Kathi's Cookies: White Chip Double Chocolate Cookies

Sometimes you meet people and you just know you are going to be friends for life - that's how I felt when we met our wonderful American friends Kathi and Kurt.  We met them through our church when we were living in Reading 6 years ago.  I still remember the first time I met Kathi, I had moved away to university and was attending church in a new area and was feeling pretty shy about the fact I didn't really know too many people there.  Even though she was new too she came over and spoke to me, I remember being really grateful for that! Previous to that I had spent my time after church ended chatting to this 8 year old little boy James so I'm sure James was pleased to have me leaving him alone after that! 

After that we spent a lot of time together because Byron and Kurt were both involved with the Young Mens organisation in our church (for boys between the ages of 12-18) and Kathi and I were both leaders for the Young Women (girls between the ages of 12-18). Kathi is the kind of friend who is always thinking of others and doing kind deeds, she is always happy and joyful and gives the best hugs, I felt like during my time away at University she was like a second mom to me.  Halfway through our time living in Reading we moved to the other side of town which meant we had to start attending a different congregation of our church.  We still kept in touch with Kathi and Kurt, and one night when we found ourselves locked out of our house we didn't really want to call on anyone from our new church for help because we didn't feel we knew anyone well enough to do so.  Our parents lived too far away for us to travel to just for one night, so we called up our old friends and they were more than willing to help out - putting us up in one of their very beautiful guest rooms...I could have stayed all week! 

Kathi introduced me to the delights of apple crisp, fruit pizza...and these delicious cookies! She had made them one evening for a church event at her home and Byron and I couldn't stop eating them! I even think we snuck some home with us.  When I asked Kathi how she made them she told me they were just made with Nestle morsels and it was the recipe from the back of the bag! She told me next time she went back to America she would bring me some back...and true to her word she did! We were very excited to bake them up but were rather confused when our cookie dough was still pale in colour and not dark brown.  I called Kathi to see if I had somehow done something wrong and she laughed when she realised she had brought me the wrong Nestle morsels.  She had brought me the chocolate swirled chips when she should have brought me the white chips!

So the next time she went back to The States, she brought me some bags of white chips! and we were finally able to recreate the deliciousness of those cookies! I saved the bag which had the recipe on and kept it in my diary until recently when I was transferring all my random recipes into a proper recipe file, I came across this recipe and realised it had been far too long since I'd made some of these babies! 

So I rectified that! and really you don't need Nestle chips to make it, any old white chocolate chips will do! 

I had written this post last week and since then Kathi has proved once again why she is the best kind of friend to have! I was trying to source an American ingredient and couldn't find it anywhere in the UK, I really needed to call on an American friend to help me out and I knew I could depend on Kathi.  I messaged her asking if she didn't mind checking out some of her local shops, I wasn't even sure if they would have the product I wanted, and within 6 hours of me sending my original message she replied to tell me it was in the post and on it's way to me! 

Since our first meeting in Reading those 6 years ago, Kathi and Kurt moved to Singapore, we moved to Turks and Caicos, they moved back to Texas and now we will be heading off to Vancouver soon but I know this to be true...

'Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart." - Anon -

and I know that we'll definitely see each other again, whether it's over some Southern style BBQ in Texas or over some milkshakes at a diner in Vancouver - hint hint! 

White Chip Double Chocolate Cookies (A.K.A Kathi's Cookies):

Makes 20

From Nestle Tollhouse via Kathi!

150g plain flour 

30g cocoa powder 

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

113g unsalted butter, softened 

80g caster sugar 

50g packed dark brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 egg 

 225g white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Combine flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a small bowl.  
Beat butter and both sugars with vanilla extract in the bowl of a freestanding mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour and stir in white chocolate chips.
Drop by well rounded ice cream scoops onto baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until centers are set.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.