Winter Desserts

I have to say, there has been far too little talk about food around here lately. i've been enjoying food quite a bit this winter and with being snowed in and unable to walk tyco quite so often my clothes are starting to let me know i've REALLY been enjoying food this winter. ah well. luckily spring is right around the corner and the sun will shine, we'll walk tyco and i'll feel like eating salads and making smoothies again.

ANYHOO.... all of that aside. i have not one, but TWO fabulous winter desserts to report on in this post. (i know, it has absolutely nothing to do with sabine at all. forgive me)

the first i'm calling Winter's Night Chocolate Shake. so, in the summer i never particularly crave chocolate milkshakes. they're good but give me an ice cream cone in the summer, that's what i'm talking about. but suddenly in the winter i really really really want a chocolate milkshake, but i want it to be hot. i know what you're thinking because my mom said it: "that sounds like hot chocolate' and i admit, it does sound like hot chocolate. but it's not the same thing. i want thick and creamy and somewhat melty AND warm in my hot drink. hot chocolate doesn't satisfy all those cravings at the same time. so the other night i was once again lamenting the no hot milkshake problem when max and i decided to come up with a solution. we talked all around it all the way home from dinner and finally came upon the Winter's Night Chocolate Shake. Start with really good hot chocolate. i like to make mine with milk and use the directions from the Hershey's Cocoa box... something like 2 tblspn cocoa and 2 tblspn sugar mix with hot milk and add vanilla. so you have the good hot chocolate, then... add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream right on top. i'm telling you, HEAVEN. it hits all the cravings right at once and is totally satisfying. the melting is better than just sugar sweet of marshmallows... it is also creamy and milky. perfect. if it gets cold again (please ganesh NO!) it's worth trying out.

and dessert #2 came by way of sabine's playgroup. this one is called THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE EVER!! i know right, that's QUITE a claim! everyone is skeptical when they first hear it. then you taste them and it's all over. women who never eat more than a quarter ounce of sweets will fight tooth and nail to finish the plate. they are redonk (as max would say). the recipe came from Jacques Torres and so i won't share it here. probably copyrighted (being the best cookies in the world) but let me just say... this is no make and bake in a few minutes recipe. it is a total commitment... bread flour, cake flour, kosher salt.... let the dough rest for 24 - 36 hours!!!... and even sprinkle with sea salt before baking. the end result. totally worth it. jacob's girlfriend said 'definitely top 5' and i'm hard pressed to think of another chocolate chip cookie recipe that i like better. and that's saying something because i've tried a LOT of them. the one downfall is that the dough does have to be in the fridge for 24 hours which leaves it lots of time to be pillaged by foraging racecardrivers or yoginis who need some sugar. but who doesn't love a little cookie dough now and then? turns out, even sabine loves cookie dough. she helped me whip some up this morning and though she was skeptical at first once she tried a little she really really loved it. i guess she has the sweets gene like the rest of us. that's my girl! oh yeah, she also says cookie extremely well. Cook EE

so try either one, you'll not be disappointed i'm sure! and it'll be back to regular programing in the next post.