Tomorrow is my birthday! 26. Another year down. I guess this is where I’m supposed to reflect on the past year and provide some lessons like how to suck it up and set mouse traps in your apartment after seeing one scamper across your kitchen floor. But I think the most valuable thing I’ve learned in the past year is learning to be less self-sufficient.

I bet you weren’t expecting that, huh?

Most of my quote-un-quote adult years have been spent alone which I’m truly grateful for. I understand myself more fully and spent months getting to know what practices are healthiest for me. And I actually took time finding comfort in just being alone for an entire weekend.

Here in Boston, I’ve opened myself up to connecting with friends on a deeper level and balancing the hours between self-care and putting myself out there. It’s turned out to be one of the greatest decisions I’ve made and encouraged growth in a space I haven’t ventured to in years. Trusting people is hard y’all, but I’m beginning to understand that it’s worth it. This is also part of the reason why blog posts are less frequent lately—I’m trying to get out there and experience as much as I can!

So, for my birthday this year, I harkened back to Mean Girls. My age is showing, isn’t it? When Cady Heron (AKA Lindsay Lohan) broke the Spring Fling Queen crown into pieces and threw them to members of her school to share the glory. Because I want to share this birthday with you all! I made you a round of shortbread cookie that gets cut into pieces and distributed at will 😉. Plus, this shortbread is also like a grown-up cookie cake. Olive oil and basil accompany the chocolate and create a sweet, savory, and salty treat.

Now, let’s get to the fun part. Let’s tackle some chocolate science. My favorite topic. Have you ever noticed that chocolate gets white and speckled when it gets too hot in your car and you uncover it days later? Or when you dig an old chocolate bar out from your cupboard? That’s caused when chocolate goes out of temper and blooms.

Huh?

Okay, chocolate’s main fat proportion comes from cocoa butter. Cocoa butter melts (becomes liquid) and crystallizes (becomes solid) just like any other fat except for that the fat crystals (triglycerides) can exist in several different orientations as a solid. The fat will cycle between fat crystal orientations until they are in the most stable orientation. If not crystallized properly, the chocolate will streak and bloom.

But what about chocolate chip cookies? The chocolate melts and re-solidifies, yet the chocolate does not take on a bloomed appearance. Why does this happen when the melted chocolate from the car blooms? What gives?

Well the oils from the cookie dough help us out here. The oil seeps into the chocolate chips as the cookie heats up in the oven and bakes. That oil jams itself into the cocoa butter portion and disrupts the crystal structure enough to prevent that triglyceride orientation from being so important. Therefore, the chocolate will always remain pretty good looking! And your life is much easier and carefree as you make delicious cookies that don’t need high-maintenance chocolate tempering after baking.

Sometimes you see this in action with those holiday cookies that have the Hershey’s kiss sticking out of the middle. The top of the kiss is not in contact with the cookie’s oils and can bloom several days after baking, taking on the streaky white appearance.

Chocolate, checkmate.

Now go make these and pretend it’s your birthday too. Because you deserve it, and I think this flavor combo is calling to you!

Olive Oil, Basil, and Chocolate Shortbread

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day

Print Recipe

1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (60g) powdered sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar (30g)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon minced basil leaves, fresh

½ cup (85g) semisweet chocolate, chopped into small dice

For topping, optional

Heavy Cream

Coarse salt such as maldon or fleur de sal

Coarse sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Add the olive oil and basil and stir to combine. Add the chocolate pieces and stir again.
3. Gather the dough with your hands into one mass and put onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover with another piece of parchment and roll into an 8-9-inch roundish slab. Remove the top sheet and use the bottom parchment sheet to slide the cookie round onto the back of a large baking sheet.
4. Optional: brush the top of the round with heavy cream (provides some browning). Sprinkle with a few generous pinches each of the course salt and sugar.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes and remove from the oven when done. Immediately slide the cookie round carefully onto a cutting board (I used the parchment to do this). Cut with a sharp, thin knife into desired shapes. Cool completely before separating the cookies. Store in an airtight container for a couple weeks.