The final push...

Well, right now, what's in the oven marks the third batch of cookies I've baked today. I tried two new changes, one which entailed changing the way I added the cocoa, including it with the dry ingredients instead of with the melted butter and sugar as my best recipe so far entails, and the second recipe was one where I decided to try Ghirardelli cocoa, as well as the addition of a 1/4 cup more flour, to see what those changes would bring.

Both exercises are proof that the recipe I came up with late last week is still the best I've come up with, and tonight, I decided to do one more batch, since I was going to write up the instructions and have some friends (read: Alison, Torey and Meg) try baking the recipe for me for feedback, to see if my directions are clear, and if they have the same result as me.

Two things I learned: first, it's amazing how changing the technique of how you use the exact same ingredients can dramatically impact the finished product. By adding the cocoa with the dry ingredients, instead of with the melted butter, I ended up with something that was much more a batter, rather than a dough--I almost made brownies out of it, but added a little more flour to thicken it up. Creaming the butter makes a different cookie--less fudgy and more cakey, and one that doesn't spread as readily. That's fascinating to me.

The second thing I learned: sometimes, the fanciest cocoas aren't always the best. I wouldn't recommend Ghirardelli cocoa to anyone. Blech!

A few more batches tomorrow, to come up with a great picture, and then I need to write a little blurb about the cookie, and then I'll send it in on Thursday--maybe late Wednesday, to make sure it gets in by the deadline on Friday.