As someone who bakes for a (partial) living, it may surprise you that over the past few months, I’ve been baking less and less for fun. A couple of years ago I would often have a weekend baking project...
As someone who bakes for a (partial) living, it may surprise you that over the past few months, I’ve been baking less and less for fun. A couple of years ago I would often have a weekend baking project or two on the go, but with a busy work schedule, nights out and impromptu after work drinks in the pub, it’s a hobby that has simply fallen by the wayside.
That is until coronavirus happened. I won’t dwell on it too much here, since it is everywhere, but with a cancelled holiday and nowhere else to go for entertainment, I turned to my kitchen to keep myself occupied. I pulled out recipe books I had barely touched and began to make dishes I had earmarked months ago but had never found the time to make. Soon our flat was perfumed with the sweet scents of spices as I made a black dahl and punchy flavours from an unctuous duck ragu.
And so baking quickly followed and I found joy just like I had stirring slow cooked sauces as I did chopping chocolate and hazelnuts for these thick NYC-style cookies. I made the grave decision not to pop into a Levain bakery when we were in New York a couple of years ago, but these cookies adapted from a Cupcake Jemma recipe are said to be close to the real deal. Unlike the soft, flat cookies I usually bake, these are thicker and crammed with chocolate which oozes from their soft centres. The best part about these cookies is that they require a long rest in the freezer, which means they are great for stocking up on in case of a cookie emergency. Which in these trying times, feels like it’s every day. I highly suggest stuffing your freezer full of these gooey cookies for the next few weeks – I think we’re going to need them.
Recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
