By Mid-April, the farm coming fully alive. The apple trees are in bloom — the old Macintosh at the corner, the crabapple by the drive, the two Cortlands I planted a decade ago. White blossoms against a blue sky is one of the things Vermont does correctly. I stood under the Macintosh for a while on Tuesday morning and was in no hurry to be anywhere else.
The garden is planted in earnest now: the cold crops are in and growing, the seed potatoes are going in, the onion sets, the garlic that overwintered in the ground is showing strongly. The summer plants — tomatoes, squash, peppers — are still indoors in the cold frames, waiting for the last frost date. May tenth, thereabouts. I'm patient.
Teddy's cooking lessons have shifted now that school is opening more fully. We've moved from Saturday to Sunday evening — shorter sessions, but consistent. He made a proper apple tart this week, which he has never done before, freeform galette style rather than in a pan. He sent a photo and it looked beautiful. He's developing an eye for how food should look, which is a different skill from knowing how food should taste and just as important.
I've been thinking about the family reunion in July. Sarah's planning it — she's the planner of the family, always has been, even as a child. There are cousins she wants to invite, people we haven't seen in person for over a year. The idea of a full table, of more than four people in a room together, feels almost abstract after this year. It won't be abstract by July. I'm already thinking about what to cook.
Teddy’s galette photo has been living in my head all week — that kind of casual pride a person gets when something they’ve made actually looks the way they imagined it would. I’ve been thinking about what to send him next, something that rewards careful attention the same way that galette did. These soft chocolate chip cookies are what I keep coming back to: they’re the kind of recipe where technique matters just enough to teach something, and the results are generous enough to share with the cousins come July.
Easy Soft Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 11 minutes | Total Time: 26 minutes | Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Combine wet and dry. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Portion the dough. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
- Cool on the pan. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. This resting time is what keeps them soft and chewy.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 95mg