Decadent chocolate chip cookies

Some friends and I headed to Bodrum on Saturday evening for a few days of rest and relaxation. For those who don't know, Bodrum is one of Turkey's most popular beach towns. During the summer, it's always packed and incredibly hot and gorgeous. However, the off season is also a favorite of mine because it means fewer people and more tranquility. 


The group I went with was a super talented bunch and everyone brought something to the table. A few sang and played the guitar, one friend was our director, orchestrating our meals and activities, and most everyone took great photos. 


But my friend Emrah took the best photos if you ask me, because he graciously offered to take some of these wonderful chocolate chip cookies I baked. 


I used this recipe here and made one batch following the directions to a T, and the other with half whole wheat flour and sugar replacer for my boyfriend. Now as I've mentioned before here, I'm never particularly optimistic about replacing sugar with alternative products, mostly because they rarely behave the way they should. This time, however, I was pleasantly surprised! The sugar-free half whole-wheat cookies turned out really great. Not as good as the original, but so good that once the normal once were finished, everyone continued eating the sugar-free ones. 

Delicious chocolate.

I used a new sugar called Diamant Diabetik Seker I've never used before that I found at Macrocenter the other day. I had seen it a couple times but figured it couldn't be better than Splenda or Stevia. Well, when it came to baking these cookies, it was much better. In fact, I might use this new sugar replacement from now on for all my baking. 


I did have to use one extra egg in the sugar-free version as the wet mixture looked too dry and not like the original version. This is why it makes sense to make the original recipe at least once the way written, before making any adjustments. That way, you know what the steps are supposed to look like, and you can make necessary adjustments if needed. 

Straight out of the oven. 

If you can't tell from the photos, these cookies were divine. Slightly crispy edges with a moist and fluffy interior. I also added chopped walnuts to half of each batter and everyone liked that version better. 



                            

All photos by Emrah Kavlak. 

These also keep well and were still just as delicious three days into our trip. I highly recommend them. 


Rating: 5/5