Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Two Continents, One Recipe, Cookies All Around

So what do you get when you combine two foodie friends, one global book swap, an intriguing new recipe, and the magic of email? About as close to "baking together" as two girls on opposite sides of the world can get.


The only problem becoming firm friends on the internet is how far away they live, most of the time you hardly even notice, except for their strange bed times, email can be just so instantaneous. The time when it hurts is when you would like to catch up, have dinner, meet for a coffee. So what do you do about it? Well you bake together! it is just as much fun (almost) as if they where there (in person) and you both get to taste the end product!

How did this come about?, the lovely literary nut Amy over at BJF decided to host a bookswap, she paired everyone off and I received a book from Nupur at One Hot Stove. You can see the book in the above photo, but you might also notice that the photo shoot was hijacked by one Kiri!, Of course because I was paying attention to/photographing something other than him he had to get right in the middle of it. So you are just going to have to imagine he is a model enticing you with his gorgeous muscles and shiny blue fur!

The Book Nupur so kindly sent me is the New York Cookbook By Molly O'Neil. I have been meaning to post about this and the beautiful handmade postcard and bookmark!!! for so long, and I have been very remiss(so sorry Nupur). The book is awesome btw, I almost feel like I have been to NY and all the deli's an restaurants after reading it! I really wanted to include a recipe from the book with my postso I was emailing FG (Farm Grl) way to late in the Mornite (morning/night) as per usual and I told her about a cookie recipe I was thinking of making, then *SWOOSH, SWOOSH* and a flurry of emails later it was settled. We would both make David "the cookie King" Leidermans Cookies and have a dual bake off that we will post together. (I think FG just wanted an excuse so she wouldn't have to post about Pita Bread anytime Soon!, especially since it might inspire her to make some more!) Do you have anyidea how much fun this has been?

So here is the porn shot :) (*side note like my new/old plate? for $2!!)


Here is the hard core(Feel the beat red raw) sugar photo. One thing that FG and I realised is how different ingredients from the 2 different contients affect recipes, this is completely apart from the impact of the different measuring standards and cultures!

Australia is very well known for it's sugar, even though the recipe specified the use of light brown sugar I never buy it. Why when there is this glorious caramelly stuff! See the sugar pyramid? That is too show you how moist this sugar is with molassasy goodness :)


So how did they turn out? Well I think FG and I(+Casey) are both suffering from major sugar overload headaches! These are some rich cookies, So much butter! So much Sugar! So much Chocolate! I think they are almost worse than the brownies! Definitely sweeter than the chocolate tarts. As far as the butterscotch flavour is concerned... well it doesn't really come through that strongly, even with the Dark Brown sugar. These cookies also seem to be very temperamental, slight differences in the size of the chocolate, shape of the cookies on the sheet and temperature of the oven appear to change the cookies from nice to look at to ugly to where did my cookie crumble too?

So these are delicious cookies and very moreish,if you make these cookies be sure to make them a day earlier as they taste so much better on the second day!

Listed below is the recipe in Metric, if you would like the recipe in what ever measuremens are called in America go see Farmgirl, you should of course now that you have finished reading my post go and read hers!

Thanks so much Farmgirl, I am so glad I met you and this was heaps of fun! Lets do it again soon :)

David "the cookie King" Leidermans Cookies

Delicious Chocolate Chunk Cookies


250 gms butter, softened
250 mls light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
>750 mls flour
200 gms of bittersweet choc ( I used nestle choc chips)

preheat oven to 350, genourously butter a baking sheet (I am not so sure about this, I tried it and I think there is enough butter in them already!)
Combine butter, brown sugar, salt , vanilla and egg in a bowl, beat to make a smooth batter.
Add flour and choc, stir til no traces of flour remain
Drop batter in dessertspoonfull drops on to the baking sheet
cook til barely brown 6-8 mins (mine took longer)
remove let cool
makes 20

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great idea you guys had! I LOVE this so much, and especially the way you tied in with the book Nupur sent you. Awesome cookies/awesome post! 

Posted by Amy

Anonymous said...

Hi Amy
next time you will have to be in too :)

So when's the next book swap? It would be nice to put the link in this post you know ;) 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Oh Clare, your post is so great! This was such a wonderful idea. I have had a lot of fun since I started blogging, but I think our trans-continental bake-a-thon definitely takes the cake! (Or takes the cookies, I guess!) So, when we are both fully recovered (LOL), what do you think we should make next? Something salty and savory maybe? Right now I am off to bed. See you in the mornight, girlfriend! : ) 

Posted by farmgirl

Anonymous said...

I agree, this has been the best blogging fun yet! You should see my inbox.... lol miles of Farmgirl! :)

Yep I think savoury next time for sure!!! 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Hey Clare - That was a great idea! And more chocolate! I'm going to need to make a dentists appointment soon! 

Posted by Kirk

Anonymous said...

you will Kirk? virtual cavities LOL!
Good idea? Oh this was a fantastic idea!!!!!!!
 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

'Love the idea of the transcontinental cook out (or bake out) Clare, and looking forward to the savory version of it...PS: Just got back from my fav coffee place and he did have chocolate chip cookies, although I have to say that both yours and Susan's looked much better... :)
 

Posted by Oliver

Anonymous said...

Hi Oliver :)
For such a spur of the moment event the transcontinental bakeoff was fantastic :) too much fun almost, especially whe it is shared with such a great gal as fg.
Of course ours looked better....(I am of course ever modest!) Make sure you come back for the next few days as there is going to be the coffee post to end all coffee posts! 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

mm i really really really want one of those right now :) 

Posted by Catesa

Anonymous said...

A cookie? If you come visit I will give you lots :) 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Wow...what a fun idea!! I really loved reading both of your perspectives on the recipe...can't wait 'til you decide to do it again! :) 

Posted by Alice

Anonymous said...

Hi Alice
I am so glad you enjoyed reading them :) It was sucha a spur of the moment thing, it still took alot of work though :) I wonder what we will make for the next one.... 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Cool idea. Love the baking across continents idea. And your kitty is adorable. I wish mine would wear clothes so amicably, as yours do! 

Posted by Kristi

Anonymous said...

This was such a great idea, Clare. And chocolate chip cookies were the perfect choice. 

Posted by Nic

Anonymous said...

Love this!!
I also love the dual post!

C o o k i e s.
Need to make some!! 

Posted by wendy

Anonymous said...

what a wonderful idea - bake-a-thon in different locations, and how different the final results look even tho' the same recipe was used. Cookies look absolutely delicious :) 

Posted by eatzycath

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! Those cookies look delicious. I also use dark brown sugar when a recipe calls for light brown. I like molasses. I would have made the cookies, but I made dark chocolate nut biscotti this morning, and there are still a few brownies left over, so we're set for our chocolate overloads for the next couple of days. If you want the biscotti recipe, check my blog. It's up today. It's very easy to do, and it took no time at all. I ended up with about 30 biscotti.

Chocolate doesn't give me a headache if I have too much. In fact, it does the opposite. If I have a headache, I eat a brownie and I feel fine very shortly. Must be the rushing blood from the sugar and caffeine or something. 

Posted by The Countess

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post Clare! Glad you liked the book, and this bake-off is awesome! It should be the new international slogan: More cookie bake-offs, less war :)  

Posted by Nupur

Anonymous said...

Hi Kristi
He loves his kittty harness too, I am glad though :)

Hi Nic
Yep easy to make and sooo much fun!

Hi Wendy
Thanks :) Go make'm girl!

Hi Eatzy Cath
I know, crazy, different ovens, different everything!

Hi Countess
Dark brown sugar has less calories too ;) OOH! I love biscotti I will check it out :)

Hi Nupur
you are so right :) Thanks so much for the book I LOVE IT! and the post card and bookmark are awesome! 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Hey Clare,

Not on the (delicious!) cookie tangent, but I love the way you did your photos! Is that some sort of digital scrapbooking thing? Do tell!!! (I have a brand new babe and no time to scrapbook - if I could just throw stuff together on the computer and print it out she might even get a baby book! :)  

Posted by shannon

Anonymous said...

first the chocolate tart and brownies, and now this? oh man, im going to have make sure i have access to chocolate before i read your blog! 

Posted by tanvi

Anonymous said...

Hi Shannon
I am so glad you like the way I do my photos :) ( You made my day!)

It is really easy (know I am going to have to tell you my secret!)

I download the photos to the computer, then I open them up in photoshop adjust brightness or contrast, crop them if I need to. Then I open a new image and copy and past the pictures in and fill in the background with a coul I like and write on top. I would try and find some free fonts too, there are HEAPS of great free ones out there :) Let me know how your baby scrapbooking goes!

If this makes no sense, send me an email ;) 

Posted by clare eats

eat stuff said...

Hi Tanvi
there will be lots of chocolate in the future of eastuff.... but lots more goodness too!

Anonymous said...

I love Kiri sitting on the cookbooks! 

Posted by Sweetnicks

Anonymous said...

He's even cuter on my lap :)
 

Posted by clare eats

Anonymous said...

Lovely idea of transcontinental cooking! And amazing how different cookies can turn out from the same recipe. What about transcontinental baking with even more participants? 

Posted by Claudia

Anonymous said...

Hi Claudia
Transcontinental blogging rocks :)
It could work really well... 

Posted by clare eats

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