Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Can I just tell you what life has been like around here for the last month?

We tore out our old kitchen.  Floors (all three layers.  Nice, I know.), cabinets, counters.  Gone.

Our house is 50 years old, and the kitchen was original.  I hear that retro is in, but I have limits.

So now we have a new floor and cabinets.

Who needs countertops anyway?

But we still have no countertops.  And I'm doing dishes in the bathtub.

And since we didn't have enough going on with three children and no kitchen for weeks, I thought it would be an opportune time to get a....

puppy!

{I don't know how my husband puts up with me.  All I can say is that he is very sweet, and when I said I wanted a puppy, he said sure.}

Our puppy's name is Teddy.  He's so cute I can't even stand it.  So sweet I can't even deal.

Teddy crashed out on our new floor.  He kind of matches, ya think?

Teddy is a Golden Retriever, the all-American dog.  Great with kids.  I grew up with Golden Retrievers.  They are wonderful dogs!

He is just a gem.  He went to his first vet appointment in style: he rode in my purse.

People think it's a little nuts to have two cats, two dogs and three children.  Well.  All in perspective, people.

During the course of my childhood, we had a horse, several rabbits, three dogs, six cats, three fawns (those are baby deer in case you've never left the city limits).  My rabbits had more litters than I can count, my mama cat had a litter of kittens every spring, and one of our Goldens had three litters of puppies.

The point of all that is just to say that my four animals are a drop in the bucket.  And children need pets.  It's good for them.  Children are good for animals, too.

And my dad is a veterinarian.  Thank goodness.

So anyway.  Since I have no kitchen and am trying to stay sane, I did what any normal, healthy person would do.

I went to my parents' house and used their kitchen to make chocolate chunk cookies.

These cookies have a mere two teaspoons of cornstarch, but the cornstarch yields an amazing result.  The cookies don't spread much as they bake and they are tender, moist, chewy and completely non-cakey (I don't do cakey.  Unless I'm eating actual cake.)

Basically do these cookies as you would do any cookies: cream the butter and sugars, beat in the egg and vanilla, add the dry ingredients and stir in the chocolate.

The dough may be a little dry and crumbly; don't worry.  Just smash it together.  It will turn out fine in the end.  Scoop out balls of dough and then refrigerate before you bake.

You don't really have to refrigerate the dough, but refrigerated dough spreads less than room-temp dough.  Your choice.

Don't bake these very long...we want to keep them moist.  They will set up as they cool, so take them out when they still look under-done.

And if you bake them on parchment paper, they're supremely easy to get off the baking sheet.  The cookies really are awesome.  They're subtly different than my usual chocolate chip cookies, but I really love both kinds.

Bake some cookies.  It makes life better.  Or get a Golden Retriever puppy.  They make life better, too.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Adapted from Averie Cooks

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cornstarch
2 cups flour
6 oz. (about 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
9 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) milk chocolate chunks

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until combined (this will take about 3 minutes on medium-high speed).  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir slowly until just combined (do not overmix!).

Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours (or up to 4-5 days).  If I'm baking the cookies the same day, I scoop out the dough with a medium cookie scoop and refrigerate (for at least 2 hours) on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-9 minutes.  Slide the cookies (on the parchment paper) on to the counter to cool.