For the weeks and days leading up to an east coast destination running trip with friends, I became obsessed with checking the weather. And once we arrived, there probably wasn't an hour that went by that at least one of us was checking it. We weren't just consumed with race day weather conditions, but with the weather for each of the five days we planned to be there. Considering the fluidity of weather reports, why would we spend any time worrying about something completely out of our control? Mostly because we looked forward to doing everything on our itinerary. But partly because running has made weather watching part of our daily (and in some instances hourly) routines. Race day conditions were as close to perfect as possible. So not even two days of rain and one day of high humidity spoiled or deterred us from having fun. I would, however, have loved for my friends first trip to Martha's Vineyard to be one having a calm sea and slightly breezy, sunny day rather than one dominated by continued waves of rain and a roller coaster fast ferry ride. Up until the ferry ride to the Vineyard, I had always said to anyone who asked or was anxious about being on a ferry that you could barely feel the ocean waves during the hour long trip. Going forward I may have to reframe how I describe what that fast ferry ride could feel like.
Being the only one in the group having first hand familiarity with the part of Rhode Island we would be spending most of our time in (as well as the Vineyard), creating the trip itinerary fell to me. As much as I love being in control (what Type A personality doesn't?), I felt some self-imposed pressure to create a plan which would allow my friends to not only understand why this part of the world was one of my happy places, but also have them leave feeling touched by its' beauty and enchantment. For me, sharing a place in the world where I feel such a deep emotional connection is akin to giving the most unselfish, priceless gift imaginable. Yet just as important, sharing such a meaningful place can further strengthens the bonds of a friendship. And as close as I felt to my friends before the trip, I felt even closer to them after it ended.
Weighing more heavily on me than whether or not my friends would really, really like the sites and food venues I had chosen for us (including the local coffee shop), was the 10 mile race. The real reason for the trip. The combination of an injury plagued winter/spring, a long run of only 6 miles, and a work emergency preventing my running partner from joining us had me more than a little anxious on the couple of days prior to as well as the morning of the race. I had mentally linked my race endurance and finish to being able to run it with a friend. Running the 10 miles on my own seemed like an insurmountable distance. As someone who doesn't have the best running 'head' game, I needed to figure out how to not only get through it but finish it before the course closed. I decided early on I would not judge my performance by my time, but rather by my effort. Additionally, I was committed to not being the one doing the 'coming home without race medal bling' walk of shame. With the time pressure off my shoulders, I surprised myself by being able to finish the race fifteen minutes earlier than I anticipated. It might have been eighteen minutes if I hadn't stopped several times to take some photos of the spectacular scenic course. Better than having the finishers race medal placed around my neck as I crossed the finish line was realizing I didn't need anyone to push me, to keep me focused. I only needed me. Reconnecting with my inner strength may have been the best race reward to come in my second running life. Proof that anything is possible if you want it bad enough.
On the fast ferry ride to the Vineyard, I had bought some Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies for us to nibble on during the ride over. As soon as I tasted the cookie, I knew I would be making some when I returned home. After learning the cookie maker used cake and bread flours in his cookies, I knew which cookie recipe I would adapt.
the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe. One I shared on the blog more than five years ago.
With the exception of increasing the amount of vanilla, using white chocolate chips instead of (dark) chocolate chips, adding dried cranberries, and eliminating the sea salt finish, almost everything about the recipe remained the same. Some might put these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies in the fussyterian category as it uses both cake and bread flours versus the more common all-purpose flour. Two flours one might not normally buy or keep unless cake baking and/or bread making is your passion. But whatever you do, don't let this little bit of fussiness stop you from making these cookies.
Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar are beat until light and fluffy. This will take approximately 5 minutes. The eggs are beaten in one at a time, followed by the vanilla. After reducing the mixer speed to low, the dry ingredients are added and beaten just until incorporated. Lastly the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and mixed in. Instead of white chocolate chips, you could also use coarsely chopped white chocolate.
Now comes the second somewhat fussy part. The dough has to be chilled for 24 to 36 hours before baking. When making the chocolate chip and sea salt version of the Jacques Torres cookies, I simply covered the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerated it. What I have learned from making hundreds of dough chilling cookies is shaping the dough into balls before refrigerating makes the baking process so much easier. Just remember to tightly cover the trays of dough balls.
In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, the cookies bake for 15-17 minutes. Turn the tray midway and tap it gently on the counter before returning to the oven. Upon removing the baked cookies from the oven, I gave the tray another light tap. After 10 minutes of cooling on the cookie sheet, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to allow them to cool completely.
Honestly, these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies were better than the ones we had on the ferry.
From this point forward, this will be my Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Why mess with perfection when you find it? These cookies are crunchy, chewy, and oh so satisfying. The taste of the dried cranberries balances nicely with the cookie itself as well as the flavor and texture of the white chocolate. It's a complete package of deliciousness!
Store the baked cookies in a tightly sealed container. If you place the cookies in a ziplock bag, you can freeze them and thaw just before serving. It's always good idea to have some home baked cookies on hand without having to go through all the work of making them. You never know when you are going to get a craving for them or have unexpected guests.
Seriously, these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies are swoonworthy delicious. They are also slightly addicting.
Recipe
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies, an adaptation of the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe
Makes 46-48 (3") cookies
Ingredients
2 cups cake flour with 2 Tablespoons removed (8 1/2 ounces)
1 2/3 cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups (or 2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon high quality vanilla extract
1 pound white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
9 ounces dried cranberries
Directions
1. Take butter and eggs out of the refrigerator the night before so they can come to room temperature.
2. Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars until very light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes)
4. Add eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Mix in vanilla.
6. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined 15-30 seconds. Do careful to not over mix.
7. Drop in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Mix until incorporated in the dough.
8. Using a large (1 3/4") ice cream scooper, make and place dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover tightly plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24-36 hours. Alternately place plastic wrap directly against the dough in the bowl. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
10. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
11. Place 9-10 balls on a cookie sheet. Press dough down oh so lightly, just to flatten the top. Note: If you had chilled the entire bowl of dough, use a large (1 3/4") ice cream scooper, make and place dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
12. Bake in upper top third of oven for 16-18 minutes (turning tray around midway through the baking process) or until they are lightly golden but still soft.
13. Transfer cookie sheet to wire rack and let cookies rest for 10 minutes. Remove slightly cooled cookies to another wire rack to cool further.
14. Serve and enjoy!
15. Store cookies in a sealed container and/or store baked cookies in the freezer. If frozen, allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes: (1) If you don't want to bake all the cookies at once, freeze the dough balls in a ziplock bag after they have chilled in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Baking time may need to increase by 1 or 2 minutes. (2) In addition to white chocolate chips and coarsely chopped white chocolate, could also use white chocolate discs. If discs are used, recommend coarsely chopping them. (3) I use Ghiradelli white chocolate chips in these cookies.
South Shore Beach, Little Compton, Rhode Island (June 2018)
