HOME COOKING From Celebrity Chef, Anne Burrell

More people are doing their own meal prep during the Covid-19 outbreak. We are pleased to be able to bring our readers some simple recipes by top chefs that you can easily prepare at home. This is the first in a series of articles that will get you cooking without a lot of fuss. Check out this luscious cookie recipe by Anne Burrell. And stay tuned to Broadwayworld.com Food and Wine for more home cooking ideas from some of your favorite chefs.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen, Time: About 45 minutes

There's nothing like a good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie. There's just something so comfy and homey about them. For mine, instead of whipping out the bag of chocolate chips, I buy block chocolate and chop it up to make big chunks of chocolaty goodness. Then I add oats to give these lovelies a nice bite, and finish them with a little sea salt to intensify the flavors. Needless to say, people are always very happy with me when I make a batch of these sweeties.

Mise en Place:

-2 cups all-purpose flour-1 teaspoon baking powder-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt-1 cup rolled oats-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon-1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp, plus more for greasing -1 cup packed dark or light brown sugar-1/2 cup granulated sugar-1 teaspoon vanilla extract-2 large eggs-12 ounces block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped-1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)-Coarse sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a baking sheet.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, rolled oats, and cinnamon.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time and beat unit well combined.

4. Using a rubber spatula, gradually add the flour mixture into the batter-sugar mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts, if using.

5. Spoon tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the dough balls. Bake the cookies for 12 to 13 minutes or until just beginning to color.

6. Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle each one with a few grains of sea salt--it's really important to do this while the cookies are hot so the salt sticks. Let the cookies cool for a couple minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. repeat with the remaining dough.chunk-a-chunk-a...super-yummy cookies!

About Anne Burrell Chef/TV Personality/Author/Teacher

With her trademark spiky blonde hair and sparkling personality, Anne Burrell is the hugely popular and fan favorite host of Worst Cooks in America, Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, as well as the new Food Network series Vegas Chef Prize Fight. Burrell is an industry veteran and passionate teacher who prides herself on creating rustic Italian dishes that celebrate simple and pure ingredients.

Growing up in upstate New York, Anne's passion for food and cooking began at an early age, triggered by her love of watching Julia Child and her own mother's talent in the kitchen. After graduating with a degree in English and Communication from Canisius College in Buffalo, she pursued her interest in the restaurant business by enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America. Following her graduation in 1996, she furthered her education by spending a year in Italy attending the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. During that year, she did apprenticeships at La Taverna del Lupo in Umbria and the Michelin-starred La Bottega del '30, a 30-seat restaurant that offered one six-course seating a night in Tuscany. It was during this period that Anne developed her true love of the Italian kitchen and grew to appreciate and understand the philosophy of Italian cuisine.

Upon her return to the United States in 1998, Burrell was hired as a Sous Chef at Felidia Ristorante in Manhattan alongside Lidia Bastianich. Anne then went on to become a Chef at Savoy Restaurant in Soho where she created flavorful Mediterranean-inspired menus while cooking over an open wood fire.

After several years of working in restaurants, Anne took the opportunity to spread her culinary knowledge and passion as a teacher at the Institute of Culinary Education where she taught for more than three years. Seeking her next challenge, Burrell returned to restaurant life and accepted the role of Executive Chef at Lumi Restaurant while continuing to teach part time. From there she moved on to be the Executive Chef of the Italian Wine Merchants where she curated and executed wine-pairing dinners. It was during this time that Anne began her TV career, appearing as a Sous Chef on Food Network's Iron Chef America. From there Burrell went on to be the Executive Chef at New

York hotspot Centro Vinoteca. It was during her tenure there that Anne was offered her own show on the Food Network, the Emmy-nominated Secrets of a Restaurant Chef which ran for nine seasons.

Since then, Anne has become a much-loved staple on Food Network appearing regularly on shows such as Chef Wanted, Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Food Network Star and others. Burrell is also the author of two cookbooks, the New York Times top ten bestseller, Cook Like a Rock Star, and the follow-up Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower, both of which give home cooks the confidence and support to be rock stars in their own kitchens.

Burrell has served on the Garden of Dreams Foundation Advisory Board which brightens the lives of children facing obstacles, and is also a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Celebrity Ambassador, where she is an advocate for juvenile diabetes awareness. She travels frequently around the country in her role as both a mentor and guest speaker where she discusses her career and love of cooking. Throughout Anne's culinary journey she has always said, "I feel so lucky to be able to share my true passion in life with others."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ken Goodman