The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday marks the first time my son traveled without me. I made these cookies because the chocolate chip kind are his favorite, because I was going to miss him and because I wanted to surprise him by hiding a small tin of these in his carry-on luggage. I imagine he reached into his bag and found the tin sandwiched between his books. Then he smiled, pulled out one cookie, placed the tin on his lap and began reading...

This recipe comes from Nestle Kitchens and yields quite possibly the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. I used whole wheat flour and substituted dark chocolate for the chocolate chips. If you like cookies that are crisp around the edges but perfectly chewy in the middle this recipe is for you. My son says these are winners so I may never make a different kind.

Whole-Wheat Waffles & Swallowing the Frog

The truth is, I've been kind of distracted lately. I'm burned-out and have the worst case of writers' block ever. 

I sit here facing my laptop screen & the words just don't come. I blame it on the weather, the annoying renovation in our house, and the endless academic writing. As far as the latter is concerned lately I'm so un-inspired there too. I sit and stare at blank pages until the last moment imaginable because I know I have to write my essay then & a late submission will mean a big, fat, ugly 'F'. At this point, when I'm so close to the end, this current strategy of procrastination is hardly proactive.

So, what do I do? Instead of writing, I head into the kitchen and mix flour with sugar and eggs to create comforting distractions. I do this almost daily & I take several photos. But they never make their way into a blog post. Because that involves writing. And I just cannot do that lately.

This week I'll have to swallow the frog: I'll push myself to blog about at least some of the things that have appeared in my kitchen the past couple of months. Maybe I can re-direct some energy here. It is most certainly needed because in past months my blog has begun to look like a shrine to BFMHTY alone. And, much as I love Dorie & BFMHTY, I'd really like to blog more often than the obligatory BWD bakes. 

Here are some waffles to distract you while I try & get my groove back:

Whole Wheat Waffles
(from the Nordic Ware leaflet that came with my Waffle iron)

3 eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (the recipe didn't ask for this but I added it)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Grease & preheat both sides of waffle iron on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Beat the yolks, sugar, vanilla & oil together in a medium bowl. Add half of the milk and stir.
Add dry ingredients and the remaining milk. Mix until just blended. Set aside.
Beat egg whites till stiff & fold into the batter.
Pour 1 1/4 cups of batter into the center of the waffle iron. Cook for 1/2 to 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove gently with a fork & serve with syrup or fruit.