Monday, October 17, 2011

Achin' for a bakin'

cookie1

In my kitchen we have a stereo. Often, this stereo is on while we all go about our daily business - either cooking, studying, cleaning, eating lunch, or sharing one of our annoyingly loud family meals together. Depending on the ocassion (hello overly joyous christmas carols which I oh so love) we always have a great song pumpin' to add to the atmosphere whatever we may be doing. 
And yes, hair whipping back and forth sometimes ensues. As does dancing around with a broom and/or kitchen utensil.

So for me, music and cooking go hand in hand. Nothing is more soothing than putting on a great record and making something, anything. I'm one of those people that will become obsessed with a certain album, and I will play it over and over again without shame. I listen to it so much I can hear it in my sleep. At the moment it's The Reminder.
Then there are those old songs that although I may not still play very often, stay on my ipod for those craved moments of nostalgia, where the instant I hear the first chord memories of younger years come flooding back (I'm looking at you, New Found Glory). And of course the songs of my childhood, courtesy of Neil Young, the Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Cold Chisel, Daddy Cool, B52s - visions of long, hot, car rides up to visit family in Queensland, me shoved up the back because I was the smallest. Constantly stopping along the way, us kids unleashed to run around in parks and eat meat pies and roast chicken sandwiches.

This week, as I had a lot of uni work to do, I listened to a lot of music, and consequently baked a lot of cookies. These chocolate chip cookies are honestly the best biscuits to bake for any occasion (not that you need one). It's a recipe I have used for years from an old Women's Weekly cookbook and it always works. Something about the little bit of added salt in the dough makes your tongue go all funny and your tastebuds appreciate the sweetness of the chocolate more. These cookies have an unexplainable, but delightful effect on people. Just like music does. 

cookie2


Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 20
125g butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups self raising flour
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
150g (but I say the more the merrier) chocolate chips - dark, light, white or all 3...either way make sure they are fair trade

Cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the egg and continue to beat until light and creamy. Add in the flour and salt and mix together with a wooden spoon. Chuck in the chocolate chips and stir through the dough. Grab a large teaspoon full of the dough and roll into a ball and place on a lined baking tray. Repeat until all dough is used up. Bake in a 180 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool, grab a few, make a huge cup of tea and listen to this song... Heaven. 

No comments:

Post a Comment