The undeniable fact of our existence is such that even on joyful, soul-uplifting weeks (YASSS 2020 way to step up a little!), we still have to deal with the messy, daily business of being alive. Perhaps nothing is going awry and your to-do list is clear and you can sail through these next few days feeling buoyant and allowing your energy to float brightly in the air, untethered from your body and the sticky ins-and-outs of being a human who is alive and breathing.
Or, you could be like me. I will offer no more on the topic except for the following phrases, which should give you juuuust enough color to read the situation: doctor’s visit, last-minute-5 PM second doctor’s visit, emergency plumber, village code enforcement permit, chimney mason, botched pharmacy order.
Phew, just typing all of that makes my body sink deeper with the weight of it.
But listen, we forge ahead. Every moment is a moment in time. We have plenty of strong tea and we’ve just ordered more honey (do NOT run out of honey for your tea, I repeat, do not run out of honey). We have Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 playing quietly on the speakers, and we remembered to order bleach and avocados, and there are leftover sweet potato rolls on the counter for lunch. It’s beautifully sunny outside—warm enough to wear shorts—and we have a view of a narrow slice of the water out of the kitchen window.
We have a jar of condensed milk in the cupboard, which means we’re not far from a batch of these wildly good, unusually crisp yet chewy chocolate cookies. (I know, I know, they don’t look that exciting but they are; do you trust me yet?)
We could write more, but we can’t because we have to go take some deep cleansing breaths outside in the fresh air and watch the seagulls dipping over Youngs Point. And we have some cookies to make.
Condensed Milk Chocolate Fudge Cookies
2 1/2 cups (425g) semisweet chocolate chips
14 ounces (396g) sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons (42g) butter
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for enhanced chocolate flavor)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (56g) chopped toasted nuts (optional)
1/2 cup (60g) cacao nibs (optional)
In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted.
Turn off the heat and add the flour, baking soda, salt, espresso powder (if using), egg, and vanilla. Stir to combine well.
Add the nuts and cacao nibs, if using. (These are nice additions for crunch but not necessary!)
Let the dough cool, and then chill it for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Once chilled, divide the dough into four equal portions (or three, if you want larger cookies). Roll each portion into a log, about 2" wide, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Chill the logs for at least 2 hours, or you can pop them in the freezer for 20 minutes if you're in a rush. You just want them to be firm and easy to slice. [Note: You can also keep the dough in the freezer for a couple months if you want to just have it on hand! If it’s frozen, let it come to cool room temperature before slicing.]
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. I like to also lightly grease the parchment, as the cookies stick a bit and you otherwise need to carefully peel off the parchment.
Working with one log of dough at a time, slice the logs into thin slices (about 1/4" to 1/2" each)—the thicker the slice, the chewier the cookies will be.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets—you don't have to leave too much space, as they don't spread much.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. They'll look underdone, but that's okay, take them out anyway. They'll firm up as they cool. Repeat with the remaining logs.