If It Wasn't for Harold Crick, I'd Never Have Tried Cookies and Milk

There are lots of cookies in this world, and having overactive imagination, I sometimes like to ponder, how would A taste paired with B, hence me concocting this weird cookies. But if I die tomorrow and have to choose my last cookies, without a doubt, I'll pick the ol' chocolate chip cookies. Back then, when I wasn't allowed to use the oven (ehm, actually I was too scared to go into my parents' kitchen, lots of rats!), my favorite chocolate chip cookies was Chips Ahoy.

Believe it or not, I'd never had cookies with its loyal companion of all time, milk, until I watched Stranger than Fiction. Harold Crick, the IRS agent, fell in love with the baker he's auditing. I don't recall the whole detail, but there was this one scene where Ana Pascal offered him a plate of cookies and told him to dip em in milk. I used to think it was just a cutesy thing to do, that serves no real purpose whatsoever. It wasn't bad, and actually I'm liking it. This means a lot, coming from someone who cannot drink milk as is (don't like how it tastes, somehow it induces vomit). I think that's why I'm so short.... The milk lends buttery taste to the cookies. The icy cold milk and warm cookies create the hot-and-cold sensation. Sometimes if you leave the cookies long enough in the milk, it absorbs the liquid, filling the airy holes in the cookies with it. And kinda like it.  I drink milk as an excuse to eat cookies.

This recipe is by far my favorite. I got it from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. And the fact that it uses kosher salt instead of table salt, makes the sweet-and-salty flavor combo more conspicuous.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 oz 55% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
• 5 oz 72% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs

With the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper/Silpat.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, and baking soda. Stir in the kosher salt.

Beat half of the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle on medium speed until somewhat smooth.  Add both sugars and the remaining butter, beat until well combined and mixture is light and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, making sure that the first one is well incorporated before adding the second egg. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Stir in the chocolate.

Shape 2 tbsp of cookies into balls and arrange them so they're 2 inches apart from each other (to be safe, I put 8 cookies on each pan). Bake for 12 minutes or until the top is no longer shiny. Rotating and switching position of the pans halfway through baking. 

Cool cookies on the pan so they can firm up for a minute or two. Then transfer cookies to cooling rack. Bake the remaining cookies.