The Perfect Cookie For One!

OMG I must have made (and tasted) a dozen recipes before I discovered THE SECRET to The PERFECT Cookie for One — take advantage of all my ‘research’ and enjoy!

Of all the (many) things I find it hard to resist, a fresh baked homemade chocolate chip cookie is right up there with the big boys.   So, sadly, I hardly ever make them.   And that’s why I’m so excited to share this recipe for the perfect cookie for one with you…it makes a big beautiful delicious, warm gooey chocolate chip cookie.  Just one.  So basically — you’re protected from your bad self — how fabulous is that?

You might not realize it, but creating the perfect formula for a single cookie is not easy.  You want it to be super delish, quick, and without unnecessary waste (no 1/4 of an egg, thank you.)  You should be able to whip it up with a mug and a fork, with ingredients you always have on hand.  Sounds simple.  Not so much.  There are kinks that need to be worked out, and fussy details to get right.  But now that I’ve got it — I’m going to share it with you.  And if you’re one of those people that needs to be restrained in a straitjacket around a batch of cookies, you’ll appreciate this.   You won’t be tempted to sneak another, and another, because, guess what?… you can’t!  (Bwahahahahah)   It makes a lot of sense.  And did I mention this makes one HEFTY cookie?  So you won’t go away hungry.

Secret # 1 — Accuracy!  This is not the kind of recipe you can fool around with, trust me.  All baking depends on accuracy, but with something this small, that’s triple true.  Every little discrepancy will be magnified in your final cookie, so take care!  Use those handy little markers on the butter wrapper, and if your wrapper has gone wonky, line it back up.  Use real honest to goodness measuring spoons, not stuff from the cutlery drawer.  Fluff your flour first and level it off when you measure.  Your oven needs to be at the correct temperature, I keep an oven thermometer in mine and always check before I put anything inside.  Don’t panic, this isn’t hard at all, but it is specific.

Secret # 2 — Make sure you mix your dough well.  Everything should be well combined, no dry flour left, so keep at it with the fork, until the butter and flour are one.  After mixing, use your hands to compact the dough and roll it into a perfect ball.  If you don’t combine the dough well enough your cookie won’t hold together well as it bakes.

Secret # 3 — Use a regular cookie sheet, not a super-duper insulated one; the cookies seem to cook better that way, (non-stick is ok.)  Press down just slightly with your fingers on the ball of dough before you put it in the oven.

Secret # 4 — The oats.  They add texture, flavor, and structure to the cookie.

Secret # 5 — I like to pop in a few extra chocolate chips once I have formed the ball of dough and set it on the pan.  Add them on top, pushing into the dough well, so that when it comes out of the oven you’ll have a few tempting morsels staring up at you.

Truly perfect.  And I don’t know about you, but when I see the ingredients laid out for the one cookie they look innocent enough — maybe we’ve hit on solution to the age old dilemma and maybe we can paraphrase Michael Pollen’s wise words…”Eat dessert.  Not too much.”

notes:

• If you like your cookies soft and gooey, eat it warm from the oven.  If you like your cookies with a little bit of crunch, let it cool completely.

Go ahead, you know you want to try this — and let me know what you think!

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