The Chewy...Almost

Did You Know? In 1937, Ruth Wakefield (owner of the Toll House Inn) was making butter cookies, and thought she would make them all chocolate instead. She cut a bar of Nestle chocolate into tiny pieces and added them to the cookie dough. When the cookies came out of the oven, the chocolate hadn't melted at all! Instead, the "chocolate chips" had kept their form. Ruth decided to go to Nestle with her recipe for "Chocolate Crunch Cookies." Nestle liked the idea, and they got permission from Ruth to put her recipe on the back of their chocolate bars. In return, she got all the chocolate she wanted to keep on baking those cookies.

Two popular cookie recipes have been circulating the internet for quite some time, and ever since hearing of both of them, I've been wanting to taste what all the hype was about. Unfortunately, I had no bread flour left at my house, and no car to drive to the store to get some - which doesn't mean I didn't make cookies, but that my original taste teste would have to wait. I went with Alton Brown's recipe this time, substituting all-purpose flour for the bread flour, and throwing in some chopped pecans and walnuts.

Coincidentally, Caitlin also had cookies on the mind, and baked up her own batch of "Chewies" while my Mom and I made ours. But unlike my version, Cait had read the ingredient list beforehand, and made sure her kitchen was stocked. I was just pumped I would be able to try the real deal, bread flour and all.

The batch I made with all-purpose flour were really good, but in my opinion, no where near as tasty as Cait's. The all-purpose flour turned the supposedly "chewy" cookie into a much more cake like treat. Cait's bread flour creation was everything the name had implied: chewy, chocolately, and definitely the best cookie I have ever eaten. She even sprinkled the tops with sea salt, which always makes for the best dessert. There's nothing like sweet and salty when the craving strikes. So if you like a cakey cookie, swap out the bread flour for all-purpose. But if you're looking for a chewy one, go with Alton's word, just throw in some pecans for good measure. Thanks Cait!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Adapted from Alton Brown's "The Chewy"

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Original recipe calls for bread flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Original recipe calls for 2 cups)
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I threw in some chopped walnuts, too)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Chill the dough (I did for 30 minutes, but I hear 4 hours is called for), then scoop onto baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet (I did 12). Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

POM-Berry Chip Ice Cream

Did You Know? Man first began planting pomegranate trees sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C. Many scholars now suggest that it was the pomegranate, not an apple, depicted in the biblical Garden of Edan.

I was recently contacted by POM Wonderful with the request of sampling some of their 100% pomegranate juice to feature here on Buff Chickpea. Being a huge fan of their products anyways, I was thrilled to get a case free of charge. Being the only brand guaranteed to contain 100% authentic pomegranate juice, POM Wonderful has always been the only bottle I look towards at the grocery store. And besides being packaged in a wonderfully curvy and creative bottle, the health benefits of this tart juice are amazing. Backed by $25 million in medical research, POM Wonderful contains no added sugars, preservatives, colors, or fillers. It has been shown to improve cardiovascular and prostate health, as well as being a fantastic source of antioxidants.

But what to do with all these bottles? My ice cream maker has basically sat in my freezer ever since I got it back in December, and I've been really wanting to start experimenting and perfecting my technique. The weather has been pretty miserable up until now, so the timing of their delivery was pretty perfect. The weather is warming, the sun is shining, and cookouts are bound to make a regular appearance on my back deck. To me, there's nothing that says Summer more than an ice cream cone. Soft serve or hard, jimmies or sprinkles, studded with candy or dipped into a crunch coat, the possibilities of add ons are about as lengthy as the flavors themselves. And there's definitely no better way to end a humid day at the beach than waiting in a never-ending line at your favorite parlor. I love ice cream, and I hope you do to.

The whole process of churning ice cream is pretty amazing to me. I mean you pour in some custardy-liquid and about 20 minutes later you have a bucket full of creamy, frozen goodness. And the result of my final creation was everything I could have hoped for. Sweet and tart, and studded with mini-chocolate chips, this was the freshest ice cream I've ever tasted. I definitely recommend consuming this the day it's churned, but I added some limoncello to keep it from freezing solid just in case we couldn't. And not to worry, it was still good a few days later, just not as creamy as day one. I was thinking of starting some sort of ice cream feature on Buff Chickpea when the weather warms up a little more permanently. So let me know what you think, and what your favorite flavors are. Enjoy your weekend!

POM-Berry Chip Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cups heavy cream
4 strips fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 lb strawberries, trimmed and quartered
8 oz. POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons limoncello liquor
3/4 cup mini-chocolate chips

Combine milk, cream, zest, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and discard zest.

Whisk eggs and yolks with 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking. Pour back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, overed, at least until cold, about 2 hours, and up to 1 day.

While custard is chilling, purée strawberries in a blender with remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pomegranate juice, and limincello until smooth. Force through fine sieve to remove seeds and any pulp. Stir purée into custard.

Freeze in ice-cream maker. Fold in the chocolate chips after churning. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden up a bit.