here is a breakdown of my first week of 2016!
78% writing my book or doing things i have to do before i write
20% photographing my book
1% watching the man in the high castle
1% allowing myself a break from recipe testing to engage in the joy of cooking other people’s recipes
(100% listening to sia on full blast, either over the speakers or just in my head)
my brain right now is like a french fry, but the man in the high castle is so gosh darn good and the non-book recipe i allowed myself this week was from a book that i’ve flipped through probably 2,000 times since i received it, danielle’s modern israeli cooking. it’s soo goood. even just reading the table of contents makes me go 👀👀👀👀👀. tahini and za’atar and all of my other favorite things are all over it, and in such fun and creative ways (like whipped labneh cheesecake! and halva morning burns! and these cookies, ahem!) i can’t wait to cook through the entirety of this thing once my manuscript is turned in. just a few more weeks.
*inhale*
*exhale*
*cry*
enough about me, how are you enjoying january so far?? it’s awful, isn’t it. the cold, the slush, the “diets.” i know what you all need and it’s a bag of frozen cookie dough in the freezer ready to go at a moment’s notice! all of the cool kids are doing it. so without further ado, here is danielle’s recipe for salted tahini chocolate chip cookies, which are chewy, salty, and just perfectly flavored with the highbrow nuttiness of tahini. yipee!
ingredients
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c tahini
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c + 2 tb flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 c valrhona discs (64% cocoa)
maldon salt
clues
in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, tahini, and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and continue mixing on medium for another 5 minutes. sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and combine. add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. add the chocolate discs and mix them in by hand with a rubber spatula.
line a baking sheet with parchment paper. using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop out 12 dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. wrap the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for no less than 12 hours. this will allow the gluten in the flour to relax and will give you a tender soft cookie. do not skip this step.
at this point you can bake 1 or bake 12. keep the cookie dough balls in zip-top bags in the freezer for up to 6 months.
preheat the oven to 325ºf and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. space the cookie dough balls at least 3” apart to allow for them to spread. bake for 13-16 minutes until just golden brown around the edges. they will still look fairly unbaked in the middle, which is perfect. sprinkle each with maldon salt when they come out o the oven. allow to cool for 20 minutes on the baking sheet or cooling rack.
-yeh!