In a pinch, I reach for chocolate

It has been almost five years since I composed my first Table Scraps column. With the exception of a few missing weeks here and there, I've sat down at my computer every week and had to come up with something to write about.

That hasn't always been easy. Most of the time, I hear, read or do some- thing every week that I immediately know I can write about. But there are times when the well runs dry.

As I feel the deadline noose tighten around my neck, I look for something to spark my imagination, something to inspire the pen to start moving. This week, I found my muse in chocolate.

Rejoice, chocoholics: The entire month of February is National Chocolate Month.

A few weeks ago, my better half brought me home the recent issue of "Food Network Magazine." Its focus for February was, you guessed it, chocolate, and not just a little bit. The entire thing was completely nuts with chocolate.

The magazine was filled with glossy pages of recipes, information, instructions and products, such as the Kate Spade Chacha Chocolate Clutch. It's listed for a mere $375.

Cake, fudge, cookies, cocktails, pies, sauces, even ice cubes and pasta, all chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Most memorable was a step-by-step guide to making a stunning four-layer cake filled with chocolate ganache. Pressed against the sides of the cake are jagged pieces of chocolate bark. It looked spectacular!

Those who would rather eat chocolate than make it can hit the road and travel across the country in search of all things made from cacao beans. One of America's best spots for chocolate lovers is on Page 142, Atlanta's Four Seasons' restaurant. On Fridays during March the place rolls out an over-the-top, all-you-can-eat buffet of endless chocolate creations. OMG.

All I can say is that the rest of the month is going to be a blur of chocolate for me and March, a blur of treadmills.

Chocolate Coma Cookies

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup dried tart cherries

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter,

softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two cookie sheets. Chop the bittersweet chocolate into small chunks, no larger than large chocolate chips, and set aside. In a large bowl, combine cherries, chocolate chips and oats and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add sugars and beat the butter until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat the mixture until well combined, about a minute. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until well-combined, less than a minute. Add chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, cherries and nuts. Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix well by hand, until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, measure out the cookies, about a dozen per sheet.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies have set and are slightly flattened and light brown. Cool on sheets 2 minutes, and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Makes 6 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from "Tough Cookie" by Diane Mott Davidson