Triple chocolate cookie

These cookies scream chocolate. The recipe calls for a whole tablespoon of vanilla (a lot of chocolate and a lot of vanilla)! Don’t over bake these gooey bad boys! Makes 4 dozen.

INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:

•2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened

•1 cup dark brown sugar

•⅔ cup fine granulated white sugar (pulse in processor before measuring)

•2 large eggs

•1 tbs vanilla

•2 ½ cups flour

•½ cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa (Miller’s Country Store).

•1 tsp baking soda

•1 tsp salt

•8 oz of 70% dark chocolate bar, chopped fine (I like Tony’s)

•1 c semisweet chocolate chips*

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown and white sugars on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fluffy. Add the vanilla and blend in at medium speed.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in dry ingredients. Mix just until combined (don’t overmix!). Fold in chopped chocolate and chocolate chips by hand.

Cover mixing bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour or so (or overnight).

Remove dough from fridge, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and roll dough into 48 1-inch balls. Place 12 on each of two baking pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven. Do not overbake!

Allow cookies to cool on pans for about 10 minutes, then loosen with metal

Mass., cut up some bars of chocolate and added them to a basic sugar cookie recipe. The rest is history; today, there are dozens of recipes for the iconic chocolate chip cookie.

Some people have a knack for making perfect chocolate chip cookies. And I give due credit to my oldest child Ryanne and my neighbor Rachel, whom I’ve hired occasionally to bake for me when I need a batch of cookies for grandkids (shhh!). Both of them whip up blue ribbon-worthy traditional cookies.

But in another category, I think my oozy-gooey, triple chocolate cookie is certainly blue ribbon-worthy, too, and my gaggle of grandchildren all agree!

Music

Tanner Usrey w/ Gabriella Rose, The Hive, June 16

Up-and-coming country artists tend to fall into one of two camps: those leaning hard into the bassbeat-backed sound topping radio charts for the past decade, and those embracing the folk-inspired sounds of yesteryear. Texas artist Tanner Usrey is making his name among the latter, having recently signed with Atlantic Records and amassing tens of millions of streams on listening platforms with an understated country-rock sound adaptable to hometown backyards and sold-out stadiums. Or, in our case, The Hive on Friday, June 16.

Songwriting and performing chops aside, Usrey has a superpower often overlooked in country music: a voice that’s clear, honest and poised to sing directly to the listener.

Gabriella Rose, Coeur d’Alenebased singer-songwriter known for her “cowboy pop” style and beyond-her-years artistry, will open the Hive show at 7:30 p.m. Usrey will go on around 9 p.m.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey

Doors at 7 p.m.; $15 advance, $20 at the door (plus taxes and fees); 21+. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-920-9039, livefromthehive.com. Listen at tannerusreymusic.com.

Mike Wagoner Duo, Pend d’Oreille Winery, June 17

If you haven’t caught Mike Wagoner and “Utah” John Stoll playing around Sandpoint yet, you’re missing out. The duo has built a following thanks to their flawless mix of classic rock, blues, country, folk and Americana tunes. Playing each tune effortlessly from memory, Mike and Utah John always put on a great show, filled with songs you’ll want to sing along to, as well as new favorites you’ll want to hear again. ished cover as well as each unique original.

— Ben Olson

5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., 208-2658545, powine.com. Listen to Mike Wagoner by accessing his Facebook page.

Beth Pederson and Bruce Bishop, Memorial Community Center in Hope, June 21

There are some musicians considered “royalty” by Sandpoint standards, which means they have played enough gigs and brought enough smiles to our faces over the years to earn a place in the hall of fame.

Beth Pederson and Bruce Bishop certainly deserve this distinction after playing beautiful music together for almost two decades.

Pederson’s love for music and insightful storytelling remain her greatest strengths as a musician,

Mike and Utah John play songs that remind us of old times, good times and fun times. There’s a warmth and ease to their collaboration that’s evident with every cherdelivering a deep message with every strum of her guitar.

With the accompaniment of Bishop’s sweet guitar rooted in blues and jazz history, the duo brings a new twist to old favorites.

— Ben Olson

5-7:30 p.m., FREE. Memorial Community Center, 415 Wellington Place, Hope; 208-264-5481. Mccinhope.com for information. Listen at highmoonmusic.com.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in

Sandpoint

Molly Starlite, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, June 15 Aaron Wilcox Recital, MCS, June 16

There are few local acts like Molly Starlite. Based in Oldtown, the one-woman band taps into a rich vein of retro rock-a-billy but with a distinctive twist — veering into inventive melodies and creative instrumentation that in the past has been known to include melotron, mandolin, banjo and even banjo.

Charity Luthy, a.k.a. Molly Starlite, since 2020 has been performing all instrumentation and vocals herself, even recording Don’t Light the Dynamite — her 2021 album — from her own stu- dio. As she describes it, her sound is a hook-heavy amalgam of Gin Wigmore, Elle King, Delta Rae, Belinda Carlisle, The Bangles, Amy Windehouse, ZZ Ward and other “blues-infused pop rock.”

Swing into MickDuff’s Beer Hall on Thursday, June 15 and you’ll be treated to her rock-a-bility.

— Zach Hagadone

6 p.m., FREE. MickDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., 208-2096700, mickduffs.com. Listen at mollystarlite.com.

The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is proud to announce the senior recital for honors piano student Aaron Wilcox.

Wilcox has studied piano at MCS for four years and is in the studio of Matt Goodrich. His senior recital will feature a diverse repertoire, including works by Schumann, Ravel and Respighi, showcasing Wilcox’s innate ability to infuse vivid expression into his playing and captivate listeners.

“I am thrilled for the opportu- nity to share my passion for music with the community,” Wilcox said. This will be a free event, but donations are always appreciated. For reservations, please follow the links from the website listed below.

— Ben Olson

7 p.m., FREE. Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 110 Main St., 208-265-4444, sandpointconservatory.org.

Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay won a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. The novel follows two cousins before, during and after WWII as they become major figures in the comics business, from its humble beginnings to its “Golden Age.” The book is smart, funny and immersive to the point where you don’t want to put it down and join the present anymore.

Read Listen

Chris Staples is one of those musicians who cuts right to the bone with his thoughtful, pleasant and original songs that live somewhere between indie pop and singer-songwriter. He’s a poet and musician simultaneously, and his warm voice compliments the sonic tapestry created with each album. His latest release, Cloud Souvenirs (May 2023), is yet another offering of great songs from this underrated artist.

Watch

Somehow I missed the Oscar-winning film Whiplash when it first came out a decade ago. The psychological drama is centered on the high-stress world of studio musicians working for a hard-driving bandleader played masterfully by J.K. Simmons. Miles Teller plays a young, accomplished jazz drummer who will seemingly stop at nothing to become the greatest in the world — but first he has to survive the grueling tutelage of his abusive instructor. Whiplash not only celebrates jazz, but also sheds a light on the dark side of what some will endure to be the best.