‘Baking with chefs’ a recipe for fun at Four Seasons Amman

Cooking and kids? A classic combo—like kids and pools or kids and puppies. While visiting Jordan’s Four Seasons Hotel Amman, globetrotting family travel blogger Jeanne Dee dropped off her tween daughter Mozart for a special baking-with-the-chefs session in the hotel’s kitchen.

It seemed like fun was the No. 1 ingredient on the menu, as Pastry Chef Anas Qsairi and team worked with Mozart to whip up a batch of crisp-on-the-outside, gooey-in-the-middle, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies. If you’re thinking about adding “culinary” to your own family vacation itinerary, watch Jeanne’s video on her blog, Soultravelers3.

Says Chef Qsairi: “It was a terrific experience having Mozart with us in the kitchen. She had such a great and outgoing personality, and definitely brightened our day!”

He shared with us some advice on cookie baking with kids. Try out Chef Qsairi’s recipe with your own children. Although you might want to double the amounts so you have plenty of excess dough for nibbling.

5 Baking Tips from Chef Qsairi -

1. Don’t over-bake your creations or they’ll turn out too hard; if baked properly, the cookies should be chewy and soft.
2. Be sure to use mostly brown sugar. Too much white sugar will harden cookies.
3. Bake from the heart! Baking with passion leads to excellent results.
4. Take your time. It takes patience to create a masterpiece.
5. While you should follow the steps and ingredients of any given recipe, try to add your own personal touch and signature whatever you’re making—maybe in the icing or the presentation? Think finishing touches…

Read more about Amman in Four Seasons Magazine.

Four Seasons Hotel Amman Dark Chocolate-Chip Cookies

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, whisk together butter, sugars and salt until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Then slowly add the egg and vanilla; mix until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients (except pecans and chocolate chips) to the mixture; stir to combine.

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ¼ teaspoons instant coffee (such as Nescafé)
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
• 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips

Next, gently add pecans and chocolate chips while mixing. (Not too much!) Combine.

Make a solid, round roll of dough, wrap in waxed paper and place in the fridge for one hour. Once chilled, remove the dough from the fridge and slice sideways into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place on a cookie sheet about one inch apart. Bake at 340 degrees F for seven minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and place onto a cooling rack to allow to cool slightly. Serve warm for maximum enjoyment. Makes 12 cookies. (Double the recipe, if you like; these freeze well in Ziploc bags.)