At a recent book signing and cooking class with Joe Yonan, Food and Travel Editor at the Washington Post. Joe treated us to a small private cooking demonstration hosted by SingularCity.
When I asked the columnist of “Cooking for One” for his most romantic recipe for our Love Potions, Joe immediately knew his chocolate chip recipe he made for his boyfriend Carl was the one that all single daters would enjoy. Joe proudly told me this was the most romantic recipe in his new book, Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook.
In an excerpt in Joe’s book, he say, “Perhaps it’s not wise, but I judge a relationship potential by how a guy eats. That is, a man who consumes food with gusto stands a better chance with me than one who pokes around at his plate, complains about a (large) portion sizes, or declares dessert off-limits.
One day when Joe’s boyfriend Carl wasn’t feeling well, Joe made him chicken soup with ginger and green onions. After a half-hour of finishing the soup, Carl felt better and said, “Got any cookies?” Joe whipped up a new recipe for this cookies, which I had the pleasure of nibbling on during our cooking session.
If a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, jot down this recipe and serve it to your guy at dessert.
Carl’s Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Makes 8-10 very large cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted pecan halves
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia or vanilla extract, or 1/2 teaspoon orange oil plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, shaved with a knife into irregular slivers and chunks
Instructions
Sprinkle the pecans into a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the nuts start to brown and become fragrant, a few minutes. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool; if you leave them to cool in the pan, they can burn. Once they are cool, chop them.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, oats, coconut, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium-high, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and Fiori di Sicilia.
Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks and pecans. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto the sheets, 4 inches apart.
Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown on the edges, 12-15 minutes. Remove the cookies and let them cool on the baking sheets. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Note: You can freeze these before baking. Just drop the mounds onto just one baking sheet, as close together as you need without touching, and freeze them until firm. Then transfer them to heavy-duty freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to six months. To bake from frozen, increase the time to 25 minutes or longer.
Many thanks to Joe Yonan and Ten Speed Press for permitting us to feature this love potion recipe.
Click here to purchase your copy of the book.
Looking for more Love Potions romantic recipes? We’ve got you (and your date) covered.
Julie Spira is America's Top Online Dating Expert. She's an award-winning dating coach who's been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.
