Chocolate Chip Cookies and A Wee Bout With the Plague

We're digging out of a full week of the plague around these parts. I started the whole wretched affair, of which I'll spare you all the gory details. I firmly place blame on the communal yoga mat I used at the Y the other day, against my better judgment!!! Oh dear. I get sick so rarely, and it's a good thing too, because I'm not very big and brave about it. I don't try to keep going or muddle through or anything so noble as that. Before Kate was born, if sickness struck I would cowardly slink to the bedroom, burrow under a mound of quilts and blankets and hibernate for as long as it took to return to normalcy. As it turns out, Mamas are not allowed to be sick, because hibernation ceases to be an option with a little one to care for. And, in the course of caring for said little one, you end up infecting her as well. So, the nasty little germ made the rounds, laying us all up for the better part of last week.

Whining aside, we're much better now, and since saltine crackers and chicken noodle soup have been the cuisine of choice lately, yesterday Kate and I celebrated a return to wellness by making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Ever so humble, there's nothing in this world quite like a chocolate chip cookie, fresh from the oven. I tried a new recipe (you can find it here), and was very pleased. As a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies, I'm a bit particular. I was initially skeptical about using cold butter and the fact that the cookies are baked at 300 degrees for 18 minutes (most recipes I use are more of the 350 for 10-12 minutes variety). My skepticism veered into cynicism as my mixer strained and whined during the creaming of the butter and sugar (to be fair, my mixer is an inexpensive handheld one, veering into middle age), but when they (finally!) came out of the oven, I was pleasantly surprised. This cookie is deliciously chewy, yet remarkably light. The walnuts added in are perfection, and really, you must toast them first. It makes all the difference in the world. And probably the best thing about this cookie is the high chocolate chip ratio! A winner for sure.