Head Vabariigi aastapäeva!
Today we’re wishing the Republic of Estonia a happy 91st anniversary. 
Elagu Eesti Vabariik!
The Chocolate Chip Cookie Project: Part V
Subject #5: The New York Times chocolate chip cookies
I finally did it! I made the New York Times cookies. Or Jaques Torres cookies, or whatever else you want to call them. Here’s how it went down.
The chocolate: Bars of baking chocolate I bought in Brussels. They’re not exactly top-quality (it’s the house rand of Delhaize, which is a supermarket chain), but still– Belgian chocolate! It must be a litle bit special, right? And the corner of the package declares “Belgian chocolate” (in English) and then “pure cocoa butter” (in French, Dutch and German). Instead of going for uniform chunks when I chopped the bars, I tried to to chop it into longer sticks, hoping it would simulate the layered-chocolate effect had by using the feves or discs recommended by the recipe.
Like Orangette, I used only all-purpose flour instead of the combination of cake and bread flours. I also halved the recipe, since I didn’t have the massive amount of chocolate a full recipe requires on hand. After preparing the dough on Tuesday night, it sat in the fridge until Thursday evening– about 44 hours. After allowing it to soften ever so slightly, I scooped out amounts that were smaller than the recommended 1/3 cup, since I didn’t want such massive cookies. I used a 1/4 cup and didn’t quite fill it all the way, so each cookies was about 1/5 a cup of dough.
Cookies topped with a sprinkling of sea salt, awaiting the oven
The recipe states 15-20 minutes, but mine were looking quite golden brown after only 11 minutes, so I removed them from the oven– I DID NOT want to overbake these babies.
The cookies were beautiful. A lovely craggy golden brown with streaks of chocolate throughout, like bakery cookies that immediately invoke cravings upon visual contact. Despite the shortened baking time, they were perfectly baked, still soft and dense in the middle, but not doughy. And the flavor was truly wonderful. A slight molasses flavor, with the sprinkled sea salt providing a pleasant contrast, distinct but not distracting. I just feel like they taste the way that chocolate chip cookies are supposed to taste, and I was so amazed that I made them. Some of the chocolate pieces were quite large, so occasionally a bite would be almost all chocolate and no cookie, but I still liked the effect of the longer pieces and will attempt to chop chocolate like that in the future, when appropriate.
So the moral of the story is bake these cookies. And if you want to read more about them, you can check out some of the bajillion other people who have blogged about these cookies.
Proud user of insulated travel mugs
I had to buy a new insulated coffee mug last week. I dropped my old one on the floor and the bottom cracked. Now I can pull it off and see the insulating material inside– doesn’t it look freaky?
I bought this mug over a year ago when I started my job in Estonia. To me it felt perfectly naturally to have such a mug, but when I brought it to work, I suddenly felt very American. Everyone else has their coffee and tea in traditional ceramic coffee mugs, and there I was with my sleek black and silver travel mug, which is too tall to fit underneath the coffeemaker we have in the kitchen. I have to make my coffee in another mug, then pour it into mine. My co-workers call it a thermos and ask if I fill it with my coffee supply for the entire day. They seem to think it’s very clever or amusing. I don’t mind. I kinda like it. My silvery coffee vessel can be my quirk, and besides– an insulated travel mug is so practical! It reduces the chances of me spilling a full mug of coffee on my keyboard, and of course the coffee stays warm for much longer (which is good, as I sip my daily coffee slowly). And if it seems very American, so be it– I do still have to represent, after all.
A surprisingly delicious brownie
The other day my co-worker brought brownies into work to celebrate her birthday. Excellent brownies. Look at it! These are hard to come by in Estonia. Actually, you pretty much don’t see any brownies in Estonia.
I remember the last time a co-worker made some to bring into work. She had just returned from the States, where she had bought a brownie pan. (I’m not sure exactly what she meant by “brownie pan”, but I suspect it was a 13 x 9 inch metal cake pan, since I haven’t seen that size for sale here). Her brownies were fudgy and awesome, much like the one pictured. “I’m not a big fan of brownies,” said one colleague. Another complained that when her children attended an international school and mothers had to bring in treats, she would make a lovely apple cake, but the kids only wanted brownies. I was thinking, well duh, that’s because brownies are awesome. But seriously, Estonians didn’t grow up eating the same kind of ooey-gooey triple-chocolate treats we have in the States. Cakes here are usually quite simple, and when they do contain chocolate, it’s usually only a hint in the cake, or a drizzle as garnish. There are some exceptions, but brownies or anything similar are just not a part of traditional Estonian food. They don’t even have a name for them— they just call them brownies with an Estonian accent. But regardless– to my American taste, these brownies were excellent. I should make my own soon…
Blog housekeeping
J and I are making some changes to the blog, which has looked exactly the same since I created it. When we started discussing it a few days ago, J said “I don’t want you to be offended, but your blog looks a little…” “Amateurish? I know.” I’ve often wished that it looked different, but I know less than nothing about HTML, so figuring out how to change anything is always a huge headache for me. Luckily, J actually knows about these things, so I was happy when he volunteered to help me fix it up. A few changes have been made, and there are more to come…
