Unlike Any Other I’ve Ever Made…

The other day the kids requested a trip to the bookstore after Abigail’s ballet class.  Bookstore? I’ve been… sort of needing inspiration this week, and nothing gets me going like a new cookbook.  So I was only too willing to “acquiesce to their request.”  It was a successful trip, with several promising kids cookbooks- reviews coming in due time, a cookbook for Andy, and one for me which I wasted no time in curling up on the couch with.

From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens is exactly the inspiration and pick-me-up I needed.  I have a real affection for the Amish and Mennonite people, and I’ve often found myself wondering wistfully what life would be like among the plain people.  I’ve always said that I wanted to be Amish, to live a life wearing my faith on my sleeve and enjoying what’s important and simple in life.  What I particularly love about the Amish and Mennonite cultures is that food is a celebration to them.  Each and every meal is an intrinsic part of their lives.  It represents all the hard work that has gone into producing it, processing it and cooking it.  It represents their dedication to their way of life and provides the much needed sustenance to maintain their active lifestyle.  But most importantly, the food is delicious.

As I’ve been enjoying the produce out of the garden, I’ve really been treating a lot of it with new eyes.  Sure, we’ve had plenty of salads, but we’ve also been exploring other cuisines and exotic ingredients while trying these new vegetables.  That’s all well and good, but sometimes, you just want to do something homey and comforting with those vegetables- even though it’s the middle of summer and hardly comfort food season.  I suspect this new cookbook will provide plenty of inspiration.  Sure, there’s been a few surprises lurking within, but for the most part, the recipes just scream deliciousness to me.

So late at night as I was flipping through, devouring each and every recipe with my mind, it was this cookie recipe that stuck out the most as the first thing I was going to make.  This cookie intrigued me first by including sour cream.  And then upon reading further, I saw that it only used white sugar, and shortening for fat.  Yet, it was called a chocolate chip cookie?  I simply had to make it.  I’ve never made a chocolate chip cookie like this before- this was going to be new territory.

As I beat the first few ingredients together, it struck me that this was very similar to making a cake batter, and the alarm bells started going off-big time.  I hate cakey cookies.  Hate them!  You know those Lofthouse sugar cookies that are sold everywhere? The big fat ones with all the frosting and sprinkles?  They make me want to vomit.  If I wanted cake, I’d eat cake. When I want a cookie, I want a cookie! Not something that’s actually cake masquerading as a cookie!  And I love cake, mind you, but cakey cookies?  No, you can keep them.

So I stopped with the batter for a minute, read the recipe through and decided that the 2 teaspoons of baking soda gave me hope that there would be some semblance of a crispy cookie in here.  I decided at the last minute to throw in a teaspoon of vanilla, and upon tasting the batter, I knew I’d made the right choice.  My next moment of decision came with the add-ins.  Chocolate chips were a given, as were the pecans I’d just chopped up.  But the raisins… I was trying to decide if raisins in chocolate chip cookies were a good idea.  I loved the directions and the fact that they stated to boil the raisins, cool and then drain them first.  They must really have some tough raisins in Amish country!  I decided that I would throw caution to the wind and add the raisins, although I used the ones that are already plumped for baking, so I had no need to boil them and plump them up first.

As expected, the cookies baked up light and cakey.  I really wasn’t sure I was going to like these cookies!  I was sort of regretting not making a half batch, because 8 dozen cakey cookies is kind of a lot to have to get rid of.  But as it turns out, there was nothing to be concerned about.  Let me just say for the record- I.Love.These.Cookies!  They’re not as crumbly-cakey as I’d anticipated, they are actually a nice cross between a thick cakey cookie and a crispy one.  There’s no chew at all, but the overall cookie is such a delight to eat.  The cookie part itself is light and sweet- lightly tangy from the sour cream, lightly scented from the vanilla, and just enough salt to balance out the flavor.  The pecans, chocolate chips and raisins take turns playing with the cookie, making each bite just a little bit different- and making you go back for just one more cookie to make sure it was really that good.  The kids loved these as well.  I made them large enough that they’re really appealing, and when you grab just two of them, it looks like you’re in for a lot of cookie.  It turns out to be the perfect amount.  Two cookies is enough to satisfy the sweet tooth, plus have a little extra to make you feel like you got away with something.  I’m going to put a few in the freezer, because at the very end of the recipe there was a little notation that they are more moist after being frozen.  I didn’t find them dry at all, so I’m interested to see how a freeze works out for them.

Trust me when I say to not be tempted to play with the ingredients here.  Put away that butter- use the shortening.  Go ahead, use the full-fat sour cream.  And whatever you do, do not be tempted to use some brown sugar instead of white.  Try these cookies just as they’re written here.  They’re delightful.  And while they won’t replace my favorite old standby, the Tollhouse Cookie, these are fantastically different and a nice change-up of a plain old cookie.  And yes, I did add the vanilla, so technically, I did change them up, but it was the perfect change to make.  Try them-you’ll see!

Chocolate Chip Cookies