foods of thailand

i never wanted to leave

the great cookie quest finale

my friend natalie has been on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie for months. after curating a collection of the best recipes and bakery bought cc cookies she could find she hosted a tasting and of course a vote.

there were several from the best bakeries the city could offer and plates of homemade versions. I'm telling you the cookie scent in that apartment nearly knocked you over upon entrance. plus the party decor could not have been any cuter.

had to snap a few of the adorable details around the holbrook home

huck of course provided the entertainment

for which we repaid him in cookie bites

he did an excellent  plate face number

this was my third round of cookies. awarding the title of best cc cookie requires a very detailed comparison and analysis of course.

in the end janelle's recipe made by natalie took the crown. I was in a cookie coma for days and I'm still thinking about those cookies. (levain was the winning bakery cookie, but I am morally opposed to levain for not having a cc cookie without nuts. its ludicrous) 

check natalie's post for recipes and more details about her cookie wizardry. 

I don't know how bakerella does it

I muster up the courage to crank out a batch of these every valentine's day and every year I say how in the heck does bakerella make it look so easy. dead serious these things are DIVINE, but beware you need about 5 arms and a lot of patience to pull it off successfully. here's a few things I tried this time around that helped:

+freeze cake balls pre-dipping (chilled in the fridge just doesn't cut it)

+set dipped cake balls on drying rack with bowl underneath to catch excess chocolate to prevent pooled sauce on your wax paper during drying

+after another short round in the freezer take out your truffles and decorate them. it hides the messy parts and looks festive. yay!

+do dishes right away, dried chocolate is not fun to clean up the next day (and trust me it will be everywhere) 

+get some pretty packing, pack them up, and give them away before you eat your weight in cake (or half the batch, no one needs 50 cake balls, but it feels like you might in the moment)