Dark Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt....#improv

It's the third Thursday of the month...this can only mean that it's an Improv day! Improv is a monthly blogger challenge put forth by the lovely Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker. Each month Kristen gives us two seasonal ingredients with which we are to create something wonderful. This month our theme is Ebony and Ivory!

Of course I went for the chocolate....why wouldn't I? Actually, a few months ago I had created a Sea Salted Dark Chocolate Cookie. I loved them, but I forgot to write the recipe down and I couldn't remember where I got the inspiration. So, I Googled. What I found was a pretty good sounding cookie from a certain Martha Stewart. You can find her recipe here ------ >  XXX  Of course I had to put my spin on things (not to mention make it an Ebony and Ivory themed cookie), so I changed it up. Here's what I made:

Dark Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Sea Salt

Printable Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup dark cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (60% Cacao), melted

2 teaspoons espresso powder or instant coffee

1/2 cup good quality white chocolate chips

2 oz good quality white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the coconut oil for several minutes or until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir the espresso powder into the melted chocolate and add to the sugar mixture. Fold in the flour/cocoa mixture just until completely blended; stir in the white chocolate chips and chopped white chocolate. 

The coconut oil can make the cookies spread, so be sure to chill the dough for a few minutes after you've dropped them on the cookie sheet. 

Drop the dough by tablespoons (I use a cookie scoop) onto the prepared pan. Sprinkle each mound of cookie dough with a little sea salt. Chill the dough for a few minutes before baking (so the cookies don't spread too much), then bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

It might be worth your while to pour a glass of milk before you dig in....

Perfectly fudge-y in the middle.

Okay--wipe the crumbs off and let's take a look at what everyone else is making---

An InLinkz Link-up

Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

You will have to excuse me if I'm a little obsessed with Coconut Oil. Seriously, to me it's like butter you can store in your cupboard. For the most part it stays nice and solid, even at room temperature. Of course, when the heat index hits over 95 degrees, it does turn to liquid...but that's ok. It still works. I have used it for both cooking and baking by simply subbing it for butter and it has worked well. Apparently, it even has heath benefits...just ask the Dr. Oz show: The Surprising Benefits of Coconut Oil

It's not a surprise that Trader Joe's has a good deal on Organic Coconut Oil. I happen to prefer a little of the coconut taste, so this brand is perfect.

I had to wonder, though, if Coconut Oil would make a good cookie? Then a couple of months ago, I tried it in my Fish 'N Chips Cookies (you really have to try these...not as gross as they sound), and the results were spectacular!

I'm a big fan of putting "stuff" in my cookies...."kitchen sink" cookies, if you will. My daughter, on the other hand, is a purest. No nuts, no pretzels, no coconut flakes. I still irritate her (mothers learn to do this in mother school) by asking each time I make cookies if I should put some walnuts in the batter (the answer is always no..or so the eye roll tells me). Sigh. So, instead I revved up the taste with some sea salt and dark chocolate. Result? Perfection. No nuts needed.

Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

1¾ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup coconut oil

1 ½ cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup chopped dark chocolate (I used a dark chocolate candy bar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Place the coconut oil and the brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, stirring until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and the chopped chocolate.

Use a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Chill for a few minutes (this will avoid spreading) Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are just golden. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Penzey's is another essential place for me...I have a bag of sea salt just for baking.

I found the consistency of the dough to be a little tacky. Chilling the dough makes it hard..the coconut oil hardens quickly--so chill after you scoop.

As you can see there is some spread, but not too much.

I like to add additional chopped chocolate...you can see the extra little chocolate chunks next to the chocolate chips.

Chewy, with crisp edges. These cookies are great warm from the oven ---melt-y dark chocolate and a little taste of sea salt....chocolate chip heaven!

How do you use Coconut Oil?

Wendy's New Natural Cut Fries with Sea Salt

To say that I love French fries may be an understatement. I loooove French fries! So when Foodbuzz and Wendy's offered me a gift card to try out Wendy's new fries, I jumped at the chance. Oh, before I forget--my official disclosure: "As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a Wendy's gift card to try out Wendy's new Natural Cut French Fries with Sea Salt " .

I first heard about Wendy's new version of French fries a couple of weeks ago, and since my husband and I both share a love of the fried potato, we set out to find them. The first few tries were futile, but we did manage to get our fill of Wendy's chili (that's one recipe I hope they don't monkey with). We finally did find them, but, keeping in mind that this was before I received my free-trial gift card, I didn't pay much attention to the detail. They did seem a little salty.

Along with my gift card, came a time and place that I should use it. My window of fry tasting opportunity was pretty small--this Friday or next, between 2-6 PM. Since I'm out of town next week, this Friday won the draw. Unfortunately, when I left work at 4:30, the weather decided to take a turn for the worse---it was snowing. The commute to my designated Wendy's, normally a 20 minute drive, took 1 1/4 hours. Yikes. The things I do for French fries.

 

Before I left on my great French fry adventure, I googled the new fries to see what kind of buzz was out there. The opinions were divided. There is a whole group of people out there who loved the old fries. Nothing but the old version would make these people happy....they are now boycotting. The other group didn't care for the old fries...too soggy, they said. These people welcomed the change with open mouths. And everyone compared them to the mother of all fast food fries, the McDonald French fry....amazingly popular even after Mickey D's changed things up drastically twenty years ago, doing away with frying them in beef tallow. It must have to do with the flavor additives.

So what did I think? I like them. I know the sea salt thing is a gimmick....sodium is, after all, sodium. The "sprinkling" of sea salt actually makes the fries seem less salty, which makes me question the salty taste I got on my first visit. I'm thinking an employee was a little heavy-handed with the salt at that location. The fries themselves were crispier than the old version, and the skins left on gave them a more natural potato taste. Even after I took all of my pictures and the fries were no longer hot, they remained crispy. That is a good thing.

Check out the potato skins on these fries. To me, it made them a little tastier...more potatoey, if you will.

Of course, I've always loved the burgers at Wendy's...the meat seems fresher. They are going for the same impression with the fries.

I certainly wasn't having any trouble finishing my fries.

Check out all the French fry advertising. This is a big deal for Wendy's.

Not a crumb left.....

And back out into the cold...

In conclusion, I think the change is good. If the different locations can make the fries a little more consistently, I think they will be successful. Good luck, Wendy's.