I have my own grandiose ideas about brownies. They need to be rich to the point of being sinful, thick to the point of being a mouthful and simply ooooooooozing with chocolate. Having tried almost all the brownies that are in the market these days, none of it actually come up to my expectations. What I find in the market are these sorry excuses of brownies that come in thin, anorexic slivers that have no richness or depth of flavour whatsoever, but the prices, phew! Exorbitant! So I bake my own :)
Chocolate chip cookies, a childhood delicasy that came in round tin boxes which were also a rarity. They always came around during Christmas and it only seemed right that I bake some when the December breeze was just starting to bring about that Christmassy warmth about our homesteads. My idea of chocolate chip cookies is a LARGE, rich, moist vanilla cookie that explodes in the mouth with loud bursts of chocolate that literary gives you goosebumps. I attempt to recreate the idea. And to some extent, I was succesful. Above is the proof.
Last but not the least, my father’s personal favourite, the butter cookie. Beautifully caramelized on top (I make it a point to not let the sugar dissolve in the batter entirely), these buttery, milky delight has been a favourite of the household from time immemorial. Idea passed down from Mother Dearest to myself. Me being the rebel has made a few changes and out came these one Friday afternoon :)
Ah baking. It has always been a stress reliever. That feeling you get once some ridiculous idea that you’ve formulated inside your head comes out from the oven, that adrenaline rush you get when you turn a cake over or take the first scorching bite off a dish is just incomparable. I remember the time when in the heat of exams or assignment deadlines, I would put aside everything else and just bake, knead all my frustration, fury and disappointment, sometimes even the sadness away. The outcomes had always been so sunny and cheerful. Instant gratification, results guaranteed.
For the love of baking <3