It’s hard to know where to begin about life lately.
If you guessed by my absence that I have had a fair bit going on lately, you would be spot on. A series of minor changes laying the groundwork for a few major ones have meant it has been rather challenging to not let too much slip in the process.
For someone who is meant to be a change specialist, I am going to be honest and say that all the knowledge in the world does nothing to soften the impacts of periods of major change. By being more intentional about making some major changes moving forward, rather than just being caught in the whirlwind of opportunities, I have had to make some big decisions and overcome some hurdles – personally and professionally.
In saying that though, as I have started to settle into the changes, I have really started to get back into some things that I love – which has meant a massive amount of time in the kitchen. In fact, almost every day since I moved into my new place I have either had someone over for a meal or brought my baking to someone. And it’s been amazing.
When I was in New York, I had the best cookie of my life from a place called Levain Bakery.
In 2014, Taylor Swift put a post on Instagram about this place. So naturally, I had to try it. Especially after the last few months, I probably wouldn’t take Taylor Swift’s advice on a lot of things, but the girl knows her cookies.
This cookie was a warm, gooey, delicious handful of deliciousness. I may have had to wait in line for it… but it was totally worth the wait. And while I honestly had every intention of halving it and saving it for later, those intentions went out the window by the end of the street as I dusted the cookie crumbs off my chest.
Whilst I had a lot of amazing food moments in New York, this one probably stuck with me the most. So much so that I have been dreaming of that chocolate and walnut cookie ever since.
Whilst it’s hard to recreate an experience – lining up at the hold in the wall little bakery late in the afternoon before heading to a Broadway show – at least I can try to recreate the cookie. And of course, this was one of the first things that I made when I got into my new kitchen.
- 2 cups plain flour (I used wholemeal)
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
- 115gram butter (softened)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cups walnuts (chopped)
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius and grease two baking trays.
- Beat together butter, brown sugar and white sugar on high until fully mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until pale.
- Turn the beaters down to low and add flour. Mix until fully combined. Stir through chocolate chips and walnuts until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Spoon out mixture into 2 tbls size pieces and roll until smooth. Evenly place on a greased baking tray, leaving 2cm between each cookie.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until slightly golden.
- Serve warm and watch them disappear.
Xx Elizabeth
3 Comments
Cookie recipe looks amazing! I will try this too … or maybe you can deliver 😜
I’ll definitely have to make them for you. 🙂 xx
These cookies are so thick and fluffy – the almost look like Muffins! I’m totally intrigued so I’ll have to try out a gluten free version!