Cookie with 6,000 Pounds of Chocolate

Well, it’s official… all the cows are dry and it’s all because of what happened one afternoon on a football field. It was on that fateful day that the world’s largest cookie was constructed. In order to indulge in such an enormous treat, that would require thousands of glasses of milk, but in this case it was worth the costs.

If for no other reason, this cookie helped to cut back on energy costs all around the city for one day. For one day, no one had to bake cookies in their traditional energy sucking appliance. They were being “green“.

The world’s largest cookie, chocolate chip no doubt, was 31m (102 feet) in diameter and weighted 18,000 kg (40,000 lb)! That’s one big and heavy chocolate chip cookie! Want to make a cookie like this on your own. It sounds like an “interesting” task to tackle to sasy the least. Well, if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll need…

• 12,200 lbs. of Unbleached Flour
• 6,525 lbs. of Unsalted Butter
• 6,000 lbs. of Dark Chocolate Chunks
• 5,000 lbs. of Granulated Sugar
• 3,370 lbs. of Dark Brown Sugar
• 30,000 Whole Eggs
• 184 lbs. of Salt
• 79 lbs. Baking Soda
• 10 gallons of Pure Vanilla

Wow… when I first heard this story I thought, “well, I think I’ll go to the local grocery store and pick up these few items so I can get to baking.” I’ll only need a couple thousands pounds or each ingredient. (No thanks, I think I’ll just read about it!) Even beyond the fact that this cookie is huge, you have to wonder, how’d they blend all this batter and who had to clean the mixer?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Lowers Cholesterol

Believe it folks, I speculated too. The reality is that now on the market there is a new cookie! These “Right Direction Cookies” have been proven to lower cholesterol and improve lipid subfraction profile, decreasing the risk of heart disease, according to a published study in The Journal of Nutrition (October).

The chocolate chip cookies, made with a combination of psyllium and plant sterols, are a tasty all-natural approach to reducing cardiovascular risk associated with cholesterol.

Here, check it out!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/53430.php

Who would have guessed that there was a healthy alternative to my love for cookies! It certainly won’t replace our favorite cookie recipes, but it is a step in the “Right Direction” towards better health and wellness.

Oreos Overtake Roadway

Oreos are quite possibly the most delicious combination of chocolate and cream known to man. Whoever first decided that the cream filling should be IN the cookie is a hero and without him, we would never have had this hilarious story to laugh at.

It’s any cookie-lover’s dream. Fourteen tons of double-stuffed Oreos sprinkled among the highway and median, still protected by their little plastic sleeves. Well, for the residents of Illinois, it’s no dream.

According to officials, State Police Sgt. Brian Mahoney says the truck’s driver was traveling from Chicago to Morris on Interstate 80 around 4 a.m. Monday when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into the median. The contents of his overloaded semi-truck were rocketed from their storage and onto the roadway.

Only about 50 miles southwest from Chicago, this crash still remains under investigation.

So far, no charges have been filed, however it looks like this batch of “milk’s favorite cookie” won’t be dunked, crunched, or enjoyed by anyone in Illinois today.

Behind Bars For Sharing Snack Cakes?

Although the calories in Little Debbie cakes are high, is it really so wrong to enjoy them and by nature want to share? Apparently, according to an Ohio legal system it is at least worth the trial.

This story takes place in an Ohio jail, the place Timothy Caudill, 21, calls home. Caudill is an inmate held in a residential community corrections program who bought an oatmeal cream pie from a vending machine.

Of course, that’s not the bad part. The true crime occurred when Caudill decided to share his sweet snack with a fellow inmate, on restriction from snacks.

Now, the man who just wanted to share his Little Debbie Cakes is facing serious jail time.

According to leading sources, prosecutors have requested that Caudill’s probation be revoked and he is put into a prison for up to 9-months. Like many, his attorney considers this incredibly extreme.

It’s a snack cake, people. Yet, despite the oddity of it, it is still a crime. When it comes to punishment for this sweet crime—how far is too far?

Recent Outbreak in Childhood Depression

Ok, so it may not be a real depression, but now that the beloved Cookie Monster has taken an oath for healthy eating… the reality is certainly coming. The furry little guy who used to sing “C is for cookie” is now sining what? C is for celery?

With the new rise in childhood obesity rates, many popular television shows are making a change. Everyone’s favorite cookie loving creature with the blue fur is shocking everyone as he now sports a healthier diet.

On the popular television show Sesame Street, the scruffy Cookie monster has cut down on his chocolate chip cookie addiction and although withdrawal is a serious concern for Cookie Monster, he is trying to be a little healthier.

The fuzzy monster has even devised a new song to promote his new lease on life, “A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food.” In this cheery tune, Cookie Monster learns about how there are “anytime” foods and “sometimes” foods. Unfortunately for all of us, Cookie Monster had learned that cookies are, indeed, a sometimes food.

While this is great for the GROWING next generation, it brings up the many questions from the older fans that grew up with Cookie Monster living a life of no limitations! Sesame Street’s new plan, “Healthy Habits for Life”, is a great influence on children and impacts the food that they put in their mouth.

“With the rise in childhood obesity, Sesame Street VP of Research and Education, Dr. Rosemarie Truglio said, “Sesame Street” is concentrating on the need to teach children about healthy foods and physical activity.” The show is even going as far as to provide health tips at the beginning of each show.

They go on to say that Sesame is about good lifestyles, and not just the ever consistent numbers and letters. Obesity is a big problem with children today and even Cooke Monster is willing to adapt to these changes.

After all, at the end of Cookie Monster’s song where he learns about cookies being a sometimes food, he asks if sometimes is now. He is replied with a simple “yes” and gobbles a cookie down.

So cookies may be decreasing in the world of Sesame Street, but they’re not gone for good. In a world, ruled by Muppets and string puppets, there is still room for a cookie here and there!

Last Piece of Cake Leads to Stabbing

In northern Italy, when cake began to run low at an all-you-can-eat buffet, tensions began to run high as well; so high, in fact, that 70-year old Niccolo Bruno was stabbed by 62-year old Alfredo Mancini.

As the story has been told, Bruno was stabbed with a nearby knife by Mancini when a fight broke out between the men, who both wanted the last piece of cake at a local buffet.

Once the tension settled, Mancini tried to escape the buffet with at least his dignity, if not the cake as well. Unfortunately, when Mancini tried to make his getaway with his walking stick, a couple off-duty police officers arrested him.

In return for the harm Mancini caused Bruno, Mancini faces time in prison on charges of bodily harm. Compared to the little scare, these two men faced today, Bruno is just happy to be escaping with his life.

Bruno was treated at a local hospital for his wounds, was later released and is doing fine. For these men, it is just a shame that neither could want a brownie or a cookie. I guess the old saying, “let them eat cake” isn’t always the easiest thing to do!

Man Loses 73 Pounds By Eating Cookies

A cookie a day keeps the doctor away? I thought it sounded pretty suspicious as well, but as it turns out it’s true! Warren Thompson, 21, a heavy built man, has been eating cookies for three months now and has lost over 70 pounds!

“I was always called ‘hey big guy,’” Thompson said. “I played basketball in high school, the big center they would always go to.” He followed a guide to healthy eating and exercised regularly, but despite his efforts those pounds stuck on hard. “I was almost thinking maybe I’m just supposed to be big.”

When all hope had nearly been lost, a friend gave Thompson a glimmer of hope. His hope came appealed to the one thing which was destroying him– his stomach! It was called Dr. Sanford Siegal’s Cookie Diet.

So what’s the secret behind this supposed Cookie Diet? Well, each participant eats a special diet cookie– one every two hours. In addition, they eat 6 ounces of lean meat and two cups of vegetables for dinner.

Each 90 calorie cookie fights off hunger pains of the day. “I’m not hungry, but I’m not full,” Thompson said. “So there’s no reason for me to eat right now.” By lowering calorie intake, it is a no-brainer that you will lose weight.

So can you open up a box of Oreos or Keeblers and lose weight? No. These cookies are special. “[Each cookie] is a particular mixture of amino acids that are protein substances that are very well known as hunger controlling,” Siegal said. “To my knowledge no one has ever created a food for the purpose of controlling hunger.”

Lose weight by eating cookies– not a bad deal! Although this may sound easy, it doesn’t come without criticisms by nutritionists and doctors who recommend a healthy balance of meats, fruits, and veggies… no cookies!

“We’ve been doing this for 33 years and we’ve had over a half million people who have lost weight,” Siegal said. “It doesn’t really matter how silly it sounds, it’s a diet that works.”

The Cookie Diet has helped over half a million people lose weight and for Warren Thompson that’s made a substantial difference in his life… even if it’s just cookies!

Woman Bakes Cookies on Dashboard

In Bedford, New Hampshire, it’s hot, but for one woman (and her co-workers), that’s not always a bad thing! In her small SUV, the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies lingers in the toasty air. They’re almost done. These cookies sit atop the dashboard of Sandi Fontaine’s Rav4 and when the days get hot, she get’s to baking!

“My husband wanted me to run some errands this morning,” said Fontaine. “I said, ‘I can’t. I’m baking cookies.’”

Over three years ago, Fontaine first tried out her car-cookie baking idea. She soon learned that the temperature outside needed to be at least 95 degrees which causes the temperature in the car to rise to a blistering 200 degrees.

When the temperature begins to rise, so do the cookies! “Mrs. Fields has nothing on Sandi,” co-worker Brian Champigny said of the cookie coinsurer. The deliciously warm cookies are a great addition to any work day, and with all the talk of energy conservation, what better way than to use solar energy.

When Fontaine’s cookies were finally ready to come out, she headed back outside from her work. “When you open the door to that car,” she said, “it’s like, oh, my God. It’s a wonderful smell.”

This just goes to show you that cookies really are right anytime. It further supports the idea that when life gives you sweltering heat, make chocolate chip cookies!

Culinary Boot Camp

This is new to me, so I thought you might be interested too; it’s culinary boot camp! Apparently, these camps take place at CIA, the Culinary Institute of America (or any other major culinary center). You can choose from a one day camp, or two, or five! No matter which session you choose, it is guaranteed that you will leave with a new sense for the culinary arts!

Of course, these camps are not solely limited to cookies and cakes, which is probably a good thing because we can’t all live on cake alone. These classes are as “hands on” as you’d like and leaves you wanting to know more each time.

These courses are located in Hyde Park, New York, but I’d think that with some looking you could find some similar options locally! This is what I did and I’m already registered for a couple sessions in my own area. For me, the Culinary Center of Kansas City is perfect and it too offers classes, which last a day a weekend or meet weekly! There is just so much to learn, the hardest part is just picking a camp to attend.

If you want to some more information you can visit www.ciachek.edu/enthusiasts or you can call (800) 888-7850. For more information locally, I’d suggest cracking open that menacing phone book and doing it the old fashioned way.