Mastering the Chocolate Chip Cookie

A little over a month ago, my husband and I decided to splurge on getting DISH TV (before that we'd been watching PBS, as the only station that we could get in clearly). And right there in the middle of the lineup is FoodTV. An entire network devoted to food; lots and lots of cooking shows, with some culinary history and travel programs tossed in for good measure. Yay!

A few weeks ago we stumbled across a show called Good Eats, with Alton Brown. A gangly blonde guy with an acerbic sense of humor, helped out by a scholarly muppet on the sidelines, Brown discussed chocolate chip cookies, and how to achieve your desired result, whether it be thin, chewy, or puffy. (The muppet, whose name I did not catch, offers a scientific view of the proceedings, complete with formulas.)

Chocolate chip cookies, and how to perfect them, is a frequent topic of conversation around our house. How much sugar? How much brown sugar? What kind of chocolate chips? Etc. etc. I had been working off of the Toll House Cookie recipe (yes, the one on the back of the bag), tweaking as I went, trying to achieve the chewiness in them that my husband longed for. I think my days of experimentation may now be over, thanks to Alton Brown.

These cookies are indeed chewy, sweet without being sickening, and simply luscious. And easy to master, as well (always a plus, in my book.) For my personal recommendation, use Domino's brown sugar and Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chips-they really make a difference.

To find the recipe, go to: http://www.foodtv.com/recipes/PrinterFri... (where it says 'chill the dough', I'd recommend 30 minutes)

To find out more about the show, go to: http://foodtv.com/tvshows/goodeatsindex/...

A fan? Then you'll want to check out Micheal Menninger's all-inclusive fan page at: http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com.

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