POLITICAL COOKIES
BARACKOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Friday, December 11, 2009
BARACKOLATE CHIP COOKIES
from Christine Lavin's kitchen
Finally! A cookie that represents ALL Americans:
Democrats, Republicans, Independents --
light ones, dark ones, beige ones, and of course, nuts.
I have made these cookies more than a dozen times for the cast of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, and during the month leading up to the presidential election I actually baked these for the audiences at my shows in Asheville, North Carolina, Norfolk, and Vienna, Virginia. People were a bit surprised that Obama won North Carolina and Virginia . . . but I'm not!
Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit for small cookies, 360 for large
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (healthy! healthy!)
1 cup chopped milk choc chunks
1 cup chopped semi-sweet choc chunks
1/2 cup chopped white choc chunks
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet choc chunks (to help the bitter Pennsylvanians come to grips with reality -- Obama won! It's a good thing!)
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1-1/4 cups slivered almonds (the cast of South Pacific prefers almonds. You can also use pecans, or a combination of both. You can also used sliced almonds. If you use pecans, chop them up).
Spread the almonds (or pecans) on an ungreased cookie sheet; toast them for about 10 minutes. Don't over-toast them! Let them cool. In a big bowl blend the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Do this by hand, not an electric mixer! Think of your carbon footprint. Plus it's a good upper body workout!
In a separate smaller bowl mix together the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt, then add 1/3 of that to the butter mixture. Stir til absorbed. Add the second 1/3, mix, then the final 1/3. Stir til smooth.
Mix all the chips/chunks together in a separate bowl, stir them around -- they're all getting along peacefully, like our Founding Fathers hoped we would!
Alternate adding chips/chunks and nuts to the batter, stirring til everything is harmoniously joined together in one big happy bowl.
On ungreased cookie sheets, lay out rows of SMALL chunky cookies, leaving room for them to spread out a bit. Why small cookies? Because we Americans have a weight problem, but one tiny Barackolate chip cookie won't add to it! Another reason: so everybody gets one. You could make big giant cookies with this recipe, but then only the lucky few would get to eat them. Haven't we had enough of that over the last eight years? Huh?
Bake for 8-9 minutes, depending on your oven. Makes 186 small cookies (1-3/4" in diameter) or 60 big ones (if you want to go that route - it's America! You get to choose.). Take them out when they are golden brown, cool on a rack, and then SHARE them -- with everybody, no matter what their political persuasion. Bon Apetit! And just because that's a French phrase, don't you dare call me an elitist.
Ciao!
Christine
from Christine Lavin's kitchen
Finally! A cookie that represents ALL Americans:
Democrats, Republicans, Independents --
light ones, dark ones, beige ones, and of course, nuts.
I have made these cookies more than a dozen times for the cast of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, and during the month leading up to the presidential election I actually baked these for the audiences at my shows in Asheville, North Carolina, Norfolk, and Vienna, Virginia. People were a bit surprised that Obama won North Carolina and Virginia . . . but I'm not!
Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit for small cookies, 360 for large
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (healthy! healthy!)
1 cup chopped milk choc chunks
1 cup chopped semi-sweet choc chunks
1/2 cup chopped white choc chunks
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet choc chunks (to help the bitter Pennsylvanians come to grips with reality -- Obama won! It's a good thing!)
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1-1/4 cups slivered almonds (the cast of South Pacific prefers almonds. You can also use pecans, or a combination of both. You can also used sliced almonds. If you use pecans, chop them up).
Spread the almonds (or pecans) on an ungreased cookie sheet; toast them for about 10 minutes. Don't over-toast them! Let them cool. In a big bowl blend the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Do this by hand, not an electric mixer! Think of your carbon footprint. Plus it's a good upper body workout!
In a separate smaller bowl mix together the flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt, then add 1/3 of that to the butter mixture. Stir til absorbed. Add the second 1/3, mix, then the final 1/3. Stir til smooth.
Mix all the chips/chunks together in a separate bowl, stir them around -- they're all getting along peacefully, like our Founding Fathers hoped we would!
Alternate adding chips/chunks and nuts to the batter, stirring til everything is harmoniously joined together in one big happy bowl.
On ungreased cookie sheets, lay out rows of SMALL chunky cookies, leaving room for them to spread out a bit. Why small cookies? Because we Americans have a weight problem, but one tiny Barackolate chip cookie won't add to it! Another reason: so everybody gets one. You could make big giant cookies with this recipe, but then only the lucky few would get to eat them. Haven't we had enough of that over the last eight years? Huh?
Bake for 8-9 minutes, depending on your oven. Makes 186 small cookies (1-3/4" in diameter) or 60 big ones (if you want to go that route - it's America! You get to choose.). Take them out when they are golden brown, cool on a rack, and then SHARE them -- with everybody, no matter what their political persuasion. Bon Apetit! And just because that's a French phrase, don't you dare call me an elitist.
Ciao!
Christine