Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is dedicated to homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I've never been able to eat just one.  I always eat at least five.  

I taste the dough before I bake them and laugh in the face of salmonella.  Ha Ha Ha!!  

These cookies are made with whole wheat flour and a secret ingredient (chickpeas).  Shh, don't tell the boys.

Scoop by scoop an army of plump, round soldiers, prepared to face a snack attack of any size or proportion, fall into line.

I can tell they're ready when the tantalizing aroma fills the kitchen.  

I always take a bite as soon as I pull them out of the oven.  The chocolate is still melted and the cookie actually makes a swooshy noise when you bite into it.  Listen carefully to the goodness, and take care that you don't burn your tongue.

Once they are cooled and everyone has had their share of fresh cookies and milk, I usually load them into a container for storage like this.  By the time we reach the cookies on the bottom layer they may be smashed and crumbled.  Poor bottom row cookies : (

So I've started stacking them on their side instead.  The container won't hold as many cookies this way, but each cookie gets equal treatment and I might not be able to sleep at night knowing that I did not give each delicious morsel a fair chance at a crumble-free life. 

I always stack a few in a to go cup as well making it easy to grab for a snack on the road.  They fit into a cup holder right next to my coffee and the rigid to go cup with a lid ensures that the cookies don't break or fall out all over the floor of my newly vacuumed car.

This method is also great for road trips, picnics, or any kind of travel.  When I board an airplane I usually have a water bottle full of cookies in the side mesh pocket of my carry on.  Then I slip them into the magazine pocket in the seat in front of me (after a good sanitizing, of course) and the cookies are readily available for snacking on at a moment's notice.  No more digging through a backpack for that ziplock baggie full of crumbs.  After the cookies are gone, just clean out the container and fill it with drinking water for the rest of your journey!

I would love to share my recipe with you, but I honestly don't know what it is.  It's different every time.  I do use whole wheat flour so they tend to be a little more crumbly.  Just add an extra egg yolk or two to ensure stickage.  I also sneak in things with some nutritional value and protein like chickpeas, white kidney beans, flax seed meal, wheat germ, or oats.  I use my kitchen aid stand mixer (thank you mom!) so everything blends together and you can't tell that there is anything extra in them.  

Here's a little tip:

Put "eat a chocolate chip cookie" at the top of your list of things to do today.  That way, at least you'll get one thing done.  And, when you're making your meal plan remember:  A balanced diet is a chocolate chip cookie in each hand.

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