I suppose I should apologize for the lapse since my last blog post.  Unfortunately, I was trapped on a secluded island in the Bahamas.  It was really awful: warm sunny days, clear water, white sand, and not a single other person in sight.  I would have much rather been at home sitting at a desk blogging.  Ok, maybe not.   To give you a sense of what I’m talking about, here are two pictures:

Prior to departure, I decided to bake some cookies to take along to fend off starvation during our flight.  Do you know that Spirit Air doesn’t even give you complimentary soda?  I mean, come on!  They also make you pay $45 to have a carry on.  So I outsmarted them and squeezed everything I needed (because really, what do you need besides a little bathing suit and a cover up?) into a school backpack and fit it under the seat in front of me…the seat, I should mention, didn’t even recline.  What airline doesn’t have reclining seats?  I’ll tell you who – Spirit!  I’m not giving them $45 just so I can have a carry on, no way!  Especially if they won’t give me a can of Coke and a seat that reclines!  Anyway, it was a good thing I had baked these cookies because they are about all that kept us sane during our non-reclining, no-movie, no-soda flight to Florida.

These cookies are quite delicious, and I’m not even a chocoholic.  This is all done by hand – no mixer.  They are gooey.  Perfect right out of the oven and darn good for about 3 days after (then the gooey is no more).  Gooey goodness on the white sand beaches with nobody in sight.  Aaaaah.  I’m sure they’ll be good back home too, but I do recommend eating them on a secluded island for optimum enjoyment.

Gooey Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies
source: Baking Bites

2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt (or sea salt)
1/2 c butter
3/4 c cocoa powder (I recommend Dagoba)
2 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2/3 c buttermilk
2 c chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350
• sift together flour, baking soda and salt
• melt butter in microwave
• in a large bowl, combine warm melted butter with cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Add sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk.  Gradually stir in flour mixture, whisking until well combined.
• stir in chocolate chips
• drop dough in 1-inch balls on baking sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack.  Eat!