Recipes

I don’t really know how to start this one.  My grandma had a stroke over the weekend, and she’s not doing well.  I’m on the west coast, and she’s back east.  I miss her.  I miss my family.

I had this cookie recipe ready and waiting to post this week…  I don’t know if I can really write about them properly today, but the recipe feels appropriate, somehow.  Gramma would like them, and I could use a cookie.

I made these big guys (they were photographed next to a batch of World Peace Cookies, for scale) a few weeks ago, and stashed them, pre-scooped and ready to bake, in a ziplock bag in my freezer.  It was a good move.  I plan to pull one (or two) out today, bake them until crisp and brown at the edges, and dunk them, still warm, in a huge glass of milk.

Or vodka.  (It’s the Gramma way.)

Take a second and hug the people you love today.  Call your mom.  Celebrate the life around you.  And maybe have a cookie – a giant one, with extra sprinkles.

Giant Sprinkle Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated, then add the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the batter and beat on low speed just until incorporated.  Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles and mix gently  to combine.

Use a 2-inch scoop (capacity is just about 1/4 cup) to portion the dough into balls and place them on the cookie sheet (no need to leave room between – we’re not baking yet, just chilling).  Allow the portioned dough to rest on the sheet pan in the refrigerator until firm, then transfer the dough balls to a ziplock bag and let them age in the fridge for 12-48 hours (alternatively, you could just bake them off without aging).

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with a rack in the center, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  Place no more than 6 cookie dough balls on the sheet pan, spacing them evenly apart, and bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cookies have spread out and developed golden brown edges.

Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough (I’ve found it’s best to just bake 1 sheet at a time).

Cookies will keep, well wrapped at room temperature, for about a week.

Makes roughly 25 cookies.