A thousand butterflies

I just finished The Book of (More) Delights (2023), Ross Gay's endlessly entertaining second book of "essayettes," each documenting his delight of record every day for a year. Two of you at least should be able to appreciate this excerpt from his entry for July 7 about the courtesy of truckers:

Very occasionally, at night, when I'm tired but with miles to go before I sleep, I'll let myself slip into the fantasy that a truck behind my is a demon truck, like that Stephen King movie, and let it be said that Stephen King kinda ruined a lot of shit. Tell me you wouldn't be afraid to stay the winter for free in a big beautiful empty ski lodge with lots of food and these days probably Wi-Fi and a pool. Tell me you're not a little bit afraid of homecoming or prom or whatever. Tell me you're not a little bit afraid of bid cuddly slobbery dogs, or clowns, or '57 Chevys, or cornfields, or your pets, or your kids. See what I'm saying?

Here's another one that resonated especially with me. Commenting on the idea that being acutely attuned to one's daily delights doesn't have to have the undesired downside of also making one acutely aware of one's "undelights," Gay gave the example that getting a disappointing coffee at the local shop didn't squelch his delight in the fact "that the barista was wearing a Milli Vanilli concert shirt. Not to mention that the song 'Video Killed the Radio Star' that blasts your heart into a thousand butterflies every single time was playing on the algorithm machine." Oh, the memories this delight sparked of hearing "Video Killed the Radio Star" over and over on the radio when I was 15 years old! And more importantly, of seeing "Video Killed the Radio Star" as the very first music video ever broadcast on MTV, which sounds quaint now but was a super big deal in 1981. Long live the Buggles!

 

 

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Something else than can blast your heart into a thousand butterflies is a perfect chocolate chip cookie. And that's essentially what we have here, a palm-sized gluten-free chocolate chip cookie that doesn't have to give an inch to a "regular" CCC made with all-purpose flour.

 

Not long before the pandemic started, the editors at NYT Cooking charged Erin Jeanne McDowell with the task of developing vegan and gluten-free versions of the New York Times' famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. For the latter, McDowell tested all sorts of flours (white rice, brown rice, potato, chickpea, coconut, gluten-free all-purpose blends, and almond), and was happily surprised when every one of her testers preferred the cookies made with store-bought almond flour, which "created a cookie that was beautifully chewy and golden brown." I tried this out on Brad, Dylan, and Moriah, and we all agreed this is an outstanding cookie even without regard to it being gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Erin Jeanne McDowell via the New York Times (Feb. 20, 2020)

Time: ~45 minutes for the first batch (~28 minutes to make the dough)

140 grams (10 tablespoons / 1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
110 grams (~½ cup) light brown sugar
100 grams (½ cup) granulated white sugar
310 grams (~3 cups) finely ground almond flour (I use Trader Joe's Blanched Almond Flour)
¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
340 grams / 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or feves or, preferably, coarsely chopped bar chocolate (I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% Dark Chocolate)
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), optional

    1. Place racks in the center of the oven; heat to 350 degrees. Line two 13-by-18-inch (half-sheet) baking pans with parchment paper.
    2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed (4 on our KitchenAid) until fluffy and very light, about 4 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, whisk the almond flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
    4. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the mixing bowl. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat on medium speed to combine. The mixture may look curdled. Scrape the bowl and beat again until fluffy.
    5. Add the dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed (Stir on our KitchenAid) until just combined, about 10 to 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl and mix again on low speed just until homogenous.
    6. Add the chocolate and mix on the lowest speed just until incorporated. Mix completely with the spatula.
    7. Using a ¼ cup (#16) disher, scoop the dough into generous golf-ball sized mounds. You should have 16 dough balls. Place 6 dough balls, staggered to create maximum spreading room between each cookie, on each baking sheet. Using your fingers, press each ball down slightly to flatten the top; don’t overdo it. Sprinkle each ball with flaky sea salt, if using.
    8. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and barely set in the center (they’ll still be pretty soft), rotating the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through, about 16 minutes total.
    9. Transfer cookies, still on the baking sheets, to wire racks, and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and let cool a bit more on the wire racks. Bake the remaining dough balls. Makes 16 (4-inch) cookies.