So I have always wondered whether regular whole-wheat chappati flour or atta could be used for baking. I used atta to make crackers earlier, and they turned out great; but then, crackers are meant to be a little hard and dry. Could atta be used for sweeter baked goods? I tried this jaggery and sesame cake once, and came across a video for atta and yogurt cake, which shows a soft, fluffy cake.
But cookies? I was still not convinced.
So this was an experiment. And it was ok. I’m going to be honest. These aren’t the best looking cookies (I think they look rather alien and amoeba-like, and since I used only one chocolate chip per cookie, it also exudes a one-eyed monster vibe.)
I’ve praised Michael Rulhman’s Ratio before, and make all my shortbread cookies using his recipe.
The section of his book dedicated to cookie dough offers up a variation of the 1-2-3 cookie. You add some egg whites and bake to get a light, crispy, golden yellow cookie, the tuile.
I thought I’d borrow a little from the tuile recipe and make a chocolate chip version. Ruhlman’s recipe calls for equal parts egg whites, sugar, flour and butter, but I used more flour. I added some baking powder too, to give it a more cakey effect. Real tuiles need deft handling to get them thin, crispy and in the right shape, and I didn’t have the patience to try; so I went with softer cake-like cookies.
But as far as experiments go, it wasn’t so bad. Completely edible and enjoyable, though not knock-your-socks-off fantastic. These reminded me of ladyfinger biscuits, so they’re not all that bad. Except ladyfingers don’t look like alieneyes.
The chocolate chip cookie. It may be the plain Jane, the everyday cookie, the cookie which even has the capacity to elicit a yawn in the age of boutique cupcakeries, dessert bars and bespoke macaron makers.
But a good, warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie…can really do no wrong. Even the most persnickety of dessert snobs will agree that a well-made chocolate chipper hits all the right spots. It may not have the exotic charm of an ispahan macaron or require deft skills, but it is a dessert to be loved and revered just as ardently.
I think that is what makes the chocolate chip cookie so appealing to me- there are no hard and fast rules; you can play around with flavours and ingredients and still call it a chocolate chip cookie.
♥ The chocolate chip cookie is not going to kick up a fuss because the air is too humid (like a macaron.)
♥ It doesn’t have to compete with a frosting, or rely on one to make it complete (like a cupcake.)
♥ You can carry them in a ziplock in your handbag from Frankfurt to Bombay and re-discover them, still intact and just as delicious, 2 days later. (Yes, I am referring to myself.)
These cookies are what I expect a perfect chocolate chip cookie to be: a little firm, a little cakey, delightfully chewy and with chocolate chips that are melting as you bite in. (There, I had my Nigella moment. Done. Dusted.)
Sugar, Spice, Etc 