Baking cookies for Hari Raya.

I have been checking off things on my "Things to do before Hari Raya list". For instance, on Saturday I checked off packed kids' clothes, this is a major weight off my shoulders, everytime, I have to pack for a trip. The kids' clothes are not 100% packed, but I can say I'm about 87% done there, just the little little things to add on before we go. On Sunday, it was checking off - Bake Chocolate Chip cookies! We bought the ingredients much earlier during the week. I made sure this time, there's no slacking with the ingredients. The chocolate chips and chocolate bar is 100% Hershey's. We did try to use Van Houten a couple of years back, it didn't come out quite as chocolatey as we'd liked it to be.

Everybody ended up 'helping" this time. Nayli of course from the beginning. She even insisted on helping with the messy bits. Oh, by the way I use the recipe that was said to be the "Famous Amos" cookie recipe that was distributed in the emails a few years back.

Like, this part of measuring 2 cups of butter. Took her quite a while to wipe out the butter from the measuring cup. So I took this opportunity to take some pictures.

It's now time to break off the chocolate bar into smaller chunks, for melting. The recipe doesn't call for melted chocs, but I prefer them melted, makes the cookies darker and looks more chocolatey.

At this point, Zarif did stop playing his PS2 to "help".

The chocolates now in the double boiler, melting away.

Butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Creamed butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Messy and chaotic worktop.

Semi-sweet chocolatey goodness, don't know why there's a pencil next to the pack. You need 2 bags of this delicious chocolatey morsels for this recipe.

Save 1 oz of the chocolate bars, this bit was not melted but merely sliced thinly by my assistant.

Nayli, pouring the melted chocolate into the flour mixture.

At the point when we were about to pour out the chocolate chips, we called out for Zarif (who somehow managed to dissapear half way but not before making us promise to call him again when it is time for the chocolate chips to go into the batter). Somehow, even the father came out. He!he! the effects of fasting and chocolates on some people!

Jack took forever to pour in the 1st bag of chocolate chips. I opened the next one, and chuck the contents out in one go, and was accused of being artless and not creative... as if!!!!

Since he seemed to have a lot of opinion in many things with regards to my "style", I passed him the wooden spoon to mix the now rather tough sticky dough. There, show me your artfulness and creativity...

Chocolatey goey dough somehow got to his hands, luckily he remembered that he was fasting. Almost, licked the bits off his fingers there, ha!ha!

Nayli was then given the tasks of mincing the almonds into smaller pieces.

One final mix of the cookie dough.

First tray, I scooped this and I happen to like it this way, small & uneven. I have always thought this is how a chocolate chip should look like.

Closer look.

Yummm!

Another batch.

Adding in the nuts, in the next batch.

Still stirring. Chef 'Wan"nabe!

Then he decided, he could do better than me.

What is that??? Again, I was accused of being artless and dull.

Once they saw the father having his way with the dough, there was just no stopping them.

They began creating all sorts of shapes.

Jack somehow likes to pat and "smother" the cookie dough like so. This will make the cookie turn out flat and boring, but that's what I think and apparently who cares what I think, :-P.

The baked cookies are cooled separately before placed in the container.

One example of being creative! I know, you do not need to tell me what this remind you off!!

Other letters in the alphabet, there is actually a smiley face somewhere in this batch too!

Still at it, I gave up, and concentrated on minding the cookies in the oven.

The baked smiley face, not so clear though.

Zaim, woke up just in time to sample the cooled cookies.

His verdict? Well, clearly he looked like he loved it huh?

Z for Zarif, Zahra, Zakree & Zaim.

E for Mama, and T for Tok.

All done.

The end result of 3 1/2 hours labour of love.