I attended a large networking breakfast several months ago. Most of the attendees were from the business community, but I was happy to meet another dietitian. She and I started chatting afterwards about our careers. She works with many young adults, and she was saying that one of her biggest challenges is the fact that young people do not know how to cook. It is something that concerns me greatly as well, because I have encountered the same issue. I even see jokes on social media about young people who lack “adulting” skills such as laundry, doing basic cleaning around the house, cooking, even following a budget. I’m not talking about elaborate skills in the kitchen, I’m just talking about the skills to prepare a simple and healthy meal. It concerns me because lacking these basic skills in a kitchen is having a negative impact on health and wallets.
It shouldn’t be a surprise then, that I focus on getting my kiddo in the kitchen with me and helping me cook. Supposedly, kids that help in the kitchen are also less picky-eaters, but that is clearly failing in our house. Nevermind that though, I will still get her in the kitchen because I want her to have some basic cooking skills.
Getting kids in the kitchen though can be challenging, so I try to choose recipes and tasks that make her excited. I have found that baking is pretty much a sure-fire way to get a kid excited in the kitchen.
Last week Hubs surprised me with a copy of Magnolia Table.
The first recipe Little Bit I tried was Chocolate Chip Cookies.
BUT we made two small, though significant changes, to the recipe. We used milk chocolate morsels instead of semi-sweet morsels, and King Arthur All-Purpose flour.
When you change the chocolate in a chocolate chip cookie, it fundamentally changes the cookie flavor, but we love it. The King Arthur flour made for the fluffiest cookie I have ever created.
As a lover of soft batch cookies, I was thrilled to have finally discovered the perfect recipe. The key rests in less butter and a very high quality flour. King Arthur is my favorite.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
These are the lightest and fluffiest cookies (think Chips Ahoy Soft Batch). The key is to use a less butter and high quality flour.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (use King Arthur All-Purpose for the fluffiest cookie)
- 1 (heaping) teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt work best)
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (1 stick, unsalted)
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup milk chocolate morsels (use semi-sweet for a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but I don't think you can beat a milk chocolate chip)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Add eggs and blend well. Add vanilla and continue beating until well mixed.
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With the mixer off, add the flour mixture. Then beat, slowly increasing speed, until well blended. This dough will be chunky.
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Mix in chocolate chips. (I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, briefly turn it on medium-high to incorporate the chips)
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Drop by large, rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
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Bake 10-11 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 1 minute before removing them to a baking rack.
