Celebratory Chocolate Chip Cookies

What exactly am I celebrating? Well, nothing as of yet, but.. tomorrow this time, I will be 2/3rds of the way to becoming a dentist! I can't say I've been waiting for this exact day for a long time.. since I always look towards the end... but I think I'm making excellent progress to the ultimate goal.... which...come next year, I hope to say that I will finally graduate and become a Doctor of Dental Surgery :) Anyway, it's finals week, and you know what that means... I bake. I have this weird urge to stay in the kitchen all finals week but I've been very very good this quarter. I only made cookies... which I guess isn't much since it takes almost no time to do. There's much to celebrate this week, not only ending the year, but beginning a new year as the "seniors" of the school.... and also me hitting a milestone in age..... yikes. I had my last patient as a second year last night...I couldn't have asked for a better appointment... albeit I had to stay until 8:30pm on the Monday of finals week. I can't believe what a year has taught me, and how much progress I've made. I definitely could have made more progress if I had the patients.. but hey, I won't complain... my new set of patient will keep me busy for the next few quarters. I remembered being that nervous first year making that first phone call with a script on my computer in size 24 font with what I was going to leave in their voicemail... and now? Well, it's still scary making that first phone call (you never know how they will react on the other side of the line!) but getting patients to come in has been the least of my worries... and my patients do not want to be transferred to a new student dentist because they said they liked working with me. I have been flattered many times in the past few weeks by my patients telling me how I made them feel so comfortable, and that I actually cared. That's really why I'm doing this. These types of patients will make my life a whole lot easier :) Just remember, dentists are real (nice) people too! :)

Back to the cookies... Pierre Herme.... this guy is a pastry GOD... he is seriously the guy I look up to in terms of French baking... as Vogue stated, he's the "Picasso of Pastry" ... my life goal is to go to his bakery in France and indulge.. ( as well as Laduree)  The cookbook I had had recipes from him.. or so I think it's from him. "The Cook's Book" (concise edition) ... I read the recipe many many times... and altered it to my taste.. I mean.. 1.5 eggs is just a weird portion.. so I scaled everything down 1/3.. that made some of the measurements strange, but at least I could figure that out easier than half of an egg. This cookie was very similar to those that I had from the Le Panier bakery in Seattle ( going there in 3 weeks!!!) ... it's a typical french chocolate chip cookie, not really chewy, but has a good crumbly texture? I don't know, maybe it's just the few "sables" that I've had that are giving me this description... anyway, this was a good cookie, and I'd make it again. Next time, I will add more chocolate, and chop it up instead of using my food processor. Here's to another quarter... and another year... and another candle... what a week this has been. 3 more finals... then SUMMER TIME!!!!! <3

Chocolate Chip Cookies : Adapted from "The Cook's Book"

7 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2/3 tsp sea salt

1 egg

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

6 oz fine bittersweet chocolate chopped

1/3 cup almonds, chopped, ( or pecans) 

1. Cream the butter until smooth, add in sugar and salt, mix until incorporated

2. Add the egg, mix on low for 3 minutes

3. Add in the flour, baking powder and soda, mix for 2 minutes

4. Add in chocolate and almonds, mix gently until combined

5. Turn the dough onto a working surface and roll into a log ( use parchment paper) the log should have a diameter for 2 inches, wrap up in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours

6. After 2 hours, preheat oven at 340 degrees, slice the log of cookies into 1/2 inch sections with a sharp knife, place onto lined baking sheets, bake for 10 minutes or until middle of the cookie is not super soft (it doesn't look wet) and the edges are nice and brown, cool on rack.