Over the weekend, I encountered two things tied to extreme media hype:
1) The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - and -
2) The Dark Knight
It reminded me of the period leading up to when Eyes Wide Shut was released - I saw the movie and found it anticlimactic. Remember that HYPE? Unreal. Being a Stanley Kubrick fan, however, I had to buy the DVD and watch it again - and then I found the movie brilliant. We saw The Dark Knight over the weekend - and wow - I must say, the hype is well founded. It was fantastic. Heath Ledger's acting, along with the entire cast, was truly incredible and his role will probably be a character study for years to come. It was poignant seeing Heath act, knowing what followed. Bittersweet.
As for the cookies? Well, I'll write more about them later in a specific post - but, kinda ho hum. I was expecting to be blown off of my rocker, had I a rocker. This was supposed to be the end-all, be-all chocolate chip cookie recipe. It required 2 specialty flours. It required 36 hours of the dough "resting" in the fridge. I guess I expected it to set my hair on fire or make me bark at the moon or run naked down the street with glee. None of that happened. I feel beige about these cookies. I want to paint a wall beige. Just beige. Not even nutmeg or toast, just beige. So, now - just to rub salt in my OWN WOUND, I made another batch of the same dough - using all-purpose flour, because crap if I'm going to recommend that you go out and buy 2 specialty flours if I don't think it's necessary. So, the frickin' dough is once again napping in my fridge while I'm hard at work. I'll bake this batch and let you know what I think. I'm just not feeling the hype on these babies.
It's like buying a Mercedes, but you found out it was fitted with an engine from a Yugo or a Chevette, ya know?
So: Cookies - 0 / Batman - 1
TWO TYPES OF FLOUR????? That sounds more OCD than the recipes on America's Test Kitchen. I think I'll stick to the recipe on the back of the Toll House wrapper.
ReplyDeleteBut bless your heart for checking them out for the rest of the blogosphere!
I loved the movie too, all of it. And I too was worried because of all the hype, so I was really pleased to see that it lived up to it.
ReplyDeleteBut cookies in the NYT? Yes, those should make you run down the street naked if they're in the NYT (there were 2 articles on them, weren't there, I mean come on!)!
I read the recipe and was thinking "you've got to be kidding." No way can all that work make that big a difference. Glad I wasn't tempted.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I went to the store fully intending to buy the special cake flour and bread flour for this NY Times cookie, because I adore choco chip cookies. Well, I saw the price of those flours and said forget it. Not to mention the price of those chocolates he recommended, which I snubbed from the beginning. I can't wait to hear of your comparison of with and without the special flours. You're taking one for the team here, girl.
ReplyDeleteThanks just the same, but I'm sticking to the Toll House Memorized Because I've Made 30 Trillion Batches In My Life recipe. You go, New York Times. Rock on.
ReplyDeleteOoh I'm excited about the Dark Knight (no idea why, since I'm a wreck with scary movies) so I'm glad to hear that it's actually good. The whole NYT cookie thing has passed me by - well, I do live in New Zealand - but really...
ReplyDeleteThe movie didn't open here yet... About the cookies, I've read somewhere that the recipe was changed again using just all porpose flour. I wish I could remember where was it to give you the link.
ReplyDeleteAnyway sorry if you didn't like them so much. I actually found them very good cookies, but perfect is a strong word.
First: Eyes Wide Shut... eeeewwww... Sorry, not a big Tom fan.
ReplyDeleteSecond: I hate hype that doesn't come through.
And Third: you wanted to know if BlogHer would be anticlimactic. I have to admit, I was so excited about it all that by the time I boarded my plane, I thought... hmm... I wonder if I've made this out to be more than it's actually going to be.
Wanna know what happened?
http://livingintheory.blogspot.com/2008/07/coming-out-of-fog-blogher-2008-san.html
The dough for these is sitting in my fridge. I tend to keep those flours, but I ran out of cake flour so I used some AP too. I am glad to read your review though--I will probably enjoy them more if my enthusiasm is tempered, ya know?
ReplyDeleteI want to nap in your fridge. I mean, look at what's always in there.
ReplyDeletecalling it the perfect chocolate chip cookie is ridiculous. all people like their cookies differently, so it's ludicrous to think that one recipe could please everyone. absurd. i'll stick with the recipe i've tweaked until it's just right for me, thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteI actually was baking the NYT chocolate chip cookies Sunday morning before I went to see "The Dark Knight". The movie was GREAT!! The cookies? They're okay. I think I prefer the America's Test Kitchen recipe. I already had both types of flour (cake flour for cupcakes and bread flour for bagels.) The chocolate was a pain in the butt, I found a box of Guittard discs at World Market for $10. $10!?!? *sigh* Better to have baked and (not) loved (so much) than never to have baked at all, right? Good luck on yours...
ReplyDeleteTWO KINDS of specialty flour??? If you hadn't said NYT I would have thought you were just having some fun with us, but I believe you. Let us know how the AP turns out. BTW, our super secret modification to the toll house recipe involves using 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white instead of 3/4 cup of each - enjoy!! L
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen "The Dark Knight" yet, but I really liked "Batman Begins".
ReplyDeleteAs for the cookies, I'm not a pastry chef by any means, but if what I'm baking with gets to "rest" longer than I do, then it just isn't worth it.
Big Kubrick fan. Hardly anyone gets that movie, never understood why.
ReplyDeleteI finally saw Dark Knight. Completely loved it, and you're right, it lived up to the hype.
A DOUGH needs to "rest?" I am canceling my subscription to the NY Times on the grounds that this is stupid. I need rest. The dough can fend for itself.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's a lot of trouble for cookies. I'll check in on the next batch.
ReplyDeleteI can't beat Manager Mom's comment! Ha!