#thewinningticket

Back in May, a college friend called and asked if I had any free time to work on a side project. "I was grabbing drinks with the guys," he said, "and we were just complaining about how we needed to take a break from all the corporate stuff and get our hands dirty with something more CREATIVE. Decided to throw together a crew and shoot this short on Monday. So what do you think? No pay, a couple days of long hours...but I can guarantee it will be a fun time."

Without hesitation, I said, "I'm in. Do you need me to draft the call sheets?" He laughed.

It was just like college...but this time around we had fancier equipment, a few more years of experience, and little more cash for craft services.

And speaking of craft services--after a long pre-light, I rushed home and baked some salted chocolate chip cookies for the crew. I knew the next day was going to be a long one, I had lunch in the works, but since a few of us were basically donating the money for gear, craft, etc...I knew we needed some decent (homemade) snacks on set to keep the crew happy. So with only about 6 hours until our Monday morning call time, I decided to stick with a classic that I knew would be a set pleaser.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FOR THE CREW

From Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS

1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8¾ ounces)

½ teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons (7 ounces) unsalted butter, divided

¾ cup (5¼ ounces) dark brown sugar

½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large (18x12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside.

Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan constantly until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl. Stir the remaining 4 tablespoons butter into the hot browned butter until completely melted. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to the bowl with the butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let the mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat the process of resting and whisking 2 more times until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips and give the dough a final stir to ensure there are no hidden flour pockets.

Scoop the dough into 16 even portions, each about 3 tablespoons, and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

Bake the cookies 1 tray at a time until the cookies are golden brown but still puffy, and the edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheet to wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For the crew...for your friends...for yourself--I don't think you will regret making these. And that's the thing about MAKING STUFF...getting your hands dirty...sometimes you just need to drop everything and MAKE SOMETHING. Put your hands to work and create something that you can be proud of. Doesn't mean you have to take time off of work to make a short film by any means, but perhaps you can start with taking an hour to whip up these delicious cookies. Everyone you share them with will thank you. YOU will thank yourself.

And if your up for some "fancy" language to go with your ridiculous cookies...check out the funny short we made and entered in the My RØDE Reel international short film competition.

The Winning Ticket