Lent without chocolate

I gave up chocolate for Lent.

It was hard, enormously hard, especially when, on Ash Wednesday, someone brought chocolate mint fudge brownies to the newsroom for a birthday treat. Birthdays suck. Okay, birthdays don't suck, but the fact that I didn't get to eat Barb's goodies wasn't exactly a high point to my day.

Lent without chocolate was hard for me. Some people give up meat, not a problem for me. Some give up alcohol but I'm not a big drinker. So for me it was sweets. Some might not realize the depths of my love for chocolate, but those who know me will laugh and nod when I dive for freshly baked platter with a chocolate something on it.

I enjoy chocolate more than the average person probably does. I especially enjoy Cadbury eggs during the Easter season. But more than Cadbury eggs, my favorite chocolate treat has to be the simple, delectable chocolate chip cookies. I will make them with white chocolate chips, which I haven't quite gotten the hang of, or chocolate chunks from semi-sweet chocolate or double chocolate chip cookies with a fudge-like consistency and a mixture of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate pieces and any other chocolate concoction I can pull out of my head. But my favorite cookie still comes down to the simple ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie.

I've also discovered, that to satisfy my tastebuds and my chocolate chip cookie fixations, salt is the key ingredient. Take any chocolate chip cookie recipe, double the salt (okay, be careful, sometimes double is trouble) and the savory part of my tongue as well as the sweet is satisfied. The salt in the following recipe already is doubled.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• a dash of cinnamon
  
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• chocolate chips as desired

Directions:


PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels . Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.