Although there is much to be done in the coming days, I am taking a hygge day—choral Christmas music, ginger spice candle, fuzzy clothes, baking,and tea…
I realize that community is central to the Danish practice of hygge—coziness, togetherness, sharing, and reciprocity… board games, comfort food, and mulled wine…
Seeing that my near future holds an abundance of family time, I am content to build a solo hygge experience right now. Let’s hope that this cozy “me time” helps me to refrain from snapping at my family next week. (Who are we kidding? I will be short with them!)
Later today, I will prepare a savory pork roast. I will roast vegetables. I will sip lush red wine. I will listen to podcasts, and I will write in my journal. Maybe I will Netflix and chill.
But for now, I am indulging in freshly baked cookies: David Lebovitz’s Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re earthy, sweet and robust. I pair them with an appropriately cold-weather tea—Nilgiri Frost Oolong. This rare tea—from India—develops its intense fruitiness during chilly winter months. Its assertiveness stands up to the chocolate, buckwheat and walnut. This cookie-tea pair is quintessential winter fare.
My solitary hygge day is not lonely—I deliver Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies to a baker friend, I chat with my stylist about her holiday plans, and I text a sleepy friend in Europe. My hygge mindset weaves a web of meaningful togetherness that will gently carry me into the chaos of the coming weeks.
Inspirations
The New York Times on Hygge
The New Yorker on Hygge
Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Very lightly adapted from David Lebovitz’s recipe. I held back a little on the chocolate (200 grams rather than 230 grams) and I used 1 tsp of vanilla rather than the 1.5 tsp he suggests. Link to his recipe includes suggested variations.
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 1/2 c (90g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 c (65g) granulated sugar
- 8 tbsp. (4 ounces, 115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c (140g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c (35g) whole-grain buckwheat flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
- 1 1/4 c (200 g) coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 3/4 c (75g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher or sea salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Mix in the chopped chocolate (including any small bits of chocolate left on the cutting board), and walnuts. Cover the bowl and chill overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Use your hands to form 1 1/2-inch (4cm) balls of dough and place them evenly spaced (about 2 1/2-inchs/6cm) apart on the baking sheet. Slightly flatten the tops and sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
- Bake the cookies until they just feel almost, but not quite, set in the center, and still soft, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets in the oven midway through baking. Remove the cookies from the oven and tap the top of each cookie lightly with a spatula, just once, to compact them slightly. Let cool.