Missed Valentine: Triple Chocolate Cookies

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

-Yes it's a late V-Day post. Stop with the rolling your eyes and frickin' read.-

Dear Brian,

So you're at field training this entire month with the army in the middle of nowhere Kentucky (though "nowhere" might be too general a description for that state) working on building your medical skills. It's noble of you and I'm proud of you, and even though I know you're bitching about it we both know part of you loves the military camaraderie and the fact that you get to build your knowledge base. It sorta makes it worth all the physical training and three in the morning.

I get to sleep at three in the morning. So, you know, ha ha.

I'm proud of you for what you do for your career, your education, and the fact that you do this for me, too. Alas, we both know I hate when you leave. I never handle it well.

Remember the first time you were going to be gone for three months? The night before you left I had a panic attack so bad I earned myself a hospital visit where the doctor drugged me higher than a cat on a car trip and put me on oxygen because I was hyperventilating so bad my heart almost popped like a kernel of corn over an open flame.

We both know I'm much better now. I only have a small bout of depression and get a tiny void that I try to fill with sex (insert dirty pun here) in the days before you leave, and with bottles of wine and too much exercise when you're actually gone.

-I'm kinda lying about the exercise part.-

Sleeping by myself is also a pain. I'm not used to it. The cats snuggle up plenty, and when you're gone I'll occasionally grant the dog permission to come cuddle up on the bed for the night. Still, they're sprawlers and terrible snugglers. I think Eat Beast tries his best to fill in for you, but sleeping on my face and burying my ability to breathe with a landslide of fuzzy chub isn't the same thing as being spooned.

As for the Corgi, he's like trying to sleep with a tiny boulder making the bed sag towards the middle. Plus, he's been having puppy nightmares. Remember how he barks in his sleep? I think he's having nightmares of his ongoing war with the vacuum, and a two A.M. the fear-riddled screams and/or war cries on his part don't make for a good night's rest for me.

Cooking is also hard without you because cooking for one just isn't easy. I mean, I used to be so phenomenal at it back when I was single. Often, I just cooked for two, ate one serving that night, and salted the leftovers with my lonesome tears for lunch the next day.

I suppose I had company sometimes so that helped. Still, most nights it's just me so I just end up cooking for two and now salt the leftovers with napalming of rooster sauce.

I miss that alimentary relationship we have every day.

-Plus, eating with the animals is terrible. They have awful manners that they learned from you, Brian. They grip their fork with a fist. For god's sake we're a civilized family!-

You aren't here for V-Day. That's actually fine. Let's be honest... we don't celebrate it. You randomly bring me flowers from time to time and I surprise you with tacos from our favorite taco truck after you've had a long day. We charm and romance each other throughout the year and that's something special, I think.

So, we never really do anything to make note of February 14th... we go out for dinner on the 13th or make something nice the day of, but let's be real: We Don't Need V-Day.

Still, I made this recipe for you. It's chocolate; your favorite. Paired with chocolate; your other favorite. Oh, and I added more chocolate, too, in both chips and nibs form so I think you'll like them.

There will be a batch waiting for you when you get home.

Be good. Work hard. Kick some ass.

See you soon.

Love,

Garrett


Triple Chocolate Cookies
A riff off of my lime and cocoa nib cookie recipe

1 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons of heavy cream
1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
3/4 cup of cocoa nibs
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugars together for about two minutes at medium speed or until well incorporated and light in color. Add the egg, cream, and vanilla extract until well incorporated, about a minute. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl halfway through.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture slowly, and beating at medium speed, stopping once all of it is incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in the cocoa nibs and chocolate chips.

3. Take small spoonfuls of the dough and roll into one inch sized balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

30 comments:

  1. You made me cry again. I want to blame womanly issues because it's easier lol. And I ADORE that oh-so-cute card! Happy Valentine's Day! :)

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    1. Ha ha, the card, sadly (at least sadly in a romantic way) is from my aunt.

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    2. Completely irrelevant question, but have you ever had Hokkaido cake or have a recipe that you'd recommend? It's pretty popular here but all attempts to recreate it have failed miserably. :/

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    3. Never even heard of it before. Sorry. =P

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  2. thank you for this!! i hope i will find someday what you have with brian. i really wish for this!

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    Replies
    1. Just have to be patient and be open. Being slutty may also help, but that's just me I think...

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  3. When my husband is out of town, I try to re-frame it as the time I get to cook stuff I love and he hates. So instead of thinking woe is me, he's leaving, I think hell, yes, it's empanada time!

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  4. Aw, you made me all teary-eyed! Before my husband and I were married we lived on opposite sides of the globe, and so I too know that horrible feeling of having to leave (or be left by) the person you love. You guys are such a sweet couple, the time apart will be over before you know it!

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    1. I think I have only a week left, thank Christ.

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  5. I know it is really difficult to stay alone . But this separation is for few days, you guys can stay together and enjoy everything.

    By the way, chocolate cookies looks yumm,with triple load of chocolate.

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  6. Love this post. And can't wait to try the cookies.

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    1. The cookies are pretty fucking badass. Easy to customize, too.

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  7. god this was *so* cute i squee'd. and sniffed a little. i've been in an LDR for the past year or so and meet the S.O. once every 3 months - am more or less used to it, but your post reminded me all over again how much i like snuggling next to him in bed... T____T

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  8. Good job Garret, just turn us all into weepy little girls with your quirky-and-frighteningly-relatable marital stories. Let me go stuff my feelings with too much chocolate because I JUST KNOW these cookies are going to be the f*ing bomb. Tomorrow I'll get around to the hot sauce....

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    1. I too napalm pretty much everything with Cholula hot sauce; not cookies though... PS NEW YOUNG JUSTICE EPISODES ARE OUT!

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  9. My hubs leaves soon for five weeks. Which after a year long deployment in the beginning of our courtship should be "nothing" but it never is nothing. Note even now four years later.

    I have a corgi too, who was granted bed rights because he came during that deployment and something was better than nothing.

    That wine and exercise thing. It's not just you!

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps if we could drink wine while working on a stationary bike?

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  10. This is just so sweet. I really, truly love your blog. I'm addicted to food blogs and such, but I do think you're my favorite of them all. Reading your blog is like hanging out with a good friend on a mini road trip (which is what I did this past weekend, so the image is strong in my mind). Curled up in a too-cold hotel room in a city you don't know. There's plenty of laughter, but also those strangely quiet moments where you talk about everything and anything on your mind. Your blog is cozy. It's sweet. At times a bit salty, but so wonderfully reminiscent of... I don't want to say home. Not THAT home. But a home among friends.

    If that makes sense.

    I also have a sudden craving for cookies with M&Ms and pretzel bits in them. It was that whole sweet/salty thing...

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    1. I think this is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thank you, Kendall. =)

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  11. Could I ask my husband to go out of town so I can make these and eat them all myself??

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    Replies
    1. Just lock him in the garage. It'll save you more money.

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  12. Is it wrong that I'd wish my husband would go away for a week or two? I would totally make these cookies and it them all myself! Haha

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  13. The card looks so cute. After reading your letter, I think I'm gonna eat a few pans of this delicious cookies.

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  14. Aw. I do think I need to get to know you better. Just the idea of cooking for one again would be enough to bring on another panic attack. Yeah, I"ve had 'em. Know how bad that can be...

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  15. Looks absolutely divine! I would so love to try some.

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  16. ARRG, I was just about to settle into this post with my coffee on my writing break when your line about Kentucky stopped me dead in my tracks. WHY did you have to ream my home state like that? It's a gorgeous place with amazing people in it and you shouldn't just go around calling it "nowhere." Screw you.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. I have family in that state. But the line was funny and California is so much better. Kisses.

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett

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