my baking frenemy and magic dust

I like to think I'm fairly handy in the kitchen. Mostly when it comes to baking. I love baking and my treats usually turn out delicious. Or so I like to tell myself.

That's not true, I'm my own worst critic, especially in the kitchen. So when things turn out all kinds of wrong, I'm the first to point all the flaws out. And when they turn out all tasty, I'm the first to praise myself.

Remember how I worked at a fancy bakery? And because I hadn't attended pastry school, nor was I an intern, I was assigned the easy tasks: cookies, cakes, brownies and frostings. Yeah, me too.

However, I've never had much luck making chocolate chip cookies at home. They typically turn out flat and crispy. Tasty, yes. But not much to look at. In fact, they usually look more like puddles of toffee with chocolate chip bumps. Sometimes I'd just pretend they were meant to be that way and pair them with ice cream. At least I was consistent with my outcome.

There are two recipes I've tried and tried to no avail: Jenny's and Emily Gold's. When they make their respective recipe, they are near unto perfection. They're slightly different (Emily's have some oats in them), but oh so delicious. And I have failed at every attempt to make them.

Jenny was pretty baffled by my inability to make cookies. We were roommates for a few years, she knew I could bake. I'm not sure I ever confessed to Emily that I couldn't make her cookies turn out right, but I complained to Jenny every time mine failed.

Back in December, before she fled the East Coast for warmer climes, we had a lesson. She came down to the land of the Garden State and taught me how to make her chocolate chip cookies. (In all actuality, she made the cookies and I asked her questions from the dining room while I watched the Teddy Bear eat dinner.)

And now I know how to make chocolate chip cookies! I made Jenny's recipe successfully on my own. And today I made Emily Gold's, successfully.

I was talking to Jaime the other day and confessed that I thought maybe Emily put magic dust in hers, since they're so good and have proved impossible to replicate. But I did it.

My problem? When a recipe calls for a measurement of packed brown sugar, I used to take that adjective very seriously and packed the measuring cup. We're talking lots of force to jam as much sugar in as possible. Jenny taught me otherwise.

And my belly is all the happier. (And bigger.)

Thanks Jenny!