Cookies

Some days Max will wander into the kitchen and say to me, ?Mom, I think you need to make some cookies.? I don?t need much more encouragement than that to start baking.

While I love reading other people?s cookie recipes, I?m a simple, drop-cookie kind of girl. Refrigerating dough, rolling it out and cutting it into shapes is something I don?t do often. In fact, I have written only one such recipe, which you kids can read about in my September Rosh Hashana posting.

There have been several cookie recipes that have kept me pacing the floor when I should have been sleeping. When that happens I place the recipe in the back of my baking binder and forget about it for a while. This is pretty much my foolproof way of getting it right. If only I could have done that with algebra. Then, I guess, I still might be in 9th grade.

Some things can?t be rushed. Some things need air and space and benefit greatly from walking away and perhaps watching a Law & Order rerun. (I find the late, great Jerry Orbach quite inspiring.) If something?s utzing* you, see if my above prescription doesn?t set things right.

*Utz, one of my favorite words, is a verb that means to goad, nag, needle or torment verbally. This definition is from The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten.

Almond Butter?Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Gluten-free + Vegan
Makes about 20 cookies

I got the idea for these from the March/April 2010 issue of Clean Eating, a very cool magazine published in Canada. The original uses an egg and no almond flour at all. I?m not a big fan of eggs in cookies, because I like my cookies thin. Another reason I like this recipe: You need only one bowl.

Some almond butters taste like mushy sawdust to me, so be sure to use an almond butter you really like (Trader Joe?s is good). If you use salted almond butter, you don?t need to add any more salt. I?d opt for chopped chocolate over chips, because the shavings from the chopped chocolate get into the batter and really add to the flavor of the cookies. I used Scharffen Berger semisweet dark (62% cacao) chocolate. I know, semisweet dark is sort of weird (as is the spelling of Scharffen Berger?two words? WTH?), but this chocolate is sublime.

? cup creamy unsalted almond butter
? cup sugar
? cup brown sugar
? cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond butter, sugars, applesauce and vanilla. Stir in almond meal, baking soda and salt until combined. Taste some chocolate to make sure it?s not poisoned. If you haven?t dropped dead, stir in untainted chocolate.

3. Drop scant teaspoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. These spread, so leave room. Bake for 9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling. Store in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days. If you?re so inclined, dunk in a cold glass of almond milk and proceed to eat.