Rolling in dough
Okay, that’s totally a lie. I didn’t roll a bit of it. More doled it out with a spoon, and liberal use of my fingers.
Important Safety Tip: If you’re one of the people I give cookies to for Christmas, don’t read anything above this line!
Yes, it was time to make chocolate chip cookies. They’ve been a Christmas tradition in my family for most of my life. I love ‘em. Last year I chose to pass on making them because I was starting in on a regime of lowering my starch intake - something I’ve not been consistent enough with, although I’ve taken off weight and kept some of it off. I’m not as fat a wad as I was this time last year. Which is something.
I dallied with the thought of trying to make this a low starch, or at least reduced sugar recipe. Then I decided: screw it. I’ve enough else on the plate right now not to want to experiment, and I really am intending on gifting some of my friends with cookies. Hey, they’re good.
I am already gearing up for, around the turn of the year, getting into a much more rigorous low-starch regimen. One thing this’ll entail, as my earlier experiences have taught me, is getting far more seriously into cooking. I enjoy it and dabble in it and do pretty well; my red chile pumpkin soup, which I was more or less told I was going to bring, was well received at the Friday night ASFS meeting/dessert cook-off, by those who weren’t too chicken about the red chile part. I actually tied for second place in the “Pumpkin” subcategory. Which would be more impressive if there hadn’t been but three pumpkin dishes. And much more impressive if the category hadn’t basically been conjured out of air to give me something to win (the soup not being dessert) and thus help entice me to bring the stuff. What they hey; I got a nice prize (including, ironically, a soup cookbook.)
But what I’m moving to will prove pretty intensive, since to avoid starch (as well as those insidious nasties, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats) will pretty much require me to make a lot of things myself, such as sauces and salad dressing.
So I decided to go ahead and go all-out on the cookies. After writing I plunged in. I meant to get an early start but discovered I didn’t have the requisite flour (I wasn’t going to fool with whole-wheat cookies, either.) So after rush hour ended I piled Emma in the car and headed out for a combo brief Christmas light cruise and supply run. (Had an aggravating experience, but I’ll write about it later. And if I don’t … it’s probably small loss.)
We got back and took a turn on foot around the neighborhood admiring the local lights. Well, and sniffing. I’ll leave it to you to decide which of us did what. My left foot’s better but felt as if it needed a bit of a break after yesterday’s walk. The stroll at least stretched our legs without stressing the foot much.
Then I came in and made cookies. And made them. And made them.
I finally gave in and cut off with a batch that went in a little after 11 PM. Been at it three hours and still hadn’t eaten dinner. Since I don’t want to be caught short on my fave holiday chocolate chip cookies I made a double batch. And of course forgot how humongous the batches my recipe produces are.
I got halfway through. I hope.