It’s March again. You need a giant cookie
A Giant Cookie By Carly Pildis
By Carly Pildis March 4, 2021
It’s the first Shabbat of March. I think we all need a cookie.
We have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis for one year. It can feel like it’s been March forever — the same long, awful day for a year.
For millions of us, the situation has remained unmoved and unchanged. We are still at home, we are still unable to see the people we love, we are still frightened. We are still in pajamas and on Zoom.
What we need is a really big, delicious, warm gooey chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top. A cookie that encourages and rewards laziness, no pans or scooping required. A cookie that has more chocolate in it than flour. Because while it sometimes feels like Groundhog Day, there is still a lot happening every day.
Maybe you are grieving someone you love.
Maybe you are struggling with traumatic anniversary pain and realizing you need to seek care.
Maybe you just lost your job.
Maybe your fingers hurt from constantly hitting refresh as you struggle to schedule a vaccine appointment.
Maybe you’re strongly considering throwing the dirty laundry out the window.
Maybe you haven’t seen your family in a year, and you just want to hug your Mom.
Maybe you just can’t face another day without childcare and are hiding from your children in the closet with a cup of coffee.
Maybe you can’t bear the thought of another Shabbat without your synagogue.
Whatever you are grappling with this Shabbat, no matter how hard it is, no matter how burned out you feel, know that you are succeeding. You are surviving the pandemic.
You deserve a really big cookie.
It’s March Again Giant Cookie Cake
This cookie is rich, gooey, and has so much chocolate that the cookie is really just there to hold all those chips together. The cookie itself has a rich toffee flavor from all of that brown sugar. It’s one bowl and one pan. But don’t be fooled by its simplicity, this family favorite has been perfected into the indulgent and over-the-top treat I am craving this week. This dish can easily be made pareve, but this week I was craving ice cream on top.
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 ½ cup chocolate chips ( I prefer Guittard extra dark)
1 cup flour
1 egg
2 tablespoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons room temperature butter and more for the pan.
Put on your cooking pajamas. Invite your little one to join you because this one is easy and fun to do together. This will be adorable and take 3 times as long.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a pie plate. If you have a cast-iron skillet, this is a fantastic use of it.
Cream the brown sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Add flour and baking soda. Once fully combined add the chocolate. It will seem like too much – it’s not. It’s awesome. Pour it in the pie pan and smooth over the top. You’ll worry it’s not enough batter, but it is. If needed, just use your hands to smoosh it into place.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown on top, but gooey and melted in the center. Let cool, then top with vanilla ice cream. Depending on your Shabbat observance, you could mix ahead of time, refrigerate, serve dinner and stick this in the oven so it comes out warm for dessert. If you are shomer Shabbat, I promise it is still excellent room temperature.
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