If you want a good song, put on "River" by Leon Bridges. Then put on "Priceless" by For Kings and Country and sing really loudly when they get to the i see you dressed in white/every wrong made right bit (trust me, although I do realize this is a Christian gospel band but look, it's catchy). Then put on "Gold Angel" by Minke.
If you want music to cook to, put the "Check Yes or No" country station on Pandora on your surround sound. Stand at your kitchen counter in bare feet, wine glass at the ready. I personally recommend being fresh from the shower, skin flushed clean and pink, hair still wet, and wearing pajamas for this part of the evening. (I just got this crisp cotton set and I keep joking that they make me feel like the Diane Keaton protagonist in a romantic comedy set in the Hamptons or something similarly classy.) Now, slice some onions very thinly. Drop them in a pan that's shimmering with a slick of hot olive oil. Stir with a spatula (this nonstick baby is the only one I use now), and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper. More pepper maybe. More salt, sure, why not.
Add minced garlic. Some sort of greens. Broccolini? Okay, but with lemon zest. Half an entire head of romaine, sliced in half, cut side-down? Yes. Let it get charred slightly on the cut side.
Transfer the vegetables to a plate. Liberally sprinkle some chicken cutlets with harissa spice and cook those. You'll be in a very good mood by now, what with all these savory aromas wafting throughout the kitchen and having danced through about 5 tracks of classic country pop songs. Oh, and the wine. That may be contributing. You didn't forget about your wine, did you?
If you want dessert (HAHA guys. That was a trick question! You do.), bake these cookies. Okay, you should already have baked them, sorry about that.
One friend proclaimed this the best cookie she has ever eaten, so do with that information what you will. (I'd suggest eating one, forming an opinion, and telling me what you think!)
Do not neglect the chilling-the-dough step. This is really what helps them spread the proper amount. When I pull my cookies out of the oven, I let them cool for about a minute on the baking sheet, and then -- using the back of a spoon or two fingers -- I give each cookie a firm but gentle rap. Or more like a smack. This helps the cookies slump down and get a nicely rumpled surface, as they will otherwise look too puffy and not be as chewy.
Soft + Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Averie Cooks
1 egg
3/4 cup cookie butter (I use Lotus brand usually)
3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
flaky sea salt, to garnish
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the egg, cookie butter, sugar, and vanilla until very light and fluffy: a minimum of 3 minutes. Don't skimp on this step.
Scrap down the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Mix until the dough comes together -- it will be quite soft but it shouldn't be overly sticky. If it is, add a bit of flour, one teaspoon at a time.
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the dough (I do about 2" balls) onto a parchment-lined sheet, leaving some space between each. Sprinkle each cookie liberally with flaky sea salt.
Slide the entire baking sheet into the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes, or into the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still feels quite soft. Don't overbake! They will likely seem underdone to you, but they'll firm up as they cool and this is what will make them so nice and chewy.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 1 minute before tapping firmly on the top of each cookie with the back of a spoon or two fingers to force the surfaces to "rumple" slightly. Let the cookies finish cooling on a wire rack. Or eat them warm. You do you.