Ben's Cookies - Test 1

The first recipe was ok. The cookies looked and smelled a lot like Ben's cookies, but the texture was a little too dry. The flavor was slightly off as well. I did enjoy the candied ginger with the dark chocolate, but will omit the added nutella that I added to the recipe. (I couldn't help myself.)


Round 2: slightly less flour and higher oven temperature to achieve the crispy outside and cake texture in the middle.

cookie-palooza!

A few friends from my trip to London invited me to a reunion this January. Fortunately, they are foodies, so I know that many wonderful recipes are in store. In preparation, I'm attempting to recreate the cookies from Ben's Cookies in Oxford which I mentioned in an earlier blog. http://www.benscookies.com/

These culinary delights bring back some great memories - including eating three white and dark chocolate chunk cookies for lunch one day. The antioxidant powers are amazing, I'm sure. The ginger chunk cookies were a big hit as well.

I'll be testing different recipes in the next few weeks to try and find one that meets the standards of these incredible cookies. Keep your fingers crossed that I will start testing this evening - after the Charlie Brown special, of course.

"Mind the Gap!"

I was very fortunate to take a trip to England this past January to receive credit for my graduate degree. It was not only the best class I ever signed up for, but also the most expensive. (Blast you, monetary conversion rates!) After only one day in London, I had to spread out past the Russell Square area to find anything other than fish and chips. My quick, cheap and delicious find were Pret A Manger stores conveniently located near underground stations and throughout London. (They are also located in the U.S.) http://www.pret.com/

Sushi, curry and pesto - oh my! Such an assortment of culinary adventures and - 'allo, 'allo - a lack of fried Mars bars on the menu? Fabulous. Come on, how can you deny such a cute bento box of Japanese delights after a lunch consisting of two pints of beer?


About four days into the trip, we were herded onto a tour bus to gawk at crazy motorists driving on the wrong side of the road en route to Oxford.


*Gasp* Finally! Good. English. Food. I stopped here for demi-baguette with butter and coffee for breakfast.

Don't look at me like that. You would have done the same after four days of porridge in the hotel's free breakfast nook.


Oxford's market was beautiful and filled with food vendors...


flower shops...

and specialty shops. Specializing in...


Egads! Umm...specializing in great photo opportunities.


You must also check out Ben's cookies, where I filled a red tin of white chocolate chunk, ginger and dark chocolate and triple chocolate chunk cookies. http://www.benscookies.com/

The graduate students needed a break from the undergrads, so we traveled the Eurostar through the chunnel to Paris for the day. http://www.raileurope.com/train-faq/european-trains/eurostar/index.html

The seven hour whirlwind around Paris only served as an "amuse-bouche" for future explorations, but I thank this crepe stand for gratuitous amounts of vin chaud and nutella to keep us warm during the trip.

I'll leave you with your own amuse-bouche: