martha saves the day

A certificate in pastry arts may not seem like the most useful education, but on occasion, a chef can be a real hero. A few weeks ago I got a panicked voice mail from my sister. "Liz," she said. "It's a baking emergency. I need your help." I called her back, did some phone triage, and determined that somewhere in her attempt to bake cookies for a friend, something had gone horribly wrong. I knew from the tone of her voice that it was bad, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the sight that met my eyes when I entered our kitchen 20 minutes later.

These cookies, ostensibly Toll House chocolate chip, were probably the saddest I'd ever seen - completely flat, burnished dark brown, so thin they were almost transparent. There was still some dough left, so I performed the very scientific experiment of tasting a spoonful. The taste was fine, but the texture seemed soft and a little greasy. I quizzed Laura - did she follow the recipe? did she add a leavener? did she add flour? The answers were all as they should be, but they didn't tally up to the final product. I made the executive decision to mix in some more flour and chuck the dough in the freezer while we made a new kind of cookie for her friend, who had failed his driving exam and was in need of culinary comfort.

Wanting something foolproof and brown sugar-less (Laura had used the last in her ill-fated previous attempt), I pulled out Martha Stewart's Cookies, which I got for my last birthday. Martha offered up Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies, which looked big and sweet enough to assuage most major life disasters. We must not have made our cookies quite as giant as Martha did, because we got about 50% more than the recipe suggested, but they turned out quite nicely. The slightly sticky dough baked into dark, crinkly rounds of chocolatey goodness, just the thing for soothing a friend's wounded ego or re-building confidence in the kitchen.

In case you were wondering about the disaster cookies, the rehabbed dough turned out just fine. Laura was able to bring a few of them to her friend, and for the first time in a while, I felt like a kitchen hero and stud of a sister. I think the moral of the story is: trust Martha to steer you straight. (Unless, of course, you're looking for a hot stock tip.)

Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies (adapted slightly from Martha Stewart's Cookies)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. vegetable shortening (or butter), melted and cooled

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light, soft, and aerated. Add melted shortening, mix thoroughly. Add egg, then vanilla, beating thoroughly after each. Mix until creamy.

Reduce mixer speed, then gradually add flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Drop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Martha suggests using a 2 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, which holds about 1/4 c. of dough. Space the cookies about 4 inches apart (if making this size). Bake until edges are firm, 18-20 minutes, and let cool on sheets on wire rack.