Some people choose recipes by their ingredients while others, like Little Chef D, choose recipes by their pictures. For her first recipe Little Chef D wanted a “brown cookie” and found Top Secret Chocolate Cookies by Christy Hyer. The first thing we always do is measure out all the ingredients. I have found this makes the mixing/cooking/baking process go a lot smoother. The prep time seems to be long and sometimes hard if there is cutting involved, but when we are really ready to start following the recipe it is short and easier.

When we got to the eggs Little Chef D said “You have to learn me how to crack eggs.”  (It is bad English, but Little Chef D is very young.) We got out another bowl just to crack the eggs in so that we can fish the shells out before adding it to the mixing bowl. After cracking the second egg I heard, “I did it all by myself!” I love how proud my Little Chefs are of their accomplishments!  Next was to measure out the vanilla. We like to smell all our ingredients for fun. As we were measuring out the vanilla Little Chef D smelt it and said, “Oh I just love vanilla!”
The measuring was done and it was time to really begin. We got out the stand alone mixer because we thought it would be easier for Little Chef D to push the start/stop button then to hold the hand mixer and keep all the ingredients in the bowl, not flying all over the kitchen.  Even more exciting was cleaning up. She said, “You let me put things in the sink all by myself.” “We have to wipe off the counter.” You would think this was the first time I allowed my Little Chef to do these tasks, when in reality it is done daily.

Little Chef D’s attention span was gone when it was time to put the dough in the wax paper so I did that. After an older Little Chef came home from school we just HAD to bake the cookies. The two hour time had not past, perhaps one hour, but alas patience had run thin, and excitement was high. The dough was unrolled, sliced, rolled into balls ,which really made a mess in their hands. It took all my convincing for the now two Little Chefs to roll ALL the cookies and THEN wash their hands. The cookie balls were then dipped into sugar and placed on the baking sheet. For safety I was the one putting in and taking out of the oven.

I didn’t need the first batch to come out of the oven before knowing we would have a problem. At the end of the mixing I mentioned the attention span of Little Chef D was done. The dough could have used another minute in the mixer, but this isn’t mine to make so I left it alone.

Sure enough, as you can see, the cookies are not worthy for a bake sale. See the butter chunks that weren’t properly mixed in? See the larger and smaller cookies? Some were rolled carefully in balls, some didn’t have a lot of rolling and have very organic shapes. They all taste pretty much the same (if you throw out the butter chunks). Very chocolatey.  The Little Chefs missed having chips inside the cookies, they were non eventful. For my review, they were alright, but nothing to write home about. Sadly, I would not choose to make them again.

Top Secret Chocolate Cookies

Christy Hyer

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• White Sanding sugar, for garnish

Directions