one-upper

Obviously, I haven't been posting much lately. Why, you're wondering? Well, I started med school in August. And let me tell you this - there's a lot to learn. Luckily, I like what I'm learning.

Every once in a while, though, I need to cook. It's a great study break.

So, recently, I made some "World Peace" cookies from a recipe I found in a recent Bon Appetit. Sounds great, right? Well, they were good. A little on the dry side, though. My buddy Kris said cookies don't have to be soft. He and his wife enjoyed them.

I disagree. Cookies should be soft. And what does Bon Appetit know? I can make a better cookie. So, I messed with the recipe, and let me tell you, they're SO much better.

There are times to be humble, I know. This is not one of them. These cookies are absolutely delicious. I can say without exaggeration that they are the best chocolate cookies you'll ever eat. Okay, that may be a bit of a boast, but these cookies are great. They're soft and rich and light at the same time.

Kaytie took one bite, looked at me, and said, "I hope you wrote this down."

I did. And instead of learning about the innervation of the heart, I'm sharing it with you. It's THAT important.

Best Chocolate Cookies EVER

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp

1 Tbs vanilla

1 Tbs milk

2 Tbs strong coffee, room temp

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

5 oz bittersweet chocolate

Mix the butter, vanilla, coffee, milk, both sugars, and salt until creamy. Add the egg and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and mix until smooth.

Chop the chocolate into small chunks (nothing bigger than about 1/3 of an inch). Fold the chocolate into the dough.

Refrigerate the dough for a couple hours until it is firm. (NOTE: This step is unnecessary. If you want your cookies faster, you can cook 'em right off the bat - just knock a minute or two off the baking time. The benefit to cooling the dough is that you have a lot more control over the shape and size of the cookies.)

Preheat the oven to 325.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough into balls that are about 1 - 1.25 inches in diameter. I recommend wearing latex gloves while you do this. Place the balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (If you decided not to chill your dough, just scoop it onto the cookie sheets.)

Bake for 11 minutes.

You probably can't bake all of the dough at the same time. You should keep the extra dough in the fridge while you're baking the first round.

Cool the cookies on a rack.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen delicious cookies.