Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

...with milk, of course!

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet/pan.  In another area of this same blog, I write about my supply of parchment paper--  it's right here:  http://milkmaidrecipebox.blogspot.com/search?q=parchment+paper

I dump all of the following ingredients into my Kitchen Aid stand mixer (in the order given).  Because of the simple way I put these together, and with the oven pre-heating from the start, I can have a batch of these cookies mixed and baked in about 25 minutes (or less?):

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed  (sometimes, I use the dark variety)
1 ½ cups room temperature unsalted butter (3 sticks)
....mix the above until light and FLUFFY, and then add:

3 large eggs, added one at a time
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon salt (regular table salt)  You may decrease this amount by 1/2                               teaspoon IF you use salted butter.
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
...mix the above combination until blended very well.  Then, add:

1 of 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
...it might sound odd, and you surely don't have to do this, but I add the chips to the above BEFORE I add the flour.  That way, some of the chips end up in the bottom of the bowl on my stand mixer.  The chips then act as "the bottom-of-the-bowl scraper" as the paddle goes round 'n round after I add the flour.   Next, add:

5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
...with the mixer turned on, I add this four in 1-cup increments until all is in.  Continue mixing this only until flour is incorporated...

I get about 4 dozen large cookies from this batch when I form them like this:

Using a 2" (2" across) cookie scoop (cookie baller?), I fill it full and level off the top of it on the edge of the bowl.  Release "the ball of dough" on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Then, just before putting them into the oven,  I only slightly flatten their top.  

I remove these cookies from the oven when they have a VERY  slight tint of brown to them -- 13/14 minutes?  The cookies will continue to 'bake' for a while on their hot pans after coming out of the oven.   (Ovens vary, so see what works best with yours.)

History:  Back in 1986, when I was in Utah to give my daughter a hand for two weeks following the birth of her first child, I found this recipe in a cookbook but I surely don't know which one.  What I do know is that we have liked this recipe ever since!

Zucchini Chocolate Cake** 

w/Toasted Pecans and 
Mini-Chocolate Chips

This recipe is for the cake on the left side...

  Below:  More of a close-up of this cake...

Before starting to make this cake, toast 
the pecans* (the directions are at the bottom).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil (I use the Smart Balance brand of blended oils)
• ---
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ---
• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ---
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ---
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• ---

• 1 cup (or 6 oz.) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (directions below)*

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray (I used a glass dish)
2. In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium speed for 1 minutes.
3. Add eggs, applesauce and vanilla; beat 1 minute longer.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa (sifted to eliminate lumps), baking soda and salt; add to the sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating ONLY until blended.  
5. Stir in the zucchini.
6. Pour into prepared pan or dish.  Bake 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven long enough to sprinkle on chocolate chips and toasted pecans on top.
8. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted into a spot without chocolate chips comes out clean. To retain moistness, do not over-bake.
9. Completely cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting.

 * TOASTING PECANS: Lightly spritz a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Spread the coarsely chopped pecans on the pan and toast them in a 350-degree oven just until they become aromatic, about 5 minutes.  Watch the time carefully so they don't end up being scorched. Set aside and let them cool while you prepare the cake batter.

(The specks showing in the ice cream 
are from the vanilla beans.)

** This recipe came from here:  

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yummy-zucchini-chocolate-cake

Derby Pie (w/Chocolate Chips - Pecans)

 If you like chocolate, you may 

like this a lot.  If you like pecans, 

you may like it even more!  

(Otherwise, ...not so much.)

This time, ... I made TWO of these!!!!

Today was Kentucky Derby Day.  I think that more than anything else about this day each year, I like seeing all the fancy, and sometimes "far out", HATS worn by those who attend it in person.  WOW!!!-- there are some real "WINNER HATS" in the crowd-- and it looked like it was a WINDY day there.  Windy enough that a lot of people had to literally HOLD ONTO THEIR HATS!!!!

If you want to see some of today's hats for yourself, click on this link.  It will take you to an analysis of the "best and worst" picks for today:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2048169-kentucky-derby-hats-best-and-worst-of-2014

Going along with the theme of today, I decided to make something  that is quite famous in Kentucky around this time of the year... it's a pie with "today's event" in its name.  Word has it that the original name of the well-known pie is "OWNED" and can't be used by others who try to imitate the pie in any way.  

So,..... in my opinion, I'd name this as a Chocolate Chip - Pecan Pie.   I guess it could be named "Racing Day Pie" or "Horse Race Pie" or whatever you choose to name it-- just so you don't name it in a way that the "name owner" doesn't like.

INGREDIENTS:  

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar  (I am so sure this amount could be cut back to suit your liking, maybe to 3/4 cup?)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans (may use chopped walnuts)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used half milk chocolate chips)
• 1/4" teaspoon salt
• 1 ready-made UNbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325-degrees F.

Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl.  

Add the beaten eggs and melted butter; mix to combine.

Stir in the vanilla, chopped pecans OR walnuts, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well.

Pour mixture into the unbaked pie crust.

Bake for just under an hour.  (Check for appearance after the first 30 minutes.  This is when I usually cover the top edge of the pie crust with a strip of foil to prevent it from becoming too000000 brown.  Then, I continue baking until it is done.  I checked for doneness with a wooden toothpick.)

  Mine looked like this at 45-50 minutes:

Cool.  Then, ...serve plain... with a glass of cold milk, or ice cream, or a dollop of whipping cream.

When recipe is followed AS listed above, it is QUITE sweet!
Because of that, I keep the "serving size" quite small.

* The recipe I STARTED to follow is listed here:  http://americanfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/chocwalnutpie.htm  

Then, because a lot of the "Derby" pies call for Bourbon, 
I decided to follow the following recipe and make this one my 
KEEPER!!!...  http://cupcakesandkalechips.com/kentucky-derby-pie/

Chocolate Chip Cookie w/Oats and Coconut

A chewy cookie with "yummy stuff" inside...



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (can omit if you use salted butter)
• 3 cups rolled oats (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees (depend on your own oven).  I used 350-degrees.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.
3.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the milk and vanilla.
4.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed sugar mixture and blend well.
5.  Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut until evenly distributed.  
6.  Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
7.  For the first batch, bake for about 13 minutes and then check; you may have to add another minute (depending on your own oven).
8.  Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Cool completely and then store in a Zip-Lock bag, etc.  These freeze well.