These Are Just Ducky, Santa!

We have chickens.  I never bake in fear of being egg-less.  Our sweet hens provide us with an abundance and we've taken their labor for granted.

Until today.

It's cold at Freegrace.

It's cold.  When it's cold, they stop laying.  It's not in me to artificially force them into producing when they'd rather snuggle with each other and keep warm.

Meet the Quackers.  They keep laying through the frost.  The geese, they may never lay.

The ducks, on the other hand, they ducks keep on keeping on.  And while their eggs are fattier, contain more protein and make for a "stiffer" dough, I was thinking this might behoove my chocolate chip cookie preferences.  You see, this added protein makes the finished product chewier yet allowing for a decent cooking time so that the edges can brown enough to develop a lovely crispness along the cookie perimeter.

Crispy on the edges, chewy in the center.  Just ducky.

Oh Santa, you'll be so pleased with your ducky cookies this year.

Ducky Chocolate Chip Cookies



INGREDIENTS

2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons sea salt (if using traditional salt, just 1 teaspoon)
1  teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 sticks butter
2 duck eggs  ( you can substitute 2 extra large hen eggs)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

PROCEDURE

•Preheat oven to 350º.
•In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt,  baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.
•In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and sugars.  Microwave the butter and sugar together on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Microwave for another minute.  Stir.  If the sugar isn't completely melted, nuke for another 30 seconds.  Transfer to a stand mix bowl.
•In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until the bowl is cool to the touch.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Make sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next.  And scrape the bowl, including the very bottom, to insure the butter and eggs cream evenly.
•With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the flour mixture.  Mix until JUST combined.
•Stir the chocolate into the batter with a wooden spoon.
•Using a medium sized cookie scoop, place the cookie dough on a parchment lined 1/2 sheetpan, spacing them at least 3 inches apart.  Gently press the cookies down so they aren't completely rounded.
•Bake for 5 minutes.  Open the oven and with your hands in an oven mitt, grab the sheet pan and SLAM it down on the oven rack so the cookies delate.  Bake for 5 minutes more.  Open oven, slam and continue baking for 5 to 7 minutes more or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.

happy and merry!