Recovery Day 6 - Feeling good

Physically, I am feeling pretty darn good today. I woke up with no cramps, and the bleeding seems to have dropped off a bit. Fingers crossed, it will stay that way.

I'm back at work today, and things definitely feel a bit weird. I feel isolated from my social world and a bit like I'm emerging from some kind of cocoon. I plan to reach out a lot to friends in the next week or two, try to see a lot of people and feel like I'm back to myself.

In the meantime, I thought I would post the chocolate chip cookie recipe that was my comfort food savior over the last week. You can find it online, as it's from famous Brooklyn chocolatier Jacques Torres and the recipe is posted on The New York Times.

Believe the recipe: The cookies taste best if the dough rests for at least a day. I made the dough on Sunday, and we made our first batch of cookies as soon as we returned from my procedure on Tuesday evening. We would scoop spoonfuls from the dough each time we wanted cookies and bake them fresh, so they were hot and gooey each time. So delicious, and definitely a wonderful comfort.


Posted on The New York Times online:

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note) (**I used chocolate discs from Trader Joe's. They were a bit big, so I chopped them into quarters.**)
Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.