Today the weather is awful. It´s raining, but not like real rain, more like an annoying drizzle that you can not escape. The perfect time to update, right? 

So, what has happened since the last post? Mmmh... not much, really. I did a whole lot of nothing because I deserved it. I read books, plotted with friends to write books and ignored my still uncertain future. I went to Amsterdam for a single day of sightseeing (and grocery shopping: Rundvlees Kroketten and Kokosbrood) with Jens. That was fun! I met friends (that night out with Ann & Conny...priceless fun, girls!), applications for two masters programmes are running, waiting for replies, and of course I cooked.  And I´m still waiting for the pears in my backyard to get ready for pie.

Apart from that... Sorry I´m boring. 

But today I bring you my cookie recipe that I got a long long time ago from a (then) friend. Thank you, Romney! 

And also I bring you the fun I had with it today. I kinda felt like baking today and decided to do this recipe. I haven´t made those cookies in at least 5 years if not longer but I remember them being yummy and chewy and overall perfectly American Cookie cookies.  I strikes me as still a bit early for german cookies (kekse) since those are pretty christmas-sy and also a lot of work. Even though the supermarkets tell me it´s never too early for christmas with them selling christstollen and stuff already. 

Anyhow. So I made cookies.

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking Soda

a pinch of Salt

1 Cup Butter

Vanilla Sugar

3 Cups Flour

2 Tbs warm Water

Chocolate Chips

Mix the sugar and the eggs together. I actually don´t really like brown sugar so if I don´t happen to have any at home, well... then not. White sugar will do. 

Add the baking soda and the salt, then vanilla sugar (i use one of those little baggies it comes in here...) and the butter. 

Butter should almost always be room temperature when you´re baking. At least make sure it´s not ice cold and super hard. Yes, it will melt in the oven eventually but you might feel less frustrated if you have an evenly mixed dough to begin with. 

Then stir in the flour and two tablespoons of water. The dough will now act like an ass and rather cuddle with the mixer than become a good dough... 

Once you have an evenly mixed dough, add chocolate chips. 

I used Twinkelz Hagelslag that my mom got us from the Netherlands. Just because I like it. Also I couldn´t decide whether I wanted white or dark chocolate. Here we have both. Yay.

Here´s your cookie dough then. You decide now whether you eat it right now, as it is, or if you  proceed to actually make cookies, baked and all. 

I decided to be strong and make cookies. Take a little spoon and drop little dough mountains on the bakingsheet. Make them as big as you like, just keep in mind, that they will spread out. So don´t put them too close together. Unless you really want one giant cookie of course. 

Now comes the adventure part. My instructions say: Bake for 10 mins at 190°C. 

Ok. Sounds easy enough. But not with my psycho bitch oven.

First batch: still half raw after 10 minutes. Tastes good, does not make a great gift. 

Second batch: I decided to let them in a bit longer. say... 3 Minutes longer. Burned. Doesn´t look that bad? Ha, not on the reverse side! I wonder if duckies in ponds are allowed to eat burned cookies...?

Third batch: I decide to let them in for ten minutes then check on them every ten seconds to prevent them burning. After ten minutes they´re perfect. 

WTF, oven? 

4th&5th batch: No surprises

6th batch: I forget to turn on the kitchen timer and wonder how long ten minutes can be. Saving the cookies just before they turn black. 

So, whatever. If you have a nice, non-psychotic oven unlike mine and unlike me are able to properly use a timer, 10 minutes per batch should do the trick. 

I wonder if there will still be some left tomorrow to take to work for buying my colleagues love and bribing my boss into giving me more hours... 

This is easy, tasty and, in a normal kitchen, fun to make. Try it! And live to tell. 

Thanks for reading. 

Love,

a*