Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to be my dad. I looked up to him (literally). Like any child, I wanted to do the daily activities my father did so I could become my own, smaller, version of him. I would pretend to mow the lawn with my miniature, bubble-blowing lawn mower along with him. I helped hand him tools when he set out to fix things. And I would eat the foods that he enjoyed.

My father happened to be a big proponent of chocolate milkshakes. This was his special treat. On long car rides, we would always stop to pick one up from a local fast food joint. On Sunday afternoon drives, we would drink them down while cruising the roads in his little blue Camaro. When it was a really special occasion, we would stop at an ice cream parlor that served up drinks in the big metal cups, which always held more ice cream than I could ever consume. He would somehow finish the milkshake I couldn't squeeze into my stomach.

Chocolate milkshakes were our food.

My father never liked chocolate malts, which meant that I certainly didn't either. I didn't even have to try them to know I didn't like them—his convictions on the subject were enough for me. To this day, I have yet to sample a chocolate malt. Though, as I've grown older, I've found them more intriguing. What made them pale in comparison to the classic milkshake?

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I found myself snacking on mini robin egg whoppers that I used to make chocolate nests. Despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to like malted milk (as consuming anything with the word "malt" in it it would be a betrayal to my father's milkshake), I found that I actually enjoyed them. Perhaps too much, as I soon found half the bag to be mysteriously missing. When my father got home from work and surveyed the damage I had done, he had nothing to say on the matter. Instead, he took up the stool next to me, reached into the bag, and tried a few eggs on his own. Turns out he liked them too.

I like to think we both learned something on that day.

These Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies are a twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. While you may not necessarily taste the malted milk powder if you aren't looking for it, it really does gives the cookie something extra—a little panache, if you will. The malted cookie has a greater depth of flavor than you might expect. These cookies bake up flat and can be chewy or crunchy depending on how long you keep them in the oven.

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Chocolate Filled Buns

Today I spent a good long while searching for a particular book on clay sculpting. It was in my closet (which could very well be compared to a black hole. Once something goes in, it never comes out). I have several boxes in my closet marked "Random Keepsakes," which had been packed away long before I set off for college. I had an inkling what I was searching for would be in there, somewhere, even though I had little idea what any of the boxes held. There was nothing I could do but dig in and see where it would take me.

Opening boxes from the past is like opening a can of worms. The good, the bad, the ugly, the silly embarrassing moments I'd forgotten about were all staring me in the face. This is me, summed up through years of diaries, rock collections, and the random objects I thought important enough to save. Like it or not (embarrassed or not), the only choice I had was to embrace it.

Among my findings was a small notebook where every page, every line, was filled with tiny little scribbles—proof of my desperate desire to prove to my mother that I could write in cursive despite the fact that I could barely print my own name. A photography album was filled with my first roll of film in which I managed to cut off the head of every single person in the album. I like to think of it as a highly artistic concept for a seven year old instead of the fact that I couldn't aim if my life depended on it. I also kept a diary for two whole days, which displays the drama and angst of my 10 year old self quite well. In fact, it's too good not to share with you.

The first page says "Goal: to write every day" (obviously I was not so good at following through on that one).

April 3rd, 2000
Dear Diary,
Today I lost my shoe. Mom yelled a LOT. Still not found. My favorite shoe with the black yellow stripes. Social studies test tomorrow. Tonight had to go to a self-defense course. Boring!

April 4th, 2000
Dear Diary,
Today I search for my shoe and I still can't find it. Test went well. Kickball was horrible. Only me and Amanda and the rest were boys. Ugh! I played outside for hours. Still aren't use to daylight savings time.

While some questions remain unanswered (how did I lose that shoe when it was supposed to be on my foot? Did I honestly not notice?), the truth tends to remain. At 10 years old I still thought boys had cooties, I was up in arms about what my favorite shoe actually looked like, and maybe (even still) it does take me a few days to adjust to daylight savings.

Digging into the past has always been an interesting event for me, even if what I find is humiliating or uncomfortable. It always strikes a strong nostalgic chord, showing me a little bit of who I am as well as how far I've come. And thank goodness I've come a long, long ways.

These Chocolate Filled Buns are sweet and rich. I took the basic bread recipe from my Honey Rolls, sweetened up the dough with a bit of sugar and orange zest, and added one of my vices—chocolate. The buns look savory until you take a bite. Your taste buds will instead be greeted with subtle orange flavors and rich, melted chocolate (and who wouldn't like that surprise?). These are quite simple to make for a yeasted dough and the well worth the effort.

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Raspberry Swirled Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

With the feeling of spring in the air, I've been craving more summer sweets. Fruits, light desserts, and cold treats are topping the list. Even though the weather has not been very cooperative in my neck of the woods lately, I've decided I will try to bring my own spring to my kitchen (wearing my winter coat and all). In the lastest of my desperate pleas to will actual spring into finding me, I thought I might be able lure it in with delicious foods.

After all this effort (and all the pink and yellow delights gracing the pages of this blog), I think I've finally done it.

About time.

One of the side effects of all this spring baking is a serious (and possibly life threating) lack of chocolate. For nearly a month I haven't shared any chocolate recipes with you. Not one. That must be some kind of record and I'm not sure its one I should be proud of. As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I'm no longer living up to my name.

So this week, in order to fix this grave mistake, I challenged myself to make a spring dessert with chocolate just to prove that it can indeed be done. And it can. In this decadent dessert, raspberries, coconut, chocolate, and ice cream come together to make a sweet treat you're certainly not going to want to miss.

This Raspberry Swirled Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream has complex flavors that meld just beautifully together. The base of the ice cream is not a custard, but rather a combination of coconut milk, cream, and sweetened condensed milk. While this does yield a subtle coconut flavor to the final product, the raspberry swirl overwhelms this flavor in most spoonfuls. Nevertheless, raspberry and coconut are good friends and you will not mind the match. The chocolate chunks are there simply because I believe chocolate makes everything better (and in this ice cream, it truly does), but you could omit this ingredient if you just wanted a fruity treat.

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