Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, I realized just how attached to this teaching job I am. On Tuesday, while I was away at a conference, I found out that a student got into a bad accident. My heart was heavy and it became depressing going into work. There were no updates for a few days and I could only imagine the worst. But keeping myself busy and teaching helped keep my mind off it. I then visited the student in the hospital and I felt a thousand times better because the family was doing well and the student's condition improved greatly and continues to.

It may seem strange to others, but as one of the assistant principals said to me, we like to think of the students as our own. As much as they frustrate me on a daily basis because they don't know what a number multiplied by zero is (sad, but true) and because of the bad life choices they make, they are still funny, sweet, respectful, crazy, weird, smart (in their own ways), youthful and I care for them. And maybe it's because it's my first year teaching and this is my first group of students. I guess they are even more special in that way :)

Well, enough about that. Since we had a three-day weekend, I ran away to Lexington (again) to watch my friend perform in W&L's Comedy of Errors. The set and the costumes were trippy, but the acting was amazing! I enjoyed watching it on both Friday and Saturday nights. I also took this opportunity to visit my Education professor and my cooperating teacher on Friday since I never have a weekday off. It was so good seeing them and chatting about education in general.



It would have been nice to make some of these chocolate chip cookies to take to my professor and teacher, but I honestly didn't have the energy last week. I made these when I got home on Sunday to reward one of my classes for actually knowing what they're doing (it's a rare occurrence).



I wouldn't call these the best (as the original poster did), but they sure are divine. I didn't make them quite as big as the instructions say and they were still plenty big cookies. One would definitely be enough to satisfy a craving. Plenty of chocolate chips in each bite and a good hefty thickness in each cookie. I love that they remained chewy in the middle, but had crispy edges. And you can never go wrong with sprinkles of salt on chocolate. One student asked why I would go and do such a thing like putting salt on cookies. Just eat and enjoy, kid.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Dishing the Divine

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (note: do not use chocolate chips. Buy a good bar of chocolate and cut it into chunks. I toss all the chocolate including the shavings into the dough, but some people omit the shavings so that the dough is a more traditional pale color)
Flaked sea salt

Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.

Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and stir until creamy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough 1/4 cup at a time on a wax paper lined plate and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Place as many cookies as you will be eating today on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350. Bake an additional 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges look golden brown.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. These are best after they cool enough so that the chocolate inside is not a melted mess. Serve with a tall glass of milk.