Recipe: A faker of a baker tries making cookies, for real

Editor’s Note: Many adventurous cooks are taking advantage of their extra time at home to learn new techniques — witness the explosion of interest in baking bread. There are many other worlds to explore, though. This is one we at Crave sought to sample.

When it comes to cooking, I like to wing it. That’s probably why I don’t have any recipes written down, have never owned a cookbook, and my favorite dish to prepare is cioppino — it’s OK if the seafood stew is not the same every time.

That’s why I’d never baked before — unless you count those cookies that you cut from a roll and put in an oven for a few minutes. All you have to worry about is burning ’em.

That’s not baking. That’s faking.

Real baking from scratch takes precision and focus. Those are not my strong suits in the kitchen.

But life’s quite a bit different now. I’m among the many folks who have more free time than ever before. So why not try something new in that room with the refrigerator and the oven?

Let’s see if I can bake something.

My first ideas were tiramisu or biscotti. But after some research, it seemed wiser to start with something a bit more simple, something where I wouldn’t have to separate eggs or do precision cutting.

So I went with Plan C: chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, not so exotic and fancy. But the risk-reward ratio seemed pretty good. Who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies (even if they’re slightly under- cooked or burnt)?

Most chocolate chip cookie recipes are pretty much the same. I read a few online and checked with some friends who know what they’re doing to make sure I had the right tools, used the right amounts of each ingredient, had the oven at the correct temperature, and didn’t leave out something important, like baking soda … or chocolate chips.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to use both regular and white chocolate chips in a cookie, but I had to throw in some twist of my own, so there you go.

An electric hand mixer came in handy, but I also used a wooden spoon and elbow grease during some of the batter preparation (my workout for the day, and I also feared flour flying all over the kitchen).

In the end, the kitchen didn’t burn down, the cookies didn’t crumble, and folks who tried them said they were good. They were crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside, like they’re supposed to be. Well, most of them were.

I did forget something … there’s no better pairing of food and beverage than fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies and cold milk. I didn’t bring any when I served my cookies. But if that’s my worst mistake as a rookie baker, I can live with it.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment.

Soften butter in microwave for 20 seconds, then mix it with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until mixture is smooth.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water; add to mixture. Add salt. Stir in flour and chips.

Drop batter by 1-inch diameter spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool on rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

Nutritional information unavailable.