When in Doubt, Make a Melty Chocolate Sandwich for Dinner

There aren't many things I'm certain of. What will I be doing in 10 years? Will I go to the gym today? Is it acceptable to wear white jeans in February? And—perhaps the most daily, pressing question—what will I make for dinner?

The answer to this is usually a hodgepodge of what's in the fridge and pantry (i.e. sautéed kale, tempeh, sunflower seeds, and tahini dressing or eggs, hot sauce, and tortillas). These dinners fall into the category of "wholesome" without hitting you over the head with hemp seeds. But what about when there are no greens in the crisper or a source of protein in sight? I make a chocolate sandwich.

A chocolate sandwich is hot, crunchy, and melty. It feels indulgent, yet substantial. And if you feel like going all in, you can even add a scoop of ice cream—the pleasing contrast of temperatures is only outshone by how the ice cream saturates the bread, softening it just slightly. There's a sprinkling of salt and cinnamon sugar that add that extra something, too.

For two chocolate sandwiches, you'll need the following:

• Unsalted butter
• 4 slices sweet or sourdough French bread
• About 2 ounces broken or chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (you could also use 1/3 cup chocolate chip)
• Coarse sea salt (the recipe says this is optional, but I don't think so)
• 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream, for when it's one of those days

About 10 minutes before dinner, butter one side of all of the slices of bread. In a large skillet, cook the slices butter side-down until golden on one slide. Cover two of the slices with chocolate. Place the other two slices on top of the chocolate slices, butter side-up. Cook, flipping the sandwiches as necessary, until the chocolate gets all melty and the sandwiches are browned on both sides.

Serve right away with a sprinkling of salt and cinnamon-sugar. Maybe you'll top them with a scoop of ice cream, or maybe not. Regardless, eat immediately.

See the full recipe here.