Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups flour (a little more than this is BETTER than a little less)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon corn starch (optional!! It offers your cookies a “soft baked” [...]]]> Basic Cookie Dough:
The recipe below is a combination of a few recipes. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups flour (a little more than this is BETTER than a little less)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon corn starch (optional!! It offers your cookies a “soft baked” quality)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup shortening (butter flavored)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs (if you have time, convert this to 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk)
2 cups (or 2 packages) milk chocolate chips*

1. Place butter and shortening in bowl. Mix until combined.

2. Add brown sugar, white sugar (also referred to as granulated sugar), eggs, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.

3. Add flour. Sprinkle salt, baking soda and baking powder on top of flour. Mix dry ingredients with butter mixture until just combined.

4. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.

5. Chill the dough for 2 hours (at least). If you are DYING to have cookies right now, go ahead and bake the fresh dough. It won’t hurt anybody.

6. Using a large spoon, scoop dough out, shape into balls, and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

*If you are adding other mix-ins, add 2 cups total of any combination of mix-ins you choose.

(If you want the spreadsheet that lists the many chocolate chip cookie recipes, email me or leave a comment below.)

Heart Day approaches and you need to make these. I’ve posted and reposted this but there is not a better sugar cookie. Enjoy, and happy Valentine’s Day.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup shortening (butter flavor is best)
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup [...]]]>

Heart Day approaches and you need to make these. I’ve posted and reposted this but there is not a better sugar cookie. Enjoy, and happy Valentine’s Day.

The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

1 cup shortening (butter flavor is best)
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream (whole milk vanilla yogurt works just as well)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs, sour cream and extracts. Add dry ingredients (may need a little more flour). Mix dough until soft. Chill several hours (even up to two days). Roll, cut, and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. (The longer you allow the dough to chill, the easier it is to roll and cut.)

Mint Brownies
This confection consists of three different layers: A brownie-like base, a mint filling, and a chocolate frosting. The recipe below makes a large batch (2 9×13 lasagna pans [...]]]> There is a famous pastry at my alma mater. The mint brownie. Most students love it, a few hate it. You judge for yourself.

Mint Brownies
This confection consists of three different layers: A brownie-like base, a mint filling, and a chocolate frosting. The recipe below makes a large batch (2 9×13 lasagna pans or one baker’s half sheet–a 13×18 pan).

Layer #1–brownie base
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Layer #2–mint filling
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp evaporated milk
2 Tblsp milk
1 tsp. peppermint flavor
green food coloring (optional)

Layer #3–chocolate topping
5 Tablespoons butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease bottoms of two 9×13 pans or one baker’s half sheet (aka jelly roll pan–13×18). Make layer #1. In a stand mixer, mix all ingredients (oil, sugar, cocoa, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla, nuts). Bake brownie base for 20-30 minutes. While layer #1 bakes, wash stand mixer bowl and make layer #2. Combine all layer #2 ingredients (powdered sugar, butter, both milks, peppermint flavoring, and green food coloring). Remove layer #1 from oven. While brownie base is still warm, spread layer #2 over base. Cool in fridge or on counter. Once brownie base is cooled completely, make layer #3. Combine butter and chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Carefully mix chocolate chips and butter together until completely melted. (Remember, if you overheat the chocolate it will seize and become a crumbly mess. You can avoid this by melting the chocolate slowly and carefully. In a microwave, melt chocolate no longer than 30 seconds, checking and stirring it often and letting it sit in its own heat until melted.)
Spread chocolate layer over mint layer and let cool. Score into small bites and serve.

Once in a while I’ll use a recipe so much that over time it morphs into a slightly different recipe. You may remember that I told you about my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe that I used…um…a little too much last summer. This summer, I’m using it just as much. But I’ve [...]]]> Hello friends.

Once in a while I’ll use a recipe so much that over time it morphs into a slightly different recipe. You may remember that I told you about my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe that I used…um…a little too much last summer. This summer, I’m using it just as much. But I’ve made a change that is shaving away the guilt. Instead of using 100% white flour, I’m doing half whole wheat and half all purpose white (in fact a little more whole wheat than all purpose). The beauty of this change is that you can’t really tell there’s a change. Nobody can tell that it’s a slightly healthier cookie; which begs the question: what happened if we changed more white flour into wheat flour? Have you tried substituting? If you did, do you have any successes or failures? I for one will continue to gorge on the dough and feel about 20% less guilt.  Recipe follows below.

Cream butter sugars, then add vanilla and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and mix just ‘til combined.  Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Yes, clementines are here. But I’m talking about Cookie Time. There are so many possibilities and we all have our favorites. But I’ll start with the most simple cookie. They go by so many names: mexican wedding cakes, russian tea cakes, snowballs. It doesn’t matter what [...]]]> Friends, it’s that time of the year.

I bought my first batch yesterday.

Yes, clementines are here. But I’m talking about Cookie Time. There are so many possibilities and we all have our favorites. But I’ll start with the most simple cookie. They go by so many names: mexican wedding cakes, russian tea cakes, snowballs. It doesn’t matter what you call them, they are addictive.

All you need for a beautiful, simple cookie.

Ingredients:
1 pound butter (yes, that’s right…one whole pound;4 sticks)
1 cup powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling)
4 cups flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans (when no one’s looking, I use a lot more)
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a bowl.

Mix well.

Make 1/2" balls and place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

While still hot, roll in powdered sugar. Roll again when cool. Both parts here are crucial. When the cookies are hot, they get their first coat that sticks, but over time that turns to a sort of frosting. Hence the second coat, to give the cookies their snowy appearance.

Enjoy! Hope you have some cold, fresh milk in the fridge.