welcome back, me! (mandel bread)

Oh, hello.

Yeah, no, I definitely took a semester-long blog break because now, ladies and gentleladies, I am graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaduated.

Before cookies happen (oh my goodness, really? cookies? from me?) I'd like to take some time to make a couple shout-outs to the people and things that made my college experience what it was.

• To the Minnesota Daily, for providing me with a daily crossword puzzle distraction, I thank you. Because of you, my mind is sharper than ever and I now know multiple sites for cheating.
• To the St Paul Student Center for being the only place on the entire campus with the bougie yogurt I like, I thank you.
• To whomever decided it would be a good idea to have all tampon dispensers in campus bathrooms be free, I thank you.
• To the kind people of Bruegger's Bagels, I thank you.
• To the tester bottles of lotion in the bookstore, my hands thank you.

That's it. 

I kid! THAT'S NOT IT. To the hundreds of people I've had the pleasure of interacting with throughout these past three and a half years, I thank you. You've probably shaped me someway and somehow.

Can we please talk about cookies now?

Upon realizing I graduated college, the only thing that seemed appropriate and worth doing was making mandel bread. Oh, mandel. You little Jewish biscotti, you. More sugar, not as hard, chocolatey, twice baked and dredged in cinnamon sugar. Don't tell biscotti, but I like you more. Let's never stop being friends.

Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

cinnamon sugar for dredging (I know this is a real word...but why.)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat sugar and oil together. Add eggs, one at a time, mix well. Add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, mix til combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at least two hours, maybe even overnight!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets. Form dough into four, three inch wide logs, two on each sheet. Bake logs for 25 minutes. Let cool. 

Reduce heat to 250 degrees. Slice logs into 1/2 inch pieces and dredge sides in cinnamon sugar mixture. (this is the time when you set aside the ends of the logs especially for yourself)
Place cookies back onto cookie sheets, cinnamon sugar sides down. Bake for another 20 minutes.