Hi! This recipe has been updated. Visit my post for Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies for the newly revised recipe.
Jumbo Cookie Trio featuring the All American Classic Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie
I rarely talk directly about being gay on this blog. Sure, I talk about my partner AJ all the time, and if you happen to read this blog on a regular basis, you might remember me participating in the gay pride parade last year. But I almost never talk specifically about me being gay because I don’t feel like I need to, it’s should be obvious to anyone who visits. But with San Francisco Gay Pride coming up this weekend, I feel like I need to let you all know a few things about me that you may not know. One, I am gay. Two, I bake a lot. Three, I also like to write really verbose blog posts. And with that, I present to you the third and final Jumbo Cookie in my Jumbo Cookie Trio pack that included the Blueberry White Chocolate Jumbo Cookie and the Strawberry and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie. The All American Classic Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Now you may be wondering what a chocolate chip cookie has to do with being gay. Shouldn’t I be baking up some ridiculously fabulous rainbow cake in a jar or some super crazy pink triangle cookies? But here’s the thing, these cookies are pretty fantastic. Like amazingly fantastic. Like FABULOUSLY fantastic. And who did I get my recipe from? Well the amazingly fabulous fantastic David Leite, a fellow homosexual like me.
David Leite or a 50's Matinee Idol? I'm not sure.
This past weekend I went to a wedding for my dear friends Susie and Jai. Long time readers may remember Susie and Jai from their engagement cookies that I baked last year. Susie and I go way back to college, where we both studied graphic communications (her in advertising, me in design). We bonded after spending all our time in computer lab together, working on our projects and have stayed in touch ever since. Though I rarely see her (I need to work on being less busy so I can hang out with my friends), I was thrilled when she moved out here to San Francisco a couple of years ago and even more thrilled to be at her wedding, watching her marry the man of her dreams.
Susie and Jai
At the reception, AJ and I ended talking to one of Susie’s father’s friend Mark, who happens to be gay. He seemed pleased to see AJ and I (apparently we were the token homosexual couple at the wedding) and as we chatted away, he introduced us to another couple, whose son had come out to them. The mom, in typical mom fashion, was completely worried about her son being gay. Mark, I think, thought that AJ and I would be a reassurance to her that just because their son is gay, it doesn’t mean that he is destined to a horrible life alone. Apparently AJ and I have become the example of how being gay isn’t a bad thing. The mom proceeded to ask me about growing up gay, my family’s reaction to me being gay, how life was now that I was out as a gay man, how long AJ and I were together, and what plans we had for the future.
AJ, me and the family at Hooters. Yes, AJ is now part of my family.
I didn’t have a problem answering all her questions, but what I just wanted to tell her, what I wish I had a chance to tell her, is this: “Your son will be fine. I mean, as fine as any other human being on this planet will be. He’ll live his life, fall in love, get his heart broken, fall in love again, go on bad dates, have bad hair days, get a job, have awful days, have heartwarming fantastic days, find friends, partners and coworkers that love him for who he is, and general go about his business like everyone else. In short, if you, as his mother, have done your job loving him as much as you can, instilling in him a sense of self worth and of who he is – which, by the way, coming out of the closet is just one of those steps of discovering who he is – then he’ll be just fine.”
So here’s the thing. Being gay can be hard. I won’t deny that there are difficulties and obstacles that straight people don’t have to deal with. But doesn’t everyone have difficulties and obstacles (if you don’t, I hate you – also you are probably very boring)? But it can be pretty awesome too. If I wasn’t gay, I wouldn’t be living in San Francisco, with my amazing supportive partner AJ, and doing the things that I am doing right now. If I wasn’t gay, I probably wouldn’t be living the life that I living right now. And you know what? I love my life. I really do.
I really do love my life.
But don’t just take my word on it. There are a number of other gay food bloggers out there that are living lives way more fabulous than me. Take, for instance, David Lebovitz whose an inspirations for all food bloggers – his life in Paris is pretty much the dream of nearly every food blogger out there. Sean Timberlake of Hedonia and Punk Domestics has always been there for me when I had a question about blogging, helping me to navigate newbie bloggerville. Garrett of Vanilla Garlic is one of my all time favorite people in the whole world, warm and willing to share so much. Broderick of Savory Exposure is probably the sweetest guy I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, while his photography always makes me drool with envy at all the food he partakes of. I absolutely adore Andrew of Eating Rules, who helping to change the way we all eat by challenging people to think about where the food comes from that we eat. Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites whose photography is utterly gorgeous and his casual humor just makes me smile every time I read his posts. Brian of My Thought for Food whose personal stories and thoughtful photography always makes me smile (and hungry) every time I visit his site. Jun of JunBlog whose photography and stories about his Filipino heritage makes me want to dive into some pork adobo immediately. Michael of Food for the Thoughtless who’s blog is probably the one blog I always recommend when people ask me what blog they should be reading; he’s the David Sedaris of food blogs. And Dan Lepard, who astonishes me every time I visit his site with his incredible bread and baked goods.
And, of course, David Leite. I have a special place in my heart for David Leite of Leite’s Culinaria who not only is ridiculously smart and witty, but also always willing to share his knowledge with everyone. David is the one responsible for the original chocolate chip cookie that I based my recipe on, and it’s a winner, through and through. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had friends tell me “I’ve tasted hundreds of chocolate chip cookies, and this one is the best I’ve ever had.” And I’ll be honest with you, they are totally correct.
The All American Classic Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie.
This chocolate chip cookie recipe is a classic. I’ve gone through numerous recipes of chocolate chip cookies, and in the end I always come back to this one as my base. I sometime change it up, adding spices, or using different flours (whole wheat, kamut, or spelt work really well, as does mesquite). Sometimes I chop up my bittersweet chocolate (I prefer that actually) sometimes I use chips (it’s easier and I’m lazy). There’s the addition of nuts (not a fan, but some of my friends love it), occasionally I add toffee bits to the cookie (friends seem to go crazy when I do that) and sometimes I change up the butter to brown butter or coconut butter. But it’s almost always ladders up to this classic recipe.
And in the end, it’s not the flashy rainbow colored cookies or hot pink triangle pastries that say gay pride to me. Gay pride, to me, is celebrating all things fabulous. And to me, there’s nothing more fabulous than a warm, right from the oven, chocolate chip cookie. Really.
The All American Classic Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Here’s a list of other fabulous gay and lesbian food bloggers that you all should check out. Did I miss one? Are you a gay or lesbian food blogger? Leave a comment below and I’ll add you to my list!
- Adam of The Amateur Gourmet
- Adam of BlogHungry
- Allen of Eating Out Loud
- Becky of Chef Reinvented
- Ed of Is it Edible?
- Edd of The Boy that Bakes
- Jim of Comfort in Crumbs
- Gail of One Tough Cookie
- Greg of Sippity Sup
- Kate of Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking
- Ken of Hungry Rabbit
- Mark of Baketard
- Meg of Grow and Resist
- Nathan of The Chocolate of Meat
- Sara (aka Jerkey) of La Cuisine de le Jerque
- Scott of Eat with Me
- Scott of In Scott’s Kitchen
- Sean of Cooking with Sean (and Joey)
- Shuna of EggBeater
- Zach and Clay at The Bitten Word
The All American Classic Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie
By Irvin Lin
This recipe is adapted from David Leite’s award winning New York Times article about Perfection and Chocolate Chip Cookies. As usual, I tinkered with the recipe, and in a rare move, actually SIMPLIFIED it. I made it the way David wrote it and compared it with my simplified version and they were pretty identical, except mine has less ingredients. But if you want to try his original recipe to compare, by all means, check it out. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
That said, there are three basic things that you need to keep in mind that make this chocolate chip cookie above and beyond the regular chocolate chip cookie. One, use salt on top of the cookie (not too much, but just a touch) to help bring out the caramel and temper the sweetness. Two, make it jumbo sized, as the cookie crispy edges, gooey center and perfectly cooked center ring makes it a cookie eating experience, as opposed just a snack (if you loathe to eat such a large cookie, just split in half, but do bake them jumbo size to begin with). Three, Be sure to let the cookie dough sit in the fridge for at least 36 hours before baking. I like to actually let it sit in fridge for 3 or 4 days, but I think others might tell you that it’s a bit risky to let dough sit around that long (it does have raw egg in the dough). That said, some of the best cookies I’ve made have been from dough sitting in the fridge for 5 days (I also make sure to use very fresh free range farm eggs when I do make these cookies). I’m still alive. But do it at your own risk….
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups (480 g) all purpose unbleached flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup (285 g or 2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups (285 g) dark brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (227 g) white sugar
3 cups (455 g) chopped 1/4 inch chunk bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
sea salt for sprinkling on top
Directions
1. Place flour, baking soda and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Using a balloon whisk, vigorously stir the flour until all the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
2. Place the eggs, vanilla and sea salt in a medium bowl and beat until the eggs are a uniform color and you can’t see any more egg whites in the mixture.
3. Place the cubes of butter, brown sugar and white sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter and sugar on medium until fluffy and light, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add half the egg mixture and beat to incorporate. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the rest of the egg mixture.
4. Add half the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low to incorporate. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the rest of the flour, mixing to incorporate. Add the chopped chocolate and stir on low speed to distribute evenly throughout the dough.
5. Split the dough in half and wrap the dough in plastic wrap tightly. Repeat with the other half and store in the fridge for at least 36 hours or (if you are daredevil like me) 3 or 4 days or longer. The longer you store, the more time for the flour to hydrate and the cookies to develop a richer deeper caramel taste.
6. Once you’ve “cured” our cookie dough in the fridge for the required amount of time, preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
7. Measure out 100 g cookie dough and roll them into a ball (it’ll be between the size of a large golf ball or a small baseball). The longer you let the dough cure in the fridge, the drier the dough will be. You can warm it up in your hands by squeezing and massaging it to help it stick together if it’s too crumbly. Flatten the ball into about a 2 1/2″ disk and place on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle a touch (just a touch, not too much) of sea salt on top and continue with the rest of the dough, spacing the dough about 2” apart. I fit six cookies onto a half sheet (17” x 12”) sized baking sheet.
8. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are dry and golden brown but the cookie is still soft. Do not overbake. Leave on the sheets for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool. Eat warm with a large glass of milk if you can.
Makes 18 cookies.
Belinda @zomppa says
Wonderful post and FANTASTIC cookies. You and AJ are super adorable. Not many people can say they love their lives, so live it up!!
Irvin says
Thanks Belinda! My life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns (well I’m gay, so actually it IS all rainbows…) but as a whole I pretty much do love my life; I think I’m extremely lucky…
Scott says
Thanks for sharing the links of other gay food bloggers…I knew we were out there, I just hadn’t found them. You rock. Oh, and you and your man are adorable!
Irvin says
Thanks Scott! I’m sure there are hundreds of other gay food bloggers out there that I didn’t list or don’t know but those are the ones that I am most familiar with and they are wonderful people.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
A touching post, my friend. A perfect way to honor Pride Month… you and AJ not only sound like a wonderful couple and outstanding individuals (I know you are).
And you can add me to that list of gay food bloggers!
Irvin says
Gah! Brian how could I have forgotten you? I’ve totally added you onto my list above. Happy Pride to you and your husband!
Jan says
Great post from start to finish! I’d take a good ol’ (jumbosized!) chocolate chip cookie over a rainbow cake in a jar any day. Just saying 😉
Irvin says
Thanks Jan! I love me some chocolate chip cookies, they are probably one of my favorite things to make…though the waiting for the dough to “cure” in the fridge can be torture! But so worth it…
Shawn says
Your cookies were a better choice than the “Ridiculously Fabulous Rainbow Cake in a Jar”…I know the gays are supposed to be into the rainbow and all but, that thing looks like it was made by some Blount County, Alabama PTA Moms.
Disclaimer:
No offense to Blount County or PTA Moms but, y’all do make and sell those Christmas Sweatshirts that light up and say ‘Santa, I want it all!”
Irvin says
LOL! I actually know and love dearly the blogger who came up with the rainbow cake in a jar, Brooke. She’s the absolute most wonderful person in the world. But I’ll totally admit that her rainbow cake in a jar kind of scared me with it’s intense neon food coloring. I’m gay but I’m not THAT gay… 😉
Shawn says
I so did not mean to bash Brooke’s Rainbow Cake in a Jar…I love her work and stalk her CheekyKitchen blog all the time 🙂
Irvin says
Oh no, I realize you weren’t talking specifically about Brooke. She’s super isn’t she? LOVE her.
Gail says
Weeping.
My partner & I have been together for 29 years. We wouldn’t be the people we are without each other’s love and support.
Two years ago, we married in the state of CT. This week we’re on pins and needles waiting for NY State Senate to do the right thing and vote yes for gay marriage.
Now, pass me a cookie, please.
Irvin says
Awww Gail, I love that you two are got married in CT! AJ and I have talked about getting married each time the window has opened up for us here in California, but we refuse to do it within a deadline. We’re waiting for Prop 8 to work it’s way through the courts and for us to finally, hopefully permanently, have a proper celebration and ceremony.
Mazel tov to you and your partner though! And yes, my eyes are totally on NY right now…
Susie Decker says
Amazing post. We were so lucky and honored to have you and AJ at the wedding and in our lives! We love you.
Irvin says
I’m lucky and honored to have been invited! Now go and have some redheaded little babies! Love you guys…
ChocoMeat says
Thanks for this post Irvin! I find that I inadvertently skirt around being gay in my writing too, I suppose for the same reasons. It’s convenient to say “it’s a food blog, not a me blog.” But that’s simply not true. This is a nice reminder how we are all examples to others, and perhaps it’s our duty to our readers to overstate ALL of who we are once in a while. Tastefully. With cookies.
Irvin says
I never skirt the issue of me being gay, but I rarely come out and say “I am gay” in my blog, mostly because I figure if I talk about my partner AJ all the time, most people will figure it out.
That said, I totally agree with you about the food vs me blog debate. I have to consciously remind myself that my blog isn’t just a food blog, it’s a blog about myself with a food focus. And, in truth, the posts that I am most proud of, and that people respond to, are about both food and my personal life, and how they intersect. Which, conveniently, is how I like to write. So it’s a win win situation. 😉
Prerna@IndianSimmer says
I LOVE chocolate chip cookie (Ok, everyone does!) LOVE David Leite and it was just so lovely to meet you in person recently! That’s a lovely post and you and AJ look SO lovely together. All I am trying to say it I loved spending time reading trough this post of yours 🙂
Irvin says
It was SO fantastic to meet you in person as well! And isn’t David Leite the best? I adore him. ADORE him.
And thanks for spending time here. It’s always nice to know that the stuff I write is actually being read… 🙂
Fuji Mama says
Amen, if there is anyone out there without difficulties and obstacles…grrrrrrr!!! Love this post but am despising you because now I’m craving chocolate chip cookies… Darn it.
Irvin says
Oh boy, when I was writing this post, I TOTALLY was craving chocolate chip cookies. Sadly I usually have some dough stashed in my freezer but I’ve used it all up. I should really make some more, but I’m heading out of town for an extended trip in a couple of weeks…
Carrie Melissa Jones (@southxsf) says
Loved this post and your personal story. That’s so touching. And I like how you connected who you are to these cookies, mostly because all things in life should come full-circle back to baked goods!
And Gah! Those cookies really do look out of this world… The extra half-stick of butter (as compared to standard chocolate chip cookie recipes) must make a WORLD of a difference.
Irvin says
The extra half stick of butter DOES make it fantastic. But letting the dough sit in the fridge for a couple of days really helps because the flour can hydrate, meaning the cookies don’t taste nearly as greasy as you would think they might with all that butter.
And yes, all things in life should come back to baked goods!
Sean says
A few more I know of:
Adam Roberts of The Amateur Gourmet (http://www.amateurgourmet.com/)
Scott of In Scott’s Kitchen (http://web.me.com/scottinhawaii/In_Scotts_Kitchen/)
Meg of Grow and Resist (http://growandresist.com/)
Sharon of Nickelmoon (http://nickelmoon.blogspot.com/)
Kate of Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking (http://hipgirlshome.com/) — not just food
The adorable Zach and Clay at The Bitten Word (http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/)
Sean of Cooking with Sean (And Joey) (http://www.cookingwithsean.com/)
Allen of Eating Out Loud (http://www.eatingoutloud.com/)
Adam of BlogHungry (http://bloghungry.typepad.com/blog/)
Ed Tep of Is It EDible? (http://www.isitedible.net/)
Shuna Lydon of Eggbeater (http://eggbeater.typepad.com/shuna/)
My pal Sarah aka Jerkey of La Cuisine de le Jerque (http://jerkeysblog.blogspot.com/)
Irvin says
Oh Sean. Of COURSE you would know of more fabulous gay/lesbian bloggers. I’m only familiar with half of those (though I’m totally perplexed as to why I forgot Ed of Is it Edible since I went to undergrad with him) so now I can’t wait to explore more of them.
You rock.
meg- grow and resist says
Thanks Sean! =)
Andrew @ Eating Rules says
Wonderful post, Irvin. I adore you, too.
Irvin says
And I, as stated in my post, utterly adore you. Thank you!
MikeVFMK says
Beautiful post! I had friends come up here to Toronto years ago to get married when it was the only place with some sanity at the time. Love the third in the trifecta of cookies but love this post even more Irvin!
Irvin says
Awww. I remember when Canada allowed same sex marriage to start. I had a few acquaintances that went up to get married up there!
And thanks for the kind words!
merry jennifer says
Fabulous post, Irvin.
This line says it all: “In short, if you, as his mother, have done your job loving him as much as you can, instilling in him a sense of self worth and of who he is – which, by the way, coming out of the closet is just one of those steps of discovering who he is – then he’ll be just fine.”
Bravo. (oh, and can you send me some cookies?)
Irvin says
Thanks so much! If I had any cookies around I’d totally send you some. But sadly I am without baked goods in the house now!
It’s actually rather alarming now that I think about it. I should fix that immediately…
Garrett says
Excellent work. Just excellent.
Irvin says
Thanks Garrett. Happy Pride!
Stefanie says
I love this post – I got here via Vanilla Garlic, so thanks to Garrett. I love that you have constructed a list of gay/ lesbian/ queer food bloggers. Its nice to be able to support the queers – even if its “just” through reading them!
Chosen families are just as important (sometimes more so!) than bio families!
Irvin says
Thanks Stephanie! Isn’t Garrett and Vanilla Garlic awesome? Love him/his blog.
And yes, chosen families are wonderful! I love my friends. I’d be completely lost without them.
Lori says
YOU are fabulous whether you made incredible chocolate chip cookies or not! The world needs more people like you.
Irvin says
Awww. Thanks Lori! What a great compliment.
sarah says
Oh these cookies look way too good. Totally craving chocolate chip cookies now.
http://lipstickandruffles.blogspot.com/
Irvin says
They are insanely good. I sort of want some now too. I wish I still had cookie dough in the freezer… But sadly I used it all up for those events I described above!
Phuoc'n Delicious says
Awwww love your honesty in this post. Good on you! It doesn’t matter what your sexuality is, we all face common problems in life. All that matters is that you don’t let simple things bother you, we can power through whatever life throws at us.
Yummy cookies by the way 🙂
Irvin says
It’s so true! You totally nailed it on the head with that one. Don’t let the simple things bother you. So glad you said that!
And yes, the cookies totally are yummy. 😉
meg- grow and resist says
Oh wow, thanks for including me! I so love the queers! And now I want a chocolate chip cookie in the worst way. I’ll pass it on the my Ladyfriend…she is the choc. chip cookie baker. (I’m the cook, but she has a few things she does like to make so I let her. She’s my bartender too so it works out well).
Anyway- great post. I loved this: ““Your son will be fine. I mean, as fine as any other human being on this planet will be. He’ll live his life, fall in love, get his heart broken, fall in love again, go on bad dates, have bad hair days, get a job, have awful days, have heartwarming fantastic days, find friends, partners and coworkers that love him for who he is, and general go about his business like everyone else. In short, if you, as his mother, have done your job loving him as much as you can, instilling in him a sense of self worth and of who he is – which, by the way, coming out of the closet is just one of those steps of discovering who he is – then he’ll be just fine.””
Beautiful! Oh, and I’m glad you didn’t make rainbow cake in a jar. =)
Irvin says
I’m glad I didn’t do the rainbow cake in the jar either! I’m not that much of a cliche. 😉 And yes, you should TOTALLY get your Ladyfriend to bake them. They are fantastic.
And I’m so glad Sean pointed you out to me. I can’t wait to explore your blog…I can live vicariously through your gardening, as I live in a tiny apartment that does not afford space for gardening…
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Great post, such honesty. And I love that you love your life:-) These cookies look incredible.
Irvin says
Thanks Lauren! I’m so glad you like it! And yes, you are correct, the cookies ARE incredible.
Ken⏐hungry rabbit says
You represent the gay community brilliantly. Not only are you proud, but you and AJ live a joyful and honest live that spells love. I’m truly honored to have met you and call you my friend.
Irvin says
Ken that means SO much to me! Thank you so much.
David Leite says
It takes a lot to make me blush, but I’m a rare shade of crimson at the moment. I can’t wait to haul out my baking ingredients and make your version. I’m sure it’s fantastic. Happy Gay Pride to you and anyone who embraces authenticity and fabulousness.
Irvin says
Awww. I made you blush! But you DO know that I meant every word of it right? ‘Cuz I did!
And yes, Happy Gay Pride to you too and all else who live their life the way they want to.
David Leite says
I feel the same way. And a happy, happy to you and A.J., and everyone else who’s waving a rainbow flag this week.
(And “50’s matinee idol”? I’m still swooning over that.)
kellypea says
I love your energy, this post, the cookies…need I say more? My oldest son is gay, and although he came out to me on my 40th birthday (by request) I’m thinking he’s not enjoying life as much as you. I haven’t given up hoping, though 🙂
Irvin says
It’s never too late to live life to it’s fullest. But I will say it can be a hard thing to do. And trust me I struggle with it too. But never get up hope. Life is ALWAYS full of possibilities and potential.
Lee Wind says
Dude – I don’t even EAT chocolate and I loved this post! A story, a recipe, a philosophy on what it means to be gay… it’s AWESOME! Hugs to you and A.J.,
Namaste,
Lee
Irvin says
Hugs to you Lee! So glad you stopped by. It was wonderful to see you in LA a few weeks ago!
Michael Procopio says
Looks like I’m a couple of days late on this party, but I wanted to thank you for a) lumping me in with a lot of folks I really, really like and b) making my blog posts look short in comparison.
Happy, happy Pride weekend. We need to herd the locals together soon for a cocktail, don’t you think? And soon.
Irvin says
Yes! It’s been too long since the locals have gotten together for drinks. We should get J̶u̶l̶i̶e̶ Sean our cruise director to set something up again for us!
And yes, I really need to work on short blog posts don’t I? *sigh*
Adryon says
What a great post! Love (and cookies) are a beautiful thing.
Irvin says
Thanks so much Adryon! I totally agree, love and cookies are a beautiful thing.
Jun Belen says
Thank you, Irvin, for this beautiful piece. I wish my mom (my sisters, and my late dad) had heard those words from you… Your son (or brother) will be fine… when I came out to them many years ago. Even if my mom has visited me here in San Francisco a few times now and has met Dennis and they have gotten along fine, I still can’t say with confidence that my family has accepted him completely. Dennis has never visited my family back home. Sadly, I don’t think my family is ready yet and I don’t know if they will ever be. But who know, my paranoia may be totally baseless. I really wish somebody had told them those words before.
And by the way, thank you for the mention. You are very sweet. Enjoy Hawaii.
Irvin says
Well, perhaps you could be the one to tell them that? I know it’s hard though. When I told my parents way back (20 years ago?) in so many ways it was more difficult for them than it was for me, telling them.
And in some ways, it probably still is – it’s their job to worry about their kids and the worse case scenarios are the ones they want to run through their head over and over again.
But, in the end, my parents always told me that all they want for me is to be happy. In some ways, that all anyone can hope for. If you’re happy, then that’s what most important.
Stephanie - Wasabimon says
“And to me, there’s nothing more fabulous than a warm, right from the oven, chocolate chip cookie.”
Amen, my dear. Amen.
Irvin says
Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Raffaella Casati says
Irvin, I’m speechless. This post is so true, so touching and inspiring, brave and proud and yet simple and natural. Just as tasteful as your recipes.
You should always be an example, to anybody, gay or not.
Irvin says
Thank you Raffealla! I totally didn’t expect the reaction that I got when I wrote it. But it means so much to me that it resonated with so many people like you! Your comment made my day.
Scott_D says
Thanks for listing me!
Irvin says
Of course! But you should really be thanking Sean from Hedonia ‘cuz he pointed me in your direction.
amelia from z tasty life says
too cute! (I bet your mother is very loving and wonderful because you have a great sense of self) . Love, peace and freedom for everyone.
Irvin says
My mother is very loving and wonderful actually! Though she worries a bit too much. But I guess that’s part of a mother’s job description, to worry. 😉
Jen says
I love this post…right on time, and on point, with the wonderful news in NY yesterday. I’m totally craving chocolate chip cookies right now. I’m going to try your version as I always get lazy to do the NYTimes version. One question – Salted butter? Not unsalted??
Happy Pride!
Irvin says
I specifically use salted butter in these cookies, because I wanted to cut down the number of ingredients and lately I’ve been liking the taste of salted butter in my baked goods (it works especially well with these cookies). I think one of the problems with salted butter is that you get an inconsistency with the salt, some butters have more salt than others.
But the brands I use (I tend to go for middle of the road Trader Joe’s salted and unsalted butter) are pretty consistent with the salt. But if you are unsure or only have unsalted butter in the house, feel free to use that, and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt (don’t use regular iodized table salt, it’s too harsh)
And yes, it seems heretical as a baker, but I figure if David Lebovitz can use salted butter in his chocolate chip cookies, I’m in good company. 😉
Jen says
Thank you, Thank you! Making these tomorrow…
Rita says
Those chocolate chip cookies look absolutely perfectly, goldenly, deliciously baked. I want.
YUM.
And yum to you for imbuing this post with gay pride without going to the rainbow sprinkles place. 😀
r
Jazmin says
You forgot to add the “tsp” to baking soda and baking powder (I hope it’s teaspoons…I just cross referenced it with David Leite’s recipe). 34 more hours to go for my dough…
Irvin says
Oh crap! I did, didn’t I? I fixed it now. Thanks for pointing it out! I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before. Let me know what you think…
Jazmin says
I would’ve replied earlier except that I was in a cookie-coma for quite some time. This recipe is fantastic! It was so worth the 36 hours, the texture is perfect! I think describing it as a “cookie experience” was pretty accurate.
Juanita says
This is an AMAZING resource and heartfelt celebration of our pride. I just found this post in my search for other queer bloggers. I just started my own and welcome feedback, suggestions, love, community, and support. Thank you. Juanita
http://www.adventuresineatingout.com/
Rae says
Irvin this cookie was delicious, but it came out flat and large! Is it the butter, I cubed it as instructed. In Hawaii the weather is so humid, could that have affected it? Thank you for sharing the recipe, the taste after 4 days in the fridge was delicious! Any tips on getting it to be fatter cookies? Yum!
Irvin says
Flat? How strange! I’ve never had that happen to me. I don’t think the humidity should have effected it, nor should the butter, as I tested it with different middle of the road grocery store butters (nothing too fancy).
Let’s see. Maybe, instead of flattening out the dough into disks, you can keep the dough in round balls. That may help. Definitely don’t let the dough get warm. Preheat the oven, and once it’s preheated, pull the dough out of the fridge and immediately form it into balls and then place in oven.
You may also want to check your oven temperature. Some ovens run hot (or cold) and that can effect the way the cookies bake up. Running out and getting a cheap $5-10 oven thermometer will fix that. If your oven is running at a different temperature, just adjust your dial accordingly.
Finally you may want to check how much flour you put in there. If you didn’t put enough flour in the batter, it throws the ratio off, with more fat, which means it’ll spread more.
Hope these tips help!
Sarah O. says
I could not love this post more. That photo of you jumping is just so glorious. And these cookies look like perfection.