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09/21/2017 12:01 AMAt the end of my spacious, galley-like kitchen, there is a bay window under which is a window seat that holds all my counter-type appliances. These include two Cuisinarts (one big, one little), a Ninja Pro that purees faster than a blink of an eye, a big Crock-Pot, two grinders, a machine that turns water into carbonated drinks, and a blender. In the back is an industrial-grade Bernzomatic blowtorch to make the caramelized tops of my crème brûlée just perfect.
What?
You don’t have one?
Really?
What has been missing, for several weeks now, is the biggest of the crown jewels in my tiara of gadgets: my KitchenAid mixer. It is about 10 years old and a new one costs around $600.
At some point, the arm that holds the bowl got stuck. I diagnosed it, and went to YouTube to find a fix. It would have involved taking the head off, removing the engine, taking off the arm, and buying a plastic part that was broken. About 16 screws were involved somehow. I am sure I would have lost many of them.
I called KitchenAid. They were of little help. Finally, HomeAdvisor gave me the name of a man in Rhode Island. He sounded lovely on the phone, so I drove the monster to his house in Central Falls. A few days later, he called and told me what was wrong. I gave him the go-ahead. A week and $166 later, my baby is back. By the way, my diagnosis was wrong.
I am now a happy camper. I am hoping this will last for another 10 to 20 years. My aunt had one when she got married, in 1934. When she died, in 1995, I gave it to my friend Marilyn Whiney. She still uses it.
What did I make first? I doubled the recipe for a cookie that, to mix the dough, called for the muscles of a weight lifter or, in my case, my KitchenAid.
Lee White has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Martha Stewart Living, September 2017
Yield: 12 cookies
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 whole bag)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 caramels, such as Kraft, halved
Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks on top and middle. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter; beat on medium speed until combined but some pea-size butter chunks remain. Add chocolate chips and beat until combined, then beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
Line two baking sheets with parchment (I use Silpat instead.) Scoop dough into 4-ounce balls (each about ⅓ cup), make a deep, wide hollow in each center. Enclose three halved pieces of caramel in each; roll back into a ball. Place six balls on each sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.
Bake, with one sheet on each rack, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, swap sheet positions, and bake until centers are almost but not completely set (press gently on tops with your fingers to check), 7 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven. Bang sheets on a counter a few times to create cracks on tops of cookies. Place sheets on a wire rack; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature up to three days.