegar to milk. (This basically the same as using buttermilk, but I've never actually tried it with buttermilk.) Add the milk, flour and baking soda to the dough. Once dough is well mixed add walnuts and chocolate chips. Dough will be lighter and fluffier than a normal cookie dough.


Spoon on to a lightly greased cookie sheet, making cookies about a tbsp in size.
Bake 7-10 minutes or until light golden brown.




Jamie's Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is adapted from Veganomicon and works quite well if you're looking to make your cookies a bit more magical than usual ;)





1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (You can use all all purpose- I just like to attempt to throw in a whole grain!)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 ts salt
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1.25 cup sugar
1.5 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/2 cup soymilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (most store brands like Shaws or Trader Joes are vegan -- aka no milk- but if you are not vegan- use whatever you want!)

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl mix flours, cocoa , baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl mix oil and sugar. Next mix in flaxseeds, soymilk, vanilla and almond extract into the oil and sugar mix. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little bit at a time. Next mix in the chocolate chips. Mixture will be stiff.

Prepare a two baking sheets with parchament or foil. Roll ~1 inch balls of the chocolate dough. Flatten balls slightly. Space balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated oven for ~10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool at least 5 minutes.



Anne's Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
About 30 years ago, when my Mom worked as a secretary in NYC, one of her co-workers gave her this and several other fantastic recipes. I've never met Anne, but I've always been thankful for the wonderful culinary experiences she gave us, especially this one!

2/3 cup Crisco
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour (heaping)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
12 oz package chocolate chips

Cream sugars and shortening together. Add eggs, then gradually add dry ingredients. When mixed thoroughly add walnuts and chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.



Booze Pairings!

I myself do not know how to make cookies. I have tried many times, and it always ends in disaster. I always end up with a burnt, yet somehow undercooked, over salted mess! I can sear a steak, I can cook a curry, I can even use the oven to make a pretty great pizza, but when you say cookies, I say "I know a place." I can however, eat the shit out of a cookie, and tell you what it will pair nicely with.

- Phoebe

Wine and... Desert!

When pairing a wine with cookies I start with the color of the cookie. If its dark (chocolate, lots of cinnamon, etc.) go with a red and I'd recommend a nice rich Cabernet. If it is a lighter cookie (sugar, lemon, oatmeal etc.) I would go with a white, like an oaky creamy Chardonnay. I find that chocolate chip cookies go well with both. If you have any kind of fruit or jelly on your cookie seek out a sweet rose wine. The most important thing to remember however, is that all sweets go with bubbles! You can also pair cookies with Tawny Port, if you are feeling like a 90 year old man.

Dark cookies = red
Light cookies = white
Fruity cookies = rose
All cookies = bubbles!

Beer and Cookies!

Sarah's Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars & Lindemans Framboise

Sweet, salty and tart makes a timeless combo. The chewy cookie’s salty, sweet caramel fudge and sugary cookie dough, with a splash of this framboise adds a layer of sweet, and tart raspberries that sink into the cookie. With the tongue properly coated in gooey goodness, the beer’s carbonic punch sweeps the mouth clean.

ALSO TRY: Dogfish Head Fort, Mort Subite Framboise

Jamie's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin

This creamy, almost opaque stout is intense and deep, with hints of cloves, blackstrap molasses, and a whisper of smoke. It's not sweet at all, but it balances perfectly with a nice spicy pumpkin cookie.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar & Christa’s Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Give this a try. The sweet malt, oatmeal cookie pair great, while the hazelnut plays off the super-sweet white chocolate which adds a very interesting dimension. Also, the chocolate and the brown sugar really bring out the hazelnut in the beer. The cranberry wraps everything up by adding a little tart tang at the end that really puts a finish to it.

Other beers that go will with most cookies...

Kona Coco Brown
Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Young’s Banana Bread Beer
BBC Coffeehouse Porter
Good Old Guinness
Bitish Style Bitter (Ales go surprisingly well with cookies too!)

Cheers!
Christa, Phoebe & the Ladies of SSC






About Christa
Christa is a comedian, artist and graphic designer living in Boston. Because most of her family is fresh off the boat, she knows a thing or two about traditional European cooking and baking, provided that the recipes are in English (Thanks a lot, crappy American school system!). She also has a vast knowledge of fancy-smancy beers made by smelly hippies. Although she has no food credits to speak of, generally speaking everything she makes is considered to be "damn good." Check out her other blog Shameless Pomp and Circumstance if you feel like it!

SSC Super Bowl Edition II: Malt, Meat & Melted Cheese!

I wish I liked foot ball, but I don’t, so I wont pretend to care about the Super Bowl. I do however, care about snack food and beer a great deal. What I love the most is the opportunity to stuff my face while most of the party guests are preoccupied.

To be honest, I’m not even going to a Super Bowl party this year, I am stuck at work selling the football life water that is beer to my thirsty customers, but I will be thinking of all of you, and your snacking needs. For this edition of Super Sanity Club the girls and I have put together a variety of party foods for you football lovers, and you lovers of football lovers alike. Also, in accordance with this most special of days, thought I would include a more in-depth beer section. Enjoy!

- Phoebe


Mick's Shrimp & Sausage JAMBALAYA!
This recipe is taken partly from the Louisiana World Expo Cookbook, partly from watching my maternal grandmother (Nana Robitaille, eh?) and partly from my own experiments.






Small package of bacon 1 package of either andouille (an-DOO-ee) sausage or Italian hot sausage 2 lbs of large shrimp
(I usually use fresh shrimp and shell and devein them myself but, if you’re in a hurry, use the pre-cooked shrimp but make sure you pinch off the tails)
Olive oil
One chopped onion
One chopped green pepper (small)
Two or three chopped celery sticks
1-2 tbsps minced garlic (I buy jar of garlic it’s faster/easier)
Cayenne pepper Chili powder Parsley Rice
2 cups chicken stock
fresh parsley
One large can of tomatoes with basil
(I use Tuttorrosso brand, either crushed or the whole large plum tomatoes which I chop into chunks in the pan)
Cajun spices (optional—there are various kinds in most supermarkets)
Salt and pepper

Start drinking (only if of legal age and not driving) and put on some good Cajun music, (Beau Soliel works for me!)

Put 4 or 5 strips of bacon in a large skillet and cook until well done, then crumble or chop into small pieces. Drain off most of the melted fat. Put bacon bits aside.

Chop sausage into small (bite-size) pieces and put in skillet in which you cooked the bacon. I cook sausage til it begins to brown. Remove sausage with slotted spoon. Set aside. Add a little olive oil to sausage drippings (hey, ain’t no one said this was heart-healthy), put in about a tbsp of minced garlic and in that saute onions, pepper, celery, and about a quarter-cup of parsley.

Put sautéed veggies plus bacon bits and sausage into a large pot and pour in the crushed tomatoes including all the liquid in the can. (At this point I usually add another cup of chicken stock or maybe even a small can of crushed tomatoes and garlic.) Mix this up a bit, bring to a slow boil and immediately reduce to a low simmer. Simmer covered over very low heat about 30 mins stirring occasionally.

While main pot is simmering, cook shrimp in large skillet (you might want to hit them with salt, pepper and any of the many so-called “Cajun spices.”) Add shrimp to the main pot. Stir. Add and stir in chili powder and cayenne. The amount depends on your taste/tolerance for spicy foods. I’d say the wussy quantities would be a teaspoon of chili powder and maybe a quarter teaspoon of the cayenne, but you can kick it up from there to Total Nuclear as taste dictates.

Cook a cup or two of rice and add to main pot. This should give you roughly enough jambalaya for about 12 to 15 servings.




Christa's Bacon & Beer Cheese Dip
This might just be the easiest dip ever. I'm almost a little embarrassed that it involves a shit ton of processed cheese but in the name of deliciousness I will make exceptions!





8oz package of Velveta or other processed cheese
8oz package of cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 scallions
1/2 can beer (12 fl oz)
6 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

1 large round pumpernickel (or other dark/hearty) bread or a heat proof serving dish
soft or hard pretzels (I used Super Pretzels), hearty bread

In a saucepan saute chopped garlic with a small amount of butter or cooking spray, about 1 minute. Chop scallions and add to pot. Saute another minute. Cube processed cheese and cream cheese and add to pot. While mixture is melting add beer and stir. When mixture is smooth, sprinkle in bacon and stir. Remove from heat.

Serve in a heat proof dish or a hollowed out round bread. Serve with soft or hard pretzels or some kind of hearty bread.



Jamie's Buffalo Chicken Dip*
3 or 4 Chicken breasts
2 blocks of 8oz cream cheese
16 oz Ranch dressing (1 large bottle)
12 oz Franks Red Hot Original (buffalo) sauce (1 bottle) 1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, crackers or celery


Boil chicken breasts and let cool. Once cooled, shred chicken into very fine strings. Mix shredded chicken with 12oz (1 bottle) of Franks Red Hot Sauce. In a medium pan, heat ranch dressing and cream cheese until melted. Mix the chicken mixture with the dressing/cheese mixture. Pour into casserole dish.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until hot through, then spread cheddar cheese on top. Cook for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Let cool (a little) before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers and celery. The Scoops Tortilla chips worked the best!

*If you want to go the healthier route, use to low fat cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cheddar.



Emily's Awesome Guacamole!
We know we've given you this more than once but it's a fantastic, simple standby recipe for almost any party occasion. Find it on our SSC: Texican/Mexican Edition!









Booze Pairings!
If you have been tasked with getting the beer for your party, and your friends are fans of craft beer, have I made the list for you! If you're not into fancy-smancy beers just grab a good old 30 rack of Bud or Bud Light from your local family owned liquor store (not Whole Foods). There is no shame in that!

I've suggested a variety of beers from all across the flavor spectrum. Something light: a pale Lager or a Pilsner, something wheaty: a Hefewiesen (Hehe, always makes me think of Christa), something medium dark: a malty amber or hoppy like a pale ale or IPA, and some deep and dark: porter, or stout. Also, because this is the FUCKING SUPER BOWL, let’s keep the spirit alive and keep it all American!

- Phoebe



Your Lighter Beer: Mama’s Yella Pills, Dales Pale Ale
Pours active a golden body with an everlasting white fluffy head. It has an aroma of spicy hops, dirty grass, and has a slight citrusy background. With mellow flavors of citrus, light lemon, spicy hop bitterness, and alight zest, it is also light in body with a medium prickly carbonation. It's refreshing, the light zest is a nice touch, and it is true to the pilsner style.









Your Wheat Beer:Heinnieweisse Weissebier, Pork Slap
I like to call this beer an acquired taste. It has mixed reviews on BeerAdvocate.com but I happen to enjoy it quite a bit. The beer pours decently with a nice hazy golden straw color, a nice white head, and some lacing on the glass.

The beer smells a bit sour, but I really like that and it has a nice yeasty, wheat scent up front followed by a lemon zest smell on the back end. The tastes is something distinct to American wheat beers. It has a mild lemon zest taste up front with a wheat finish. The mouthfeel is not overwhelming as the beer is decently carbonated, light bodied, and leaves you with a mildly bitter finish.




Your IPA or Amber: Berkshire Brewing Company,
Lost Sailor IPA
This beer is great for both hop-heads and more mellow IPA enjoyers alike. It pours a nice deep gold color with a billowing white head and big bubbles. The head sticks around for a while. It has a musty, earthy hop aroma with a smidge of honey and biscuits. Maybe even freshly baked white bread aroma too.

The taste starts out a bit like a chocolate like malt flavor. It has a little hint of earthy and floral hops. The bitterness is all at the tail end. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and well carbonated. One of my favorite things about this beer is that it is entirely organic, unpasteurized, and completely preservative free! My absolute favorite thing about this beer is that it comes in a gowler. There is nothing like sharing a jug of booze with your buddies!




Your Dark Beer: Mayflower Porter
I love a nice heavy beer to go with all this meaty goodness. The Mayflower Porter has been my go to port all year at the good old Wine Gallery, where I work. With the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this year, what's better then a hint of American history with Mayflower? The beer is dark brown, nearing black, with a quarter inch of beige head. The aroma brings roasted malt in the English style, toffee, dark fruits and hints of chocolate. The flavor brings toasted malt, roast, alcohol, toffee to mind. Delicious! It's medium to light bodied and overall, very drinkable and tasty.





Quick suggestion: Get a crate of water. Your guests will appreciate it after all that salty food and beer. Also, you'll avoid party goers awkwardly asking for a glass of water, or feeling totally full of food because it seems like beer is the only option. Allowing your guest to just grab water themselves the the easiest option, plus it lessens the cleanup.







Cheers!
Christa, Phoebe & all the fine folks of SSC!



Looking for even more awesome Super Bowl party recipes?
Check out last year's Super Bowl post here!





About Phoebe

Phoebe is comedian, and wine shop manager, who is also somehow pursuing a masters degree in clinical social work. Though she has no real food credits on her resume, she's well versed in wine and food pairing. She was raised on farm fresh food in Maine, learned about Asian cooking during her time in Thailand, became a seafood fanatic living in Newport RI, and is now well on her way to becoming a full fledged foodie/functioning alcoholic in Boston.