my jerusalem kitchen

People are WEIRD about cookies.

Some people like chewy ones. (numnumnum) Some people like crispy ones. (edges only, please) Some people like plain ones sprinkled with sugar. (snooze fest). Some people like…(ew)…raisins in theirs. But nobody hates chocolate chip cookies. That’s like hating puppies. Nobody likes dry cookies either, but some people like whole wheat flour. Other people can’t hang with flour so they use …xanthum gum? (what the heck is that anyway?) Once I saw a recipe with hard boiled eggs. That just makes me depressed.

But every female I know who bakes thinks her chocolate chip cookie recipe does everything your chocolate chip cookie recipe does but better. And I am no exception. I make a mean chocolate chip cookie. And by mean, I mean like, 7th grade girl mean. But I wanted to make a special cookie for my friend’s birthday (read: I ran out of all-purpose flour), so I decided to try using semolina flour. The experience kind of reminds me of that William Carlos Williams poem, “This is Just to Say,” that my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Gavin, gave us:

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

I ate the cookies that were in my backpack and which I was definitely supposed to give to Ameet for her birthday. I couldn’t find her at school, but they were so soft and so comforting – a poem by Lauren Wilner Lauren.

Anyway, in cookie form, semolina flour does some interesting gymnastics.  Maybe you recognize it from this recipe? or from this one? I think it’s in this one, too. Although the cookie remains somewhat dense despite the change in flour, it’s very delicate, so each bite slowly gives way against your laboring tongue as the peanut butter and chocolate thicken together and slowly dissolve. The oatmeal must be what gives the cookie some shape. Semolina is really fun to bake with and people use it a lot in Middle Eastern cooking. If you have never tried to before, try one of these three recipes. You might just love it.

Makes: 16 cookies

What you need:

1/2 c rolled oats

1 c chocolate chips

1 c semolina flour

3/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 c crunchy peanut butter (I used the “natural” kind)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter (1 stick)

How to do it:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Add the egg and beat to combine. Gradually add in the semolina flour until it’s all just combined. Then stir in the oats and the chocolate chips. Organize your cookies on the sheet and bake for about 13-18 minutes (depends on your oven). Normally, I would never cook cookies that long, but I needed to for this recipe. Just check on them around 10 or 12 minutes and assess your situation! You should take them out when the edges begin to brown. Enjoy!