13th April 2015

Dear diary,

Today, we had decided to help out a friend out. Go grocery shopping at her area. The place was out of our comfort zone... but we went there anyways.

As we were heading there... the last traffic light to the grocer... there was a stalled car. We thought that the driver had slept. There were two other cars behind the stalled car. They had started to hon the car. We joined in later. The car finally moved.. and headed the same direction.

We were passing by the car... and did not think about it again. Until we arrived at the parking lot. The car behind us started to hon our car. To a point it got annoying.

When both cars were stopped due to a que, I started to stare at the car behind us. Just as I was turning away, I had noticed a flash from inside that car.

Smile, you are (not so) candid camera.

Hubby decided to stop the car... he got down and I followed suit.

I asked nicely why did the driver hon our car. And I requested for him to delete the photo.

He was under the impression that we were really behind him during the stalled car incident. He also refused to delete the photo. The wife had however agreed to delete the photo.

Needless to say, the wife had no intention to fight. Neither did I. Gave them salam and headed back to the car. Not once had I blurted swear words. I could... but then i didnt.

We bumped into the wife a couple of times... with her 2 children. I was appalled that the kids were in the car during the argument.

On hubby's side.. he managed to locate the car and spoke to the guy. The guy had pushed hubby... alas, hubby's powerful ability to work and think during stressful situations... the anger subsided.

We will meet again. I am sure.

A cup of coffee

It is nice to have a cup of joe... with a group of friends. People who could understand you.

It is even nicer when the barista decides that your cup of joe is a smiling face with cocoa hair.

Having cup of joe with a bit of art is normal. But given a cute one is priceless.

Extra Bitter Chocolate Chip Soft Cookies

It is one of those times that i started to have the mood to bake. So.. I start googling 'Soft Cookie Recipe' online.

There were quite a bit of recipes out there. But... i decided to try out this one. Mainly because she had quite an extensive explaination on her cookie making process. I like her tips. Really something to remember.

Quoting (or pasting) her tips:-

"Underbaked cookies are the secret to softness. Using cornstarch in the dough is another secret to softness, as well as the secret to thickness. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie.  Adding an extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be taller than wider increases thickness. Using melted butter (and slightly more flour) increases chewiness. Chilling the dough results in a thicker cookie."

I did my first batch... and it was not too bad. Here's her recipe...

Ingredients:

    2 and 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170 grams) unsalted butter, melted
    3/4 cup (135 grams) light brown sugar, loosely packed
    1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
    1 large egg + 1 egg yolk*
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1 cup (180 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Directions:-

Toss together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula.

The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to 3 days.

Chilling is mandatory.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick.

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay soft and fresh for 7 whole days at room temperature. Cookies may be frozen up to 3 months. Rolled cookie dough may be frozen up to three months and baked in their frozen state for 12 minutes.

Additional Notes:

*Salted butter may be used instead. Reduce salt in the cookie dough to 1/4 teaspoon.

Room temperature egg + egg yolk are preferred for even disbursement.  Typically, if a recipe calls for room temperature or melted butter, it's a good idea to use room temperature eggs as well.  To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place the whole eggs into a glass of warm water for 5 minutes.

Try it!