The Best Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies
Does Anyone Else Feel Like Life Is Super Intense Right Now?
When I first sat down to write up this post weeks ago, the world had a different vibe. While not that much time has technically passed, it feels like a lifetime ago—so much has happened and it didn’t feel right to not publish any of my thoughts about it. So before we get to the cookies, we’re going to take a moment to get political: In the past couple weeks I have witnessed acts of police brutality and murder that honestly breaks my heart. I understand that these types of acts aren’t new; that I have been in a position of privilege that shields me from the injustices that others face daily. The nation-wide response and protests, however, are filling me with hope. I feel so inspired by all the brave people I see standing up against an injustice system and hope as a society we can continue to make our voices heard, to learn from each other, acknowledge our pasts, and create a better future. Facing the atrocities that have been committed throughout our nation’s history is an uncomfortable task, but ignoring them is unexceptable.
For the first half of June I decided not to post any of my own content on any of my channels—this blog, my Youtube, or my Instagram. I’ve been excited to share this recipe but it didn’t feel like the right time. Instead, I wanted to use my time helping out with more pressing matters happening in my country and my community.
The Black Lives Movement is doing such incredibly important work and as strides are made towards correcting injustice there is still so many things that need to happen to fix the systemic racism embedded into our institutions. Now, as you might have noticed from my photography, I’m essentially a “basic” white girl. I’m not in a position to be tell people what the best thing to do in this moment is, but here are some of the things I’m doing to try to help where I can and better educate myself:
Read & Listen: I’ve been hearing a lot of people say, “Wow, that wasn’t in my history class,” lately. That is fantastic—not that we have gaps in our education, but that we are recognizing the gaps exist. I’ve been trying to fill gaps when I find them. A perfect example of this is Juneteenth. The significance of the holiday is not something that was covered in my high school American history class. It can be easy to feel embarrassed when you discover a gaping hole in your own education, but I’m choosing to take these moments to fix those holes—I’m reading books and listening to podcasts that take a more indepth (and less white-washed) look at our history, reading and listening to people who are sharing their personal experiences, and making sure that the content I’m consuming via social media, blogs, etc., expose me to diverse experiences and diverse opinions. Here’s what I’m listening to and reading right now:
1619 Podcast: A six-part series that goes into the history of the systemic racism in our institutions and the history of slavery in North America.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge: A great discussion about racism and white fragility.
Donate: I don’t have a huge budget for donations but when I can give, I am. Locally I have been giving to Don’t Shoot Portland.
Vote: We have an absolutely critical election coming up in November. Democracies fall apart without participation. I live in Oregon. We aren’t a swing state, we don’t come with a large amount of delegates, and I have heard many of my fellow voters express the idea that voting in Oregon isn’t that important because we won’t make or break a presidential election. To me, that way of thinking over looks all the other important reasons to vote: 1) there are a lot of local elected positions and ballot measures that can have a huge impact on our day-to-day life and 2) when you opt-out because you think your vote isn’t important, you are relying on others to not do the same. If you want to help create change, you dot to show up. I urge everyone to register to vote, double check your registration if you have moved or skipped an election, and do your homework to be informed on what is on the ballot locally.
If you are like me and don’t live in a swing state but would like to get involved in a way that could have a larger impact on the national election, I recommend signing up for Pod Save America’s Adopt A State Program. This is a fantastic opportunity to volunteer and help with elections in a swing state. I adopted Arizona. If you sign up, let me know what state you adopted down in the comment section.
Now Back to The Cookies
I’m not the biggest fan of the traditional chocolate chip cookie. I’m particularly picky about texture when it comes to the chocolate chip cookie and I’ve been known to forgo the baking part and just keep the dough in my fridge for a definitely-not-so-healthy snack.
This recipe was developed as a bit of a happy accident—a combination of wanting to bake chocolate-dipped macarons for Passover and chocolate chip being nearly all sold out after the COVID-19 rush to stockpile food. It was only a few months ago that it was near impossible to buy chocolate chips at my local stores but gosh it feels like that was bygones ago! After hitting up three different stores with zero luck in the chocolate chip department, I was ecstatic when I walked down the baking aisle and saw there were still a few bags left at my local Safeway. While they were sold out of any semi-sweet or 60 percent dark, something else caught my eye: Nestle Toll House Espresso Chocolate Chips. I am a huge fan of coffee, so I snagged a bag to experiment with (I am not sponsored by Nestle but I do endorse this particular product).
Espresso chocolate chips have made me fall in love with chocolate chip cookies again. There’s just something about that extra kick of coffee that really helps balance the super sweetness of the traditional chocolate chip. Now, in my humble opinion, a loaded chocolate chip cookie really wouldn’t be complete without multiple kinds of chocolate or nuts. For this cookie, I went with pecans. I associate pecans with a bit of a full, rich flavor palate for a nut. I think it has something to do with my associations with pecan pies. I also had a hunch that pecans would nicely complement the espresso notes in the chocolate. They are delicious!
As far as needing to “make due” with what’s available, I’d say this ended up being a very tasty success. If you can’t find an espresso chocolate chip at your local shop, you can swap in a high-quality bittersweet chocolate chip (my favorite is the Ghiradelli 60 percent cacao).
Loaded Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
½ cup unsalted butter (room temp)
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup Nestle Espresso Chocolate Chips
¼-½ cup chopped pecans (depending on how loaded you want them)
Preheat oven to 375
In a large mixing bowl or with a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Next add in the egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
Add dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. It’s ok if the dough is slightly crumbly. You can add a dash of milk if it is really true dry (or non-dairy milk substitute); however, I truly mean a dash. Be careful to not let the dough get too wet.
Add in the chocolate chips and pecans and mix with a wooden spoon (or if you don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty, hand-knead them in.
Form 12 cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. (Alternatively, you can make 6 very large cookies if that’s your jam, just increase the bake time to 16-18 minutes.)
Bake the cookies for about 10-13 minutes. Cookies should look a bit golden and browning at the edges. Let cool completely. I typically let them start cooling on the sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Serve at room temperature. Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about a week.