Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cherry Bombe
Today I wanted to share with you a brand that celebrates and supports women in the world of food. They are called Cherry Bombe, and I first learned about them while listening to a food podcast; however I can’t remember exactly which one it was as I listen to almost a dozen! They were speaking about their print magazine which comes out twice per year. I ordered a copy of their magazine which had none other than one of the pioneers of women in food, Martha Stewart. The publication comes on thick, matte paperstock and includes a few recipes, but mainly has articles about various women chefs and other women in food and how they are changing the game in the food world by advocating for greater equality and representation.
There was an ad in the magazine for their cookbook that would be coming out in October 2017 featuring 100 recipes from 100 different women chefs. I knew right away that this had to be added to my cookbook collection. After signing up for their emails, they mentioned that there would be a book tour, and I was pleasantly surprised to see them stopping by Indianapolis where I currently live. I RSVP’d and had to take off work early to get there in time. It was at this lovely little shop, called PRINTtEXT which is right in my neighborhood. The place was packed as I arrived right before the interview would start. The shop owners welcomed me, set out a chair, and, most importantly, showed me where the food and wine were. I hastily sat down with my wine and fruit-filled hand pie and waited for the evening to start. I was excited to see Kerry Diamond in person who hosts the Cherry Bombe podcast that I had added to my expanding list of podcasts. She was interviewing Martha Hoover who happened to be featured in the magazine issue I bought. She is the owner of several restaurants in Indy the first of which was Cafe Patachou.
Kerry interviewed Martha, and I sat enthralled and exhilarated by the energy and the excitement in the room. This was the first time I had an inkling that I wanted to explore opportunities in the food world. I bought my copy of the cookbook which is a beautiful shade of pink (which is my favorite color!), and Kerry autographed the inside of the front cover. I turned to Martha’s recipe for Purple Grain Roasted Beet and Barley Salad to have Martha sign her recipe page. I remember leaving there that evening wishing that I had had the confidence to network with this room full of people who were excited about food in some capacity - either as a fellow cookbook lover, like me, or involved the food industry. But, because I can be shy in certain situations, I left before I had the chance to connect with anyone. Despite this, I was proud on a personal level that I went to something new even though it felt uncomfortable. And I was very excited on a professional level because it was the impetus to finally start this blog. It still took four more months of thinking, planning, and agonizing about what to do, but here I am starting something!
I decided to make the whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe since I love cookies (see the first post), and they seemed intriguing as they have some interesting variations in them. These changes include toasted walnuts, whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, and dark chocolate chunks instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I have heard from many chefs and food people to toast any kind of nut you plan to use as it brings out more flavor. Just be careful not burn them! I find that I usually have to do this step by itself as I get distracted, and then they are burned and have to be thrown out.
The cookies were slightly crunchy on the edges and chewy in the middle. In the recipe, you make them quite large as they are the size of a hockey puck! I cooked them longer than it said as they looked under baked after the initial 10 minutes had passed. So I baked them for an additional 10 minutes with several peeks inside the oven which kept bringing the temperature down. It was tricky to tell when they were done since they were so thick. I hadn’t ever made a cookie this large before so I had a difficult time telling if they were baked through enough. When I make these again, I will bake them for less time than I did and do it closer to the actual time listed in the recipe. I also recommend getting an oven thermometer to tell the actual temperature of your oven. I learned that my oven is not up to the correct temperature when it says it’s preheated. It took a few more minutes after it signaled that it was heated before it really was ready.
And to my readers, who are some of your favorite women in food? Is it a chef, a food blogger, podcaster, food stylist or photographer, or any number of other avenues within the world of food? Or it could be someone who has taught you a lot about food but isn’t in the food “world.” Who inspires you?