They are Chick Peas in America, Garbanzo Beans in Spain, Pois Chiche in France, Ceci Beans in Italy –and they are one and the same. An ancient protein-filled legume that makes the base for one of our favorite dips- Hummus. I decided to do a Hummus Test this week. I made one batch from scratch which required, among its many steps, soaking the chick peas overnight, grinding the cumin seed to a powder, and boiling the peas to soften before blending in a food processor. Then, I made a Hummus recipe in less than 5 minutes using one can of Chick Peas. The winner? I was shocked. It was unanimous. By a panel of 12 trusted foodies, the 5-minute version surprisingly won the day. Nothing more to say than Easy Peasy! Enjoy it with my Homemade Wheat Thins.
whole wheat flour
Wendy’s Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Story
All I have to say is “chewy, sink your teeth into chocolate chip cookie” and I’ve gotcha, right?
The Cookie Swap Season has officially begun, and today I’m starting with the Granddaddy of the Holiday Cookie Exchange – rich and chewy homemade chocolate chips. This recipe, from Wendy Putler, is one of the best we’ve ever rescued, made with whole wheat and real butter. Here’s Wendy’s story and her scrumptious step-by-step creation.
“One day I was visiting with another mom while waiting for kids at gymnastics. We got on the subject of cookies and she said that she made the best chocolate chip cookies. I told her that I was sorry, but I made the best. We started comparing recipes and sure enough, they were the same! My mom found this recipe in the Boston Globe newspaper in 1964. The original recipe called for shortening instead of butter and extra water. I switched to butter and left out the water, and I liked them even more. Over time they started coming out flatter. (I don’t know if butter has higher water content now, but something changed.) So I started adding more flour. I switched to whole wheat, but when I substituted all the flour, we weren’t crazy about the taste. But using a portion of whole wheat actually made them better and chewier. My friends love them, and I give them the packages of the frozen cookie balls with instructions for gifts. That way they can make them later when all the other holiday goodies are gone.”
Wendy, put me on the “friends” list, and thank you for the recipe!
