Pamela L. Minhas, generous heart
Pamela L. Minhas, 60, of Lewes, died Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, at Delaware Hospice in Milford after a difficult battle with progressive MS.
Pam owned Baked Coffee Bar in Dewey Beach for nine years. Baked was more than just a business; it was her passion/love story that started with her daughter, Nikki.
Pam was born in Cheverly, Md., Sept. 6, 1963 (twin B). She graduated from Red Land High School (Pa.) in 1981, and Monterey Peninsula College (Calif.) in 1985. Pam proudly served our country in the Army National Guard for seven years. Prior to starting Baked, she owned Blue Bistro in Harrisburg, Pa., and worked at Maple Press (Pa.) as IT manager.
She is preceded in death by her sister, Victoria Atkins; her mother, Diane Knickman; and stepfather, William Knickman.
She is survived by her beautiful daughter, Nikki Minhas; siblings, Patricia Burns (twin A), Tracy Burns and Matthew Knickman; and many nieces and nephews.
Pam adored her beautiful daughter Nikki, her family and friends, cooking and baking, the beach, biking, football (Redskins and PSU - we are), and baseball (go O's).
A celebration of Pam's life will be held at the convenience of the family and announced on Baked's Facebook page (keep following).
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Delaware Hospice, and/or have fun and bake something in her honor with peeps you love - splurge and get the good butter and chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe perfected over years of practice by Pam Minhas and Nikki Minhas.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (some baking science here)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (See Pro Tip about chocolate)
2 cups roughly chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Pro Tip #1: Ingredients matter! The base of most cookie recipes is butter. Use quality butter. A good European butter like Plugra is life-changing for a shortbread cookie that only has 5 ingredients. The difference between European butter and American butter is the fat content; European butter is at least 83% fat.
Pro Tip #2: Chocolate matters, chocolate chips matter! Many chocolate chips taste bland and chalky, and are often overly sweet. The best store-bought chocolate chips are Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips. They have a good balance of bitterness and sweetness. The chip has a wider base so they also hold up better in the cookie after baking. If price is not an issue, buy the Scharffen Berger Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate Baking Chunks 62% Cacao, absolutely delicious. I usually use both of these chocolates. I love dark Belgian chocolate as well. If you have a favorite chocolate bar, you can break it up and add it to your cookie dough. I have also grated chocolate into the cookie dough, although this will change the color of your finished cookies.
Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees depending on your oven. In a large mixing bowl cream softened butter, then add both sugars and blend for five minutes until light and creamy. (This is the most important step, well, all steps are important, but you need to get this right).
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one, then add vanilla extract.
In another bowl add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to the batter and mix until just combined; avoid overmixing.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Scoop dough using a 4oz scoop into large balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You can freeze these to make hot cookies anytime you need them. These make big, beautiful cookies!
Bake for 9-12 minutes depending on your oven until golden brown. Do not overcook! The cookies should be slightly undercooked.
Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes to set.
Pam took individually wrapped cookies to hospitals, fire stations, and police during COVID-19 as a thank-you for their support and service.
