Chocolate chip walnut cookies

Phew! The last few weeks have been hectic and fun at the same time. Grad school committee meeting, a lab meeting, finding a new apartment, parents coming over for a visit and visiting family in Seattle. A lot was accomplished, but I felt like I didn't have enough time to really bake.

So I decided to do something about it - oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies. Mmm... 

I would have had the whole bucket of cookies but I realized that there was this thing called a lab where I worked and where I figured people might be hungry from working all day - so I took the high road (a very difficult choice here) and shared it with them.

This recipe is infinitely simple from the fact that I didn't even need any specialized equipment for this. Joyofbaking.com has a great recipe, and I'm proud to say that it works like a charm.

Chocolate chip walnut cookies

Adapted from Joyofbaking.com

Yield: More than 2 dozen decent-sized cookies (I made mini cookies and got twice that)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
3/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temp - makes it soft)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (NOT THE INSTANT)
1/2-1 cup chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat to combine.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon into the wet mixture.
5. Mix until incorporated and then fold in the nuts, oats, and chocolate chips.
6. On the baking sheet with either parchment paper or silicone pad, add tablespoons of the cookie dough. Make sure the cookies are separated by a few inches.
7. Press down on the cookies to flatten them and put them in the oven.
8. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until it is crisp, but still a little gooey - it will firm up as it cools down.

This is a great quick recipe that doesn't take much time - so if you are busy like me, then this is the recipe for you.

I'll be back next week with more recipes (hopefully things will calm down then). And....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Kartik 

Chocolate chip Walnut biscotti

Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay in the post - it's been two weeks, I know. But, life can be quite crazy when you are trying to publish a paper, hoping to pass a committee meeting, and working to get new data.

So I hope I can appease your anger with this little recipe adapted from joyofbaking.com - chocolate chip walnut biscotti (she uses almonds, which are equally delicious) - it certainly does the job in the lab. It goes great with coffee, and who can say no to a good cup of joe? The biscotti is an italian cookie that is double baked to give it its crisp texture.