Two Years

It's extraordinary how much the span of two short years can change a person. I find myself questioning how it's even possible.

I started this blog two years ago: two boyfriends, two houses, two cars, two jobs...ago. Back then I didn't own a kitchen scale, a stand mixer or a Silpat and the only cookbook in my kitchen was a 1984 copy of The Joy of Cooking, which is missing half of the index. But I started a food blog anyway and my very first entry was about chocolate chip cookies. I used almond flour, grapeseed oil and agave nectar instead of flour, butter and sugar. I called turbinado sugar "turbine sugar." Please never make them. Make these super moist, toasted oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies instead.

Who are you now compared to who you were two years, five years, ten years ago?

These cookies are a hybrid of the New York Times chocolate chip cookies and Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies and Alton Brown's the chewy.

Hannah Messinger's chocolate chip cookies

Makes 22 large cookies

5 ounces old-fashioned oats

6.5 ounces bread flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (two sticks) salted butter

10 ounces sugar, half brown, half white

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs at room temp

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
flaky salt

1. Melt 2 Tablespoons over butter over medium heat in a skillet. Toast oats, stirring occasionally, until they smell like popcorn. Pulse them in a food processor until they are as fine as possible. Whisk with other dry ingredients.

2. Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla. At a very low speed, mix in dry ingredients. Give about 1/4 of the chocolate chips a good chop- don't be tempted to do this step in the food processor because the heat from the motor will melt the chocolate. Fold in chocolate.

3. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 72 hours. 

4. Preheat your oven to 350. Roll dough into 2 ounce balls and bake six at a time. The length that you bake your cookies will determine the texture. About 14 minutes will give you a good, chewy cookie. 18 minutes will give you a more old-fashioned, crispy cookie.

5. As soon as you pull your pan out of the oven, top the hot cookies with a sprinkle of salt. Let them rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.