My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Happy Fourth of July!!  In honor of the brave, I thought I'd share an American favorite!

EVERYONE has their favorite cookie recipe...or at least remains on the search for their favorite.  I have only recently become a fan of baking.  And baking cookies was a FAIL time and time again.  Then I stumbled upon a recipe that changed my view of homemade, fresh out of the oven, made from scratch cookies.  Nabisco, I've moved on. 

It all started from a post here on Yesterday on Tuesday. That would be the blog, Yesterday on Tuesday, not a reference to time.  I loved the idea of making my own oat flour and began my adventure into Chocolate Chip recipe perfection. 

I kept trying different things until not only am I able to repeat the recipe again and again (I'm bad about noting what I do when I tweak recipes), but I am confident to share with the world my version.  So, if you think you are not a baker, think again.  This recipe is for you! 

Start with the oats.  Oats + Blender = Oat Flour

Sweet , soft oat flour.  Makes me feel good about eating cookies. 
We all need some fiber don't we?

Add other flour, baking soda & powder, and salt.  Blend.
I love my Blender.  It has found a permanent home on my counter...and that's a good thing.  I don't like a lot of appliances on the counter. 

Cream butter and sugars together.  This is where the good for you ends.
But your family will love you...and that makes it all OK. 

Again, blender comes in handy.  The pouring spout on the blender makes the flour slide in nice and smooth.  No poofs of flour powder everywhere!  Just remember to turn the mixer on low as the flour goes in. 

My Cookie scoop.  I spray my scoop with non stick spray several times throughout the scooping process.  When the dough begins to stick, I wipe out the scoop and spray with non stick cooking spray...and scoop again. 

I also spray my pan each time I take baked cookies off and add new scoops.

My cookie mounds.  Must remind myself every time, the more cookie dough I eat now, the less cookies we have to eat later.  Yes, I know I know...raw eggs, could end badly.  I just can't resist cookie dough! YUM!

Bake at 375 for approx. 12 min.  Some days my oven does this in 12 min.  Some days its 13 min.  The key is to look for the "just turning brown" stage.  The peaks and edges of the cookies will be golden brown, but not the entire cookie.  Bake any longer, and your cookies will be hard. 

Hot, gooey cookies, fresh from the oven.  You must resist the temptation to eat now.  They still have 5 min of baking to do as they rest.  Trust me...I've done it.  Their gooey.  Let them do their thing.  It's good for them, and you learn patience. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oat Flour
Printable Recipe Here

This makes anywhere from 2 - 3 dozen cookies...depending on size of your scoops!

2 ½ cups oats (old fashion)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
non stick cooking spray


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

Blend oats in  blender or food processor until powder like substance.  You now have oat flour.  
Add white flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Pulse blender few times to mix.  

In bowl of mixer, cream butter.  Add both sugars and mix well.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Set mixer to low speed, and slowly add flour mixture.  Pick up mixer speed to medium and mix until combined well.  Add chocolate chips and walnuts.  Mix well.

Spray cookie sheets with non stick spray.  Spray cookie scoop with spray.  Scoop dough into mounds on sprayed cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 12 min.  (more or less depending on oven and cookie mound size)  When cookies are just turning golden, remove from oven.  Allow to rest on pan for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack.



Handy Dandy Cook's Helper

These are great to have on hand...mine is stuck to the inside of my spice cabinet!  All it requires is your printing paper of choice and a printer!
Print out on sticker paper like I did, and stick to the inside of a cabinet near your main cooking area.  Stick to a magnet for easy access right on your fridge.  You can laminate these to make them even more durable.  I'm also thinking
MOTHER'S DAY gifts! 

They'd make the perfect companion to bakeware gifts. 
~Laminate and punch a hole in top so you can attach to a ring of teaspoons!
~Make a magnet and add it to a gift basket. 
So many possibilities!

Check out the links below to LollyChops and Martha Stewart...from there you can print out your chart.LollyChops has 3 adorable ones for you to pick from.  I chose this cute owl!

 

Photo via: Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart also has some free charts available as well as a little bit of further instructions.

Smeeps! Using up the Easter Candy

We had a wonderful Easter and as a result have a bit of Easter treats floating around the house.  The kids and I made Peeps treat bags for the church Easter Egg Hunt.
Here are the ones we had leftover.

We printed the Peeps treats bag topper for FREE @ eighteen25

Inspired by an idea I saw here, I decided to rid ourselves  use up some of our leftover Peeps by creating S'meeps! (aka S'mores with peeps)

You will need:

Graham Crackers

Chocolate

Peeps

We placed a square of chocolate on a graham cracker square, topped it with a peep, and turned the Toaster oven on Broil.

poor lil' Peeps!

Once the Peeps melted and began to roast (turn slightly brown) we pulled out and smashed another Graham cracker square on top. 

 

Pink peeps!

Enjoy!

CAUTION!  Allow S'meeps to cool slightly before biting into the melted chocolate goo! That goo is HOT!



Linked up:

The Pioneer Woman is my hero.  Ree is the ultimate blogger, photographer, mom, chef....I could keep going so lets just say ultimate WOMAN! Her posts are beautiful and her recipes divine!  I almost find myself not wanting to share her with you.  I want to keep her my little secret...but you are sure to find her no matter how hard I try.  I was supposed to bring a dessert to dinner at church tonight and couldn't decide what to make.  I ventured over to http://thepioneerwoman.com/ and wouldn't you know she had just the thing.  Even talks about pot lucks and church in the same post.  I think she read my mind.  And as if I even have to tell you...the cake was a hit at church! 

I won't keep you any longer...here's her recipe.  Of course over on Ree's site you can find her step by step instructions, all in beautiful pictures.  Its much more exciting to see a recipe that way! And I have no idea why its called pig cake ....Pioneer Woman, Ree

Pig Cake 

 

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1 box (18.25 Oz. Box) Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 stick Margarine (softened)
• 1 can (14 Oz. Can) Mandarin Oranges, Drained, 1/2 Cup Juice Reserved
• 4 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1 package (4 Oz. Box) Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
• 1 can (20 Oz. Can) Crushed Pineapple, Juice Reserved
• ½ cups Powdered Sugar
• 4 ounces, fluid Frozen Whipped Topping (such As Cool Whip)
• Extra Mandarin Orange Slices, For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the cake, combine cake mix, margarine, 1/2 cup juice from the mandarin oranges, eggs, and vanilla. Beat for four minutes on medium-high. Add drained oranges and beat again until pieces are broken up and small. Pour batter into greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Remove from oven and cool completely. If desired, turn out cake onto a large platter.
Once cake is cool, blend juice from drained pineapples with the vanilla pudding mix. Add powdered sugar and mix, then mix in whipped topping. Stir in drained pineapple. Spread on cooled cake and refrigerate several hours.

To serve, cut cake into squares and top each square with a mandarin orange slice.

Thank you Ree @ The Pioneer Woman

PC Troubles behind us and a recipe

I finally have a new computer!  After weeks of frustrations we finally bought a new one.  While I was away, I worked on recipes to share, made curtains (not yet hung) for J's room, started the Soccer mom season, and watched a whole heck of a lot of Blue's Clues (Bug's current favorite). 


Enough about what I've been doing and on to recipes. I vow to only share recipes that I have actually tried and in most cases tweaked a bit.  I typically won't share a recipe until its deposited into the tried and true recipe folder.  This way, I know and you know its a good one!


French Dips are requested by my family most often.  Everyone loves to dip them and I have no problems making them because it is so easy. 

                                                           Here's a printable recipe card.

                                                          you will need:  

                                                         3 tbsp. butter
                                                      large onion, sliced
                                                           2 tbsp. flour
                                                     1/4 cup dry Sherry
                                                       2 cans beef broth
                                                     Everglades seasoning
                                            (or grill seasoning, or salt/pepper)
                                      Deli sliced Roast Beef (we use Boar's Head)
                                                     Deli sliced Provolone
                                               French Bread Sandwich Rolls
                                                                Mayo

 

Sauté sliced onion in butter until soft. 
Sprinkle in flour and cook for 1 minute. 
Add dry sherry, stir.  Add beef broth, stir. 
Bring to simmer and reduce heat. 
Lay meat slices across cutting board. 
Sprinkle seasoning over each piece and add to broth. 
Allow to heat through for a couple minutes.  (Do not leave in hot broth too long, beef will harden. )
Open rolls, add mayo to both insides. Top with cheese. 
Add hot beef slices on top of cheese.
Spoon broth into small dishes for dipping your sandwich in!

Banana Nut Bread

Awhile ago, hubby and I were on a search for the best Banana Nut Bread recipe.  We tried many, to include a recipe hubby was able to get out of a little ole' lady we met in the grocery store.  To this day, we have yet to find THE ONE.  However, this one is holding us over for the time being.  And by holding us over, I mean we've stopped searching.  This is a recipe I found at Real Simple (long time ago) and changed the nut type to walnuts. 

FYI:  I like this recipe best in muffin form, hubby prefers loaf form.  Either works, just be sure you grease well.

Go Here for printable recipe card. 
may need to shrink to fit (4X6 size card)



Banana Nut Bread

1 yellow box cake mix
1 pkg Banana Cream instant pudding
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all ingredients well
Pour into greased loaf or muffin pans
Bake at 350° for 40-45 min
Toothpick will come out clean when done