Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie

All my life, I've had an issue with declaring "favorites."

Favorite color, favorite food, favorite movie, favorite book...

*sigh*
It still stresses me out.

Do I have to pick just one?
(Call me indecisive.  ...Or would it be hesitant?  Uncertain?  Whatever.)

...except when I was about 6 years old, I had a favorite color (Pink, obviously.  But that's a given.)
After that, I was kind of a tom-boy, and I didn't have a favorite color, however, I knew that pink was definitely NOT my favorite color (I grew up with six brothers, what do you expect?).

My little sous-chef...  :)

Anyway, since the time of having pink at the top of my list, I can't remember having any other declared favorites.

Until I tried this cookie.

I've tried about a million chocolate chip cookie recipes in my young life, but have never really stuck with one,

until a few months ago when I tried this recipe.
I've stuck with it, 

craved it, 

baked it,
loved it,
devoured it,

and (hesitatingly), shared it.

Back to being indecisive, I can't quite put my finger on what keeps me going back...

Is it the caramelized, crispy edges?

The melted-chocolatey, gooey centers?

Or flecks of sea salt that surprise my taste buds in between all of that?

Hmmm.

I'll go have another and get back to you on that...

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever

From Savory Sweet Life

Yields 4 Dozen (48 cookies), easily halved 

1 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp smallish-medium coarse sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 360 degrees.  

Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar for about 3 minutes in a stand mixer; until fluffy.

Add eggs & vanilla.  Beat for 2 minutes.

Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and mix until well blended.

Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop by about 2-Tbsp size onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for about 12-14 minutes (it only takes about 10 in my oven), or until edges are just golden brown.  Remove from oven and keep cookies on the sheet for another 2 minutes.  Then transfer parchment paper (with cookies on it) to the counter and let cool 3 minutes...and indulge!

*Notes:  To prevent flat cookies, be sure that your baking powder and baking soda are not expired, and be sure to cream the butter and sugars for the full 3 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie + 2 Confessions

I have two confessions.

Confession #1:

I bought a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner.

Yes, I actually purchased a store-made pie.

For Thanksgiving dinner, no less.

It's kind of against everything I was ever taught growing up.

See, my mom is a homemaker icon, not to mention pie contest winner,

my dad would give anything for an extra piece of her famous Strueberry Pie...

and I also have a few younger brothers who have probably made more piecrusts than I have.

I'm lucky they didn't disown me.

But let me explain myself here...

Honestly, I'm not really a pumpkin pie lover.  I just eat it out of tradition.

 Plus, this year I was also making

rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce,

while simultaneously doing the zombie shuffle in my kitchen due to a baby with recurring ear infections (& subsequent night wakings),

So I threw in the towel and 

Bought. A. Pumpkin. Pie.

Don't get me wrong, I loved making all those Thanksgiving dishes...I just didn't have the stamina for a pie too.

I did, however, make this pumpkin chocolate cheesecake pie a week before Thanksgiving for a potluck.

If you're a non-pumpkin-pie-lover like I am, 

OR if you just want something a little more fancy-shmancy than an old pumpkin pie,
you should make this.

Homemade pie crust,

cream cheese layer on bottom,

chocolate in the middle,

and a pumpkin layer on top....

"mmm" is all I have to say.

Confession #2?

Maybe I do like pumpkin pie, after all.  

That is, as long as you throw in some cream cheese and chocolate.  :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

From bhg.com

8 servings

1 deep dish pie crust (I used this one)

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half

chopped chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Prepare and roll out deep dish pie crust and lay in a 9 1/2 to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.  Trim the edge of the dough and flute it high.  Line the crust with double thickness of foil and bake 8 minutes.  Remove foil and bake until golden, about 6 more min.  Let cool and reduce oven temp to 375.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 egg until smooth.  Spread onto cooled pie crust shell and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

In a clean bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice.  Add 4 eggs and gradually stir in half-and-half.  Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over chopped chocolate layer.  Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent from becoming too brown.  Bake 60-65 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove foil and let cool.  Cover and chill within two hours (let chill overnight for best flavor).  Garnish with additional chopped chocolate before serving.

Chocolate Witches Hats

In an attempt to be festive & Halloween-y,

I made some simple witches hats...

(an idea I spotted on Pinterest)

At first I was a little disappointed at the blemishes & marks in the chocolate,

but quickly realized that it just gives the "hat" a more tattered look...

the more blemishes, the better!

Happy Halloween...a couple days late...  :)

Chocolate Witches Hats

Fudge-striped shortbread cookies

Chocolate kisses

Orange frosting (I used a simple buttercream frosting--next time I'll make my orange darker!)

Pipe orange frosting around the circle on the bottom side of the cookie (for piping the frosting, I used a ziploc bag and cut off the corner).  Place a chocolate kiss on top.

Homemade Cocoa Brownies

Rich.  Fudgy.  Simple.  Chocolate.  Brownies.

I recently brought these to a baby shower and they were loved.

  

I was nervous when I first took them out of the oven because they looked cake-y (you might as well make cake instead of make cake-y brownies...according to me). 

But no, they were rich and fudgy.  Just how brownies should be.

Homemade Cocoa Brownies
From Tasty Kitchen
9 servings (pictured is a halved recipe in a mini pan)


1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 cup chocolate chips (or less)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Beat in eggs & vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
Spread batter into a lightly greased 8 or 9-inch baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool before serving.

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (with whole wheat!)

My time in our temporary kitchen is dwindling...thus begins the make-random-stuff-out-of-what-you-have-left stage.  Good thing I have a very non-picky husband!

I looked in my cupboard and I had:  whole wheat flour, oats, almond butter, and dark chocolate chips...
which equals cookies, of course!

I started with a peanut butter cookie recipe from allrecipes.com, substituted almond butter for the peanut butter, and healthified a few things.

Soft and chewy, while crisp on the outside.  We loved them!  And with almond butter, dark chocolate (antioxidants!), whole wheat, and oats...how can you go wrong??

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup natural almond butter (of course, peanut butter works too)

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 cup regular whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I like 60% cacao)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and almond butter until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Separately mix flour, baking soda, and salt; then combine with wet mixture. Fold in oats & chocolate chips.

Shape dough into golf-ball size balls and bake on ungreased baking sheet for 8-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Let cool in pan--if you can bear to wait--for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Soft, chewy chocolate

plus

melted peanut butter chips

equals

jubilee.

And I don't use that word everyday. I think the last time I used it was in High School choir.

I fortunately stumbled across this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. The only change I made was I refrigerated the cookie dough overnight (I recently read an article about how that's a secret to great cookies...yes, I'm a nerd). The taste and texture were perfect-o.

(Plus I slightly underbaked them for a softer cookie!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; mix until combined. Fold in peanut butter & chocolate chips, refrigerate dough at least 1-2 hours (overnight is better), then bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes (I slightly underbaked these (on purpose) and they were still soft and chewy the next day!).

Natural Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

To start off, my family just temporarily moved across the country for the summer months, and we've had issues getting internet, hence the lack of posts (we still don’t have it—hopefully soon.). I have a very interesting (and outdated) kitchen situation in a hundred-year-old house; we are currently without a toaster, microwave, blender, crockpot, and…one of my most prized possessions, my Kitchen Aid…

(*moment of silence*)

…not to mention we’re also without a full-sized fridge and oven! I just purchased a mini cookie sheet to fit in the mini oven. Woe is me! I’m sure any 1950’s housewife would tell me to roll up my sleeves and buck up a little.

Thankfully, these delectable cookies were still possible to make, with a little extra time and elbow grease (did I mention I miss my Kitchen Aid?).

And delectable they were.

There's nothing like the aroma of chocolate chips in the oven to make a house feel homey.

Natural Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Carrie R.

1 ½ cups natural peanut butter* (I like Adams brand (crunchy), which I can only find in the Western U.S., unfortunately)

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 stick butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

3 eggs

4 cups old-fashioned oats**

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the first seven ingredients together (peanut butter through salt). Add eggs, beat well, and then mix in oats & chocolate chips. Spoon onto lightly greased cookie sheets & bake for 8-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Makes about 4 dozen.

*The original recipe calls for regular peanut butter. If you use that (such as Skippy or Jiffy), omit the salt.

**Original recipe calls for quick oats, but I prefer the texture (and wholesome-ness) of old-fashioned oats. Use whatever you have!

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

My husband likes to call it dangerously decadent chocolate cheesecake! I make this once or twice a year for special occasions and have yet to take a decent picture of it...but trust me, it's divine. If you're into luxuriously rich, chocolatey desserts, this cheesecake is for you. I like to serve it with strawberries on the side.

And a huge glass of milk.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake
At least 8 servings

Crust:

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs*

2 Tbsp white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

In small bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of lightly-greased, 9-inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. (Sometimes, in a hurry, I'll stick it in the freezer to help it cool faster.)

Filling:

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (room temp)

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

In small saucepan, heat chocolate chips and whipping cream, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended. Pour over cooled crust and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. (Cheesecake tip: When the cheesecake is almost done, I like to turn off the oven, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake sit for 30 min or so. This tends to help prevent cracking...although this recipe has a topping that covers up any cracks!)

Topping:**

1/4 cup heavy chipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In small saucepan, heat whipping cream and vanilla, stirring constantly, until just before boiling. Have chocolate chips ready; pour in the hot cream and stir until smooth. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight (the flavor is better the day after). Serve with fresh strawberries.

*I usually use about 20 oreos (with the filling scraped off) and run them through the food processor to get them really fine.

**Sometimes I half the topping recipe to make the topping thinner; either way is yummy (in the photos above, I did not half the topping--it shows how thick the layer is).