Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been awhile since I've eaten a good chocolate chip cookie.

Now don't get me wrong.  I've didn't say I haven't eaten chocolate chip cookies, because that's just plain absurd.  It's just been awhile since I've made chocolate chip cookies that weren't sliced off a log, scooped out of a plastic tub or mixed up from a pouch. 

But when you are craving...I mean really craving something, you know only the best will satisfy.  So I turned to my old high school yearbook where buried deep amongst big-banged girls and mulleted guys, I have preserved the one and only go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

One of my best friends from high school, Megan, made the meanest chocolate chip cookie around.  I lived for the days she would whip up a batch and bring some to school to share with the rest of us.  I mean, these cookies were to die for.  I could never understand what she did to make them so good because I just could never make mine taste as good as hers.  (Here's a hint...she did not follow the recipe on the back of the Toll House bag.)  Her cookies just melted in your mouth and made you want another....but the catch was, you really shouldn't eat another.  They were so darn rich and good that a second one usually made me sick to my stomach which seems like a weird thing to say about a cookie that you absolutely love, but it is what it is.

Today I decided it had been too long since I'd had one (coming up on 20 years, to be exact), so I dug out the ol' yearbook and found the recipe...and promptly realized two things: 1) I did not have enough eggs to make the recipe and 2) when Megan gave me this secret recipe, she forgot to say what temperature to bake them at.  The egg problem was solved quite easily...a great friend gave me the one egg I needed.  As for the oven temp, I decided to just wing it and go with 350 degrees...because it seems like everything bakes at that temp.

I have to say, the cookies turned out almost exactly how I remembered them.  Not 100% the same, but I'm thinking that's just the extra added "Megan" touch that only she will ever be able to give to these cookies.  Still, it's nice to know when I need a blast from the past, I can come almost close enough to the real thing.

Now I'm off with my cookie and a glass of milk...I think some old 90210 re-runs are in order.

*Oh, and if you are wondering where the recipe is, it's hidden safely in my yearbook...according to what is written, there are only 3 others besides Megan who have this "special" recipe.  If you really want some, just ask me to make them for you!

Chocolate Cherry Milkshake

I just love the days leading up to vacation.  The anticipation of fun times to be had, only overshadowed by the hassle of having to do endless loads of laundry so that everyone in the family will be able to take along their most favored outfits.  And then there's the week of the most random dinners as you attempt to "clean out" the fridge so you aren't throwing away spoiled food when you come home.

That's where we are this week.  Between the mounds of laundry and the endless batches of cookies I'm trying to get baked to take with us, I'm pretty much pooped.  Dinner was less than stellar...one of those fend-for-yourself nights that our kids love because they get the Mac & Cheese and hot dogs they'd eat for every meal if we let them.  As I scrounged for what random items would become my dinner, I realized that we still have over half a bag of fresh cherries sitting in the fridge.  Seriously, what am I going to do with these?!  The kids aren't eating through them quick enough and it's just too many cherries for me to eat by myself in 3 days.  Then I happened to see a coupon magnet-ed to the freezer door...for a free Blizzard from DQ.  And it hit me.  I could make a homemade blizzard-y thing and I could throw in cherries...and chocolate, because you can't have a Blizzard and not have chocolate in it.  And so quick as a wink, I whipped up a batch of chocolate cherry milkshakes.  No real recipe, because let's face it, everyone has there preference for how thick a shake/Blizzard/Frosty thing should be.  I just tossed in some vanilla ice cream, a handful of fresh, pitted cherries, some milk and a few good squeezes of chocolate shop.  A few pulses in the Magic Bullet, a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips and BEHOLD....the Chocolate Cherry Milkshake.  The kids woofed it down (oh...not surprised about this at all) and asked for seconds.  (This was no surprise either.)  And then my oldest (the pickiest kid ever) claimed that it was better than a Blizzard from DQ.  Awesome...looks like we can save ourselves a little bit of money and start making our own concoctions here at home.

DIY Cookie Cutters

I heart Callye over at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.  Seriously, her cookies are simply amazing...I could only wish to be half as good as her.  A couple of months ago, she wrote a blog post about how she made her own custom cookie cutter.  I immediately tucked that bit of knowledge in the back of my brain because I knew someday I would need a cookie cutter that I couldn't buy.  Well, today is that day.

While out running errands this afternoon, I stopped by the local cake shop to pick up some things I need for the cookies I'm taking on our beach vacation next week....with the entire family in tow.  Of course, I couldn't just run in and grab what I needed...I had to peruse the cookie cutter section because there just might be something I needed.  The kids were of course touching everything...declaring we needed this cutter or that.  One of the cutters my youngest pointed out made my husband remark that it looked like a Meeple.

Now I know what you are thinking...what in the heck is a Meeple?!  Seriously, only a board game geek would know what one is...it's one of the playing pieces to the game Carcassonne (one of the greatest games out there).  Anyway, when I heard my husband say that, I immediately realized that this was something have to do.  I have to make Meeple cookies to take on our beach vacation where my husband and his friends will spend hours upon hours playing this geeky game.  And what would go better with the game than a nice cold beer and a Meeple cookie?! 

We scoped out all the gingerbread-y shaped cutters and I settled on a small one that had a similar shape to a Meeple.  I figured I could re-bend it a little to get a closer shape.  Yeah...easier said than done.  I think I abandoned that idea in about 2.5 seconds.  And then I remembered Sugarbelle's tutorial on how to make your own cookie cutters and knew that this was the day I would be making my first homemade cutter.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to make the cutter.  Of course, it could have been easier to make if I weren't so much of a perfectionist.  But in the end I'm pretty pleased with how my first DIY cutter turned out.  I can't wait to test it out tomorrow!!

Cinnamon Chocolate Quesadillas

Seems like everyone has some sort of go-to recipe...you know, the thing you whip up for dinner when you don't have time to think about making something, or that one thing you always seem to take to pot lucks because it's easy to make and everyone raves about it.

I have a go-to recipe, and no surprise, it's a dessert.  It's perfect for those times when you have spent 2 hours of your afternoon buried knee-deep in a mess made by the kids, attempting to get them to persuade them to help clean.  Or those times when dinner is a nightmare because what you've made is "yucky" and results in grumbles and groans and all avoidance tactics, including hanging upside down off the chair.  Or for those times when both things happen in rapid succession.

If you haven't figured it out, last night was one of those nights.  And I was so grateful that this dessert was ever invented and that it could be whipped up in 5 minutes flat.  Best part of it is, most people have all of the ingredients needed just lying around their house waiting to be made into this wonderful dessert.  So what are you waiting for?!  Go get baking!!!

Total Dude Food

About a week ago, one of my friends on FB posted that she was going to be making brownies stuffed with Oreos.  Immediately my mouth started watering and I decided pretty much at that moment that I, too, would be making these yummy treats.  And then life got in the way, and days went by, and I never got around to making them...but that doesn't mean I didn't still think about them.  In fact, I was thinking about them so much that I was even trying to decide what other types of cookies I could try in the middle, and that's when it hit me....Nutter Butters.  I mean, what is better with chocolate than peanut butter?!  And that day I made sure to find a little time to hit the store for some brownie mix and Nutter Butters.  And then you know what happened...the stuff sat on the counter for several more days because I had no eggs and didn't have time to get out and get some.

Today, however, I promised myself that I would not go to bed until they were made.  Well, I just finished whipping up a batch and I must say, they are out-of-this-world fantastic!  They even passed the guy test...the group of geeks sitting around my kitchen table are finishing off the plate of them as I type this entry.  (Don't worry...I did save aside two for the kids...don't want to listen to their whining in the morning when they find none left.)

The recipe is super easy.  All you need is your favorite box of brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownie mix) and a package of Nutter Butters.  (If you're willing to eat generic, definitely check out Target...they have their own knock-off that are round so you wont' have to cut them in half to make them fit into the cupcake pan.)

Simply make up the brownie batter, following the directions on the box.  Dip each cookie into the batter and then place it into a heavily greased cupcake pan.  After each cookie has been dipped, cover the cookies with the remaining batter.  (Okay, I do need to say here that if you use the Ghirardelli mix I used, it was slightly difficult because the mix has these ginormous chocolate chips in the batter which made coating the cookies a little more difficult.  And if a chip got stuck to the bottom of the cookie, it wouldn't lay flat in the pan.  While it probably took a little extra time to dip the cookies, I think it was totally worth it because the chocolate chips made the brownies taste AH-MA-ZING!)

Anyway, I was able to make 18 brownies from the box of brownie mix.  Pop them in the oven and bake them at the temperature listed on the box of brownies (it will most likely be either 325 or 350) for about 15 minutes.  When done, remove them from the oven and immediately run a knife around the outside of each brownie to un-stick it from the side of the pan.  Allow to cool....if you can wait that long.  We couldn't. :)

Cookie Decorating Class

I love those Groupon and Living Social deals.  But that's probably because I love me a good deal.  So when Living Social posted a deal for half off a class at the local bake shop, you better believe I was going to take advantage of that.  I considered it a birthday present to myself.

Last night I was able to cash in on the deal.  Along with 3 other friends, I spent 3 wonderful, glorious hours learning how to decorate cookies.  Not that I haven't figured out how to do it...I mean I have spent countless hours in the past several months pouring over blogs on the web and then testing out what I've learned.  But I felt like I needed to take a class so I could actually see things being done...you know, see what good flood icing is supposed to look like, among other things.  Well, I'm so glad I took the class.  Not only did I finally see "real" flood icing, but I finally tried my hand at using other piping skills to decorate cookies.  I'm pretty pleased with how my cookie set turned out...and of course now I'm dying to bake a new batch of cookies to practice.

Next up on my class list....cake balls.  I will learn how to dip those darn things like a pro!!!

Oreo Balls

I love things that are simple...especially things that are super simple.  And if they taste good too, well then that's a bonus.  So when I found the recipe for Oreo balls and realized just how ridiculously easy they were to make, I made sure to add a trip to the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients: Oreos and cream cheese.  See, easy!  But even more exciting, I think I finally figured out how to semi-professionally dip these suckers...of course it took until the very end.  But I think my next go round at truffles or cake balls should be just about perfect...or just about perfect as I'm going to get something.

Anyway, here's the recipe for Oreo Balls.  Seriously, you need to run out to the store now so you can make a batch of these.  Trust me, you won't be sorry!!!

Oreo Balls
Ingredients
- 1 package Oreos
- 1 block of cream cheese
- dipping chocolate of your choice

Directions
1.  Using a food processor, finely grind the entire package of Oreos.  (Don't have a food processor?  No   worries.  A Ziploc baggie and a rolling pin will do the trick.)
2.  Add the entire block of cream cheese to the Oreo crumbs and process until completely blended.
3.  Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4.  Dip the chilled balls into your melted chocolate and lay on waxed paper. Feel free to garnish with drizzled chocolate or sprinkle with crushed Oreos.  Allow them to harden for at least 30 minutes.
5.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Simple Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

I'm sure it surprises no one that I have very few problems getting my kids to eat any of the sweets I make.  (Except the donuts....but like I said yesterday, I'm working on that one.)  But meals (be it breakfast, lunch or dinner), that's an entirely different story.  If they had it their way, it'd be donuts (the fried variety), mac & cheese, hot dogs and pizza for every meal.  So I'm always looking for creative ways to hide or present the good stuff in a way that has the kids fooled.

Now my kids have this affinity for those little yogurt parfaits you can find in the yogurt section of the grocery store.  You know...those overpriced little containers of yogurt that are loaded with sugar and fake fruit.  So this morning I decided to make my own version.  I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner.  They are ridiculously easy to throw together...and make them in a wine glass and the kids will think you hung the moon.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these will become a more regular staple on the breakfast menu....I can use more smiles like this in the morning.

Baked Blueberry Donuts

After seeing several people post about the greatness of the Wilton Donut Pan, I figured I had to give it a try.  The kids are so obsessed with donuts that they ask for them pretty much every weekend.  If I could get them to buy into this healthier, baked version, then I don't think I'd mind as much if they had them for breakfast.

Jeremy actually made the first go at it last weekend.  He followed the recipe that came with the pan (and even had to make his own buttermilk because I forgot to buy some).  His creation was a basic baked donut with a rich, chocolate glaze.  The verdict:  Lizzie thought they were out of this world.  Maddie, on the other hand, told him she'd stick to the unhealthy version.

There was some batter leftover from his attempt, so this morning I pulled it out of the fridge and decided to see if I could doctor it up and win Maddie's approval.  I added a bunch of fresh blueberries and coated them in a basic white glaze.  I'm not sure if it had to do with the batter being a week old or coming straight from the refrigerator, but the donuts didn't rise as well as they did last week, but the results weren't half bad.  To me, they tasted like glazed blueberry muffins.  Again, Lizzie gave them 2 thumbs up (but then again, when does she not?) and Maddie...yeah, she took two bites (the second one was forced upon her by me) and turned up her nose at them.  I am determined that I will get this child to like the baked donut...and I still have some different recipes up my sleeve.  Don't count me out yet!

Mixed Fruit Tartlets

I've had some packs of mini graham cracker crusts sitting in my pantry for awhile.  You know how it is.  You see them at the grocery store and buy them because you can use them to make something really yummy to take to a get-together.  But then life happens and you never get around to making that yummy thing to share (and instead run to the grocery store where you buy that plastic box of baked goods from the bakery).  And there the mini graham cracker crusts sit, patiently waiting on the shelf for months until you finally decide it's about darn time they get used.  (Thank goodness they have a long shelf life!)

The other day, an email from Pillsbury showed up in my inbox with a great recipe for a Mixed Berry Cream Tart.  While it didn't call for using mini graham cracker crusts, I immediately realized this would be the perfect way to use up those crusts before they expired....plus I needed something to take to a 4th of July BBQ and what could be better than mini berry cream pies?!

I ended up making a few changes to the recipe...partly because I let the kids at the container of strawberries and they ate over half of it before I remembered I needed them for the dessert.  Still, they were super simple to make and even better to eat!

4thof July Cookies

So I've been meaning to try making a batch of chocolate sugar cookies.  I've never tasted one (I know!) but I figured they can't be bad...I mean they have chocolate in them for goodness sakes!  But as the Fourth crept nearer, I figured I'd have to put them on the back burner.  In my head, it just didn't make sense to make 4th of July cookies using chocolate dough.  But then the chocolate craving started to elbow it's way in and the next thing you know, I'm online, searching through my extensive list of cookie blogs to find the  recipe for chocolate sugar cookies....and of course I couldn't for the life of me remember which blog I found it on.  I finally came across this entry:  The End-All Chocolate Cookie Recipe over at LilaLoa.  I know it wasn't the one I was looking for but a) it was a chocolate cookie recipe, and b) she touted it as the best one ever...the one all the cool kids are doing.  Made me laugh I guess because her enthusiasm reminded me of me.  No need to search any further...this would be the one I tried.  The dough was amazingly easy to make, even easier to work with and with only a 6 minute cook time, I think I might just have to make chocolate sugar cookies all the time!

As for what shapes to cut out, that was a toughie...I have seen SO many different 4th of July cookies this past week out in blog land.  I settled for using my flag cutter (that I bought for another occasion and never got the chance to use), a scalloped round and a small star.

It's funny how the end cookie result isn't always what I pictured in the beginning.  I'm sure a lot of that has to do with procrastinating and then being rushed to finish the cookies.  Of course, this was the case again.  My flags came out okay, but if I had had more time, I would have done them differently and I think they would have looked better.  Still, I can't complain...they don't look that bad.  As for the scalloped rounds, those I envisioned as being fire works.  In the past several days, I saw numerous references to the Martha Steward "firework" cookies that are on the front of this month's Martha Stewart Living, so I figured I'd have to give those a try.  They were pretty easy to make and turned out very nice, but I think I like my version of a firework better.  They look less like a flower and more like what you would seeing bursting in the sky...if you didn't live in Texas where it is drier than the desert and has resulted in the cancellation of all fireworks.  We'll just have to settle for cookies.

As for all the stars I had to decorate, let me start by saying I'm not sure what I was thinking when I cut them all out.  Staring at the pile of undecorated cookies, I started to dread the daunting task before me.  But in the end, it was the stars I enjoyed decorating the best.  I'm not sure which style I like the best, but I like how they look with the tiny hearts on them...especially the ones with the tiny burst of hearts in the middle...again, they kind of remind me of fireworks.

Overall, I'd have to say I am VERY pleased with how my cookies turned out.  I cannot wait for the next holiday...bring on the start of school!!!