Simply Chocolate Chip

Appreciation for the simple chocolate chip cookie.

Or at least the dough.

I made Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies - but with milk chocolate morsels instead of semisweet.  Still like semisweet better, but it's nice to know that the milk chocolate morsels work too!

But seriously, these are the best chocolate chip cookies ever.  So delish.

And that's it for my post today.  Wow, I'm slacking off, aren't I? XD I promise I'll get more detailed later.  Because, my darlings, it's almost Halloween!

I bet you can't guess what my costume is!
-JJ

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

More raisins!

I've discovered raisins again! :D

After that bread pudding, I realized that there were raisins in the pantry.  Raisins.  And I had no idea what do to with them.

Don't you remember when you were little and you'd get those little red boxes of raisins for a snack?  As far as snacks go, that was a so-so one, but it was infuriating to get those last raisins out of the box.  They would stick to the bottom of the box and little toddler fingers just aren't made for reaching like that.  They just aren't.

It was a great source of frustration for me.  Maybe that's why I'm a little loopy nowadays! xD I also hated the sticky feeling of raisins on my hands.  I could never wipe my hands enough after eating raisins.  So I began to not like raisins so much.  Stickiness = ickiness in my book.

But then I discovered chocolate-covered raisins at the movie theaters.  Those are seriously the best movie snack I've ever had ever ever.  They are SO GOOD.  And the dark chocolate ones?  I'll seriously buy a huge bag of those, pop on a mindless movie, and just chow those puppies down.

Well, that's what I'd like to do, but c'est la vie.

And then, shopping in the kiddie snack part of Target, I came across yogurt-covered raisins in those little red boxes.  So I had to buy them.  For myself.

And they're really good!  They're like healthier versions of the chocolate-covered raisins!  And I've found them in trail mixes and everywhere.

But back to regular raisins.

I've finally accepted them for what they are: really good in oatmeal cookies.  Normally, as a chocoholic, I'll take chocolate chip over oatmeal raisin any day, but that all changed back in June . . .

I was at a party where there were two kinds of cookies: chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.  And after dancing my butt off, I was trying my hardest to avoid them.  Because they were very large cookies, and, despite all this baking I do, I would not like to become very large myself.

So there I was, avoiding those cookies, when they looked my in the eye and said, "Eat me."  I swear they talked.  I had no choice but to obey - to find that all the chocolate chip cookies were gone!  So I settled for an oatmeal raisin cookie and became addicted.

For serious.

And so I made Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - you know, that one recipe on the thing (can?  cylindrical box?) of oats that everyone knows.

I feel a Quaker history lesson on the tip of my tongue - or fingertips, since I'm typing - but I'll force it back down.  You've had to listen (or scroll past) enough of me already.

So here they are - and I promise you, it's very hard to not eat more than five.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon with a fork.  Gradually add to wet mixture, stirring well after each addition.
4. Stir in oats and raisins.
5. Drop by tablespoon-sized cookie scoop onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and cool 1 minute on baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Store tightly covered.

The classic oatmeal raisin cookie in a nutshell:

Make your glorious batter and try not to eat it.

Plop onto your cookie sheets and try not to eat the adorable little dough balls.

Bake them and they turn into this beautiful thing:

Now you can eat it!  Enjoy!
-JJ

Chocolate Chunk Brookies

Ever since I heard the term "brookie," I was hooked.  Cookies and brownies combined must mean awesome, right?

Well...

While I'm not saying these aren't good, I'm just saying I don't like these that much.  I mean, I'm so not a blondie fan it's unbelievable.  Unless it has white chocolate in it.  Then yes.

And these brookies tasted like blondies with chocolate chunks.  (Yes, yes, I know, it's supposed to be chocolate chips but I made do with what I had on hand at the time.  Chunks work just fine.)

I got this recipe from Bakerella, and I'm sure these would have been better if I had her oven.  Like, seriously, hers turned out amazing-looking and absolutely delicious, I'm sure.  But mine... they sort of collapsed and didn't really cook in the middle.  Which is fine and all if it tasted like cookie dough - but it DIDN'T.

Now that I think about it, the edges were really tasty.  But the middle...  And this is coming from the girl who loves cake batter, cookie dough, pretty much anything raw.  This should not be raw.  Nooo.

So, if your oven is like mine, please see the asterisk* for baking instructions.  If your oven runs hot like Bakerella's, use the normal baking instructions.  I really don't know what the difference between our ovens are except that mine is a few years old and not specifically for baking.  I'm not even going to try to guess what other bakers have.  It'll just make me feel inadequate. XP

Anyhoo, here's the recipe if you want to try it.  Not saying you shouldn't, but I'm not saying you should, either.  I'll find scrumptious things to bake yet, don't you worry!

Chocolate Chunk Brookies

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, softened

2 1/4 cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to: 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with a fork.
3. In a separate bowl, cream brown sugar and butter.
4. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.
5. Stir in chocolate chunks.
6. Add flour mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
7. Bake 30 minutes.  If not done in the middle, cover with aluminum foil and bake additional time.  Test with a toothpick every 5 minutes.  Bake until golden brown and do not over bake.

And now I'll break this down for ya - but note that I only made a half-batch!  Maybe that's my problem...

Combine butter and brown sugar...

Add eggs...

Stir well and add vanilla.

Stir in those chocolate chunks...

Add the flour mixture...

And spread into your pan.

Now this is what mine looked like at first...

But unfortunately the center collapsed and I was left with this.  While it does look appetizing, it was only slightly baked.  I.e. almost raw.  And almost raw is wayyyy more nasty than raw.  It is awful.

But the sides came out quite nicely.

If a little crunchy.  You can see the raw-ness inside here.

I wish you luck on this baking endeavor should you choose to try it!

Otherwise, thank you and have a jolly good day!

-JJ

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

Before I say anything, I must say this: this is one heckuva post.

Meaning, it's really long.  And yes, I'm going to talk a lot.

So I'm taking a week off.  Literally, I am going to Minnesota.  Wayyy up north, up there by Canada.  Where the mosquitoes the size of baseballs roam.

Anyway.

I made this glorious cake for my birthday.  No way am I going to let someone else bake my own cake.  THE GLORY IS ALLL MIIIINE!!!

And it is a glorious cake.

A thick, two-layer yellow butter cake...

Frosted with brown sugar frosting...

With a layer of cookie dough balls and frosting in the middle...

Topped with the best chocolate chip cookies ever...

And sprinkled with mini chips.

Translation: Fantastic frosted with awesome, filled with amazing, and topped with insanely great.

It is the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake.

Now, there have been several chocolate chip cookie dough cakes.  The one that initially inspired me was the Domestic Rebel's.  But what I ended up modifying was the one from Something Shiny, because it looked so delicious.

Now, you can follow whatever recipes you want, but here's why I chose the ones I did:

1. Cake - I got this recipe from Bakerella, and she is very rarely wrong.  Pretty much never, actually.

2. Frosting - This is the one recommended on Something Shiny.  However, see my note*.

3. Cookie dough - Again, I used the one recommended.  (These can be found at Fake Ginger.)

4. Cookies - I used the recipe that I posted about, from the Repressed Pastry Chef, because I'm so in love with these cookies and I just had to make them.

There, that's done.  And now, a few confessions:

1. This was my first time using butter flavor.  I hadn't even heard of it before, and, frankly, the idea of butter flavor still scares me.  Turns out it's a great way to make you think you're eating more butter than you actually are and send you running on a guilt trip.  Seriously, I think it might have the potential to be a weight-loss aid.

2. This was my first time using self-rising flour.  I know, I know, I'm a baker and I've never used it before.  I probably wouldn't have used it at all except I was sure which conversion from regular flour, salt, and baking powder (or is it soda?) to self-rising flour to use (there are many).

So there.  I've confessed.  And now it's time to drool.

Oh, and fyi, the cake all by itself is now my favorite cake ever. :D

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

REQUIRES ROOM TEMPERATURE EGGS, MILK

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME

ORDER OF OPERATIONS:

1. Bake chocolate chip cookies.
2. Bake cake.
3. While cake is baking, make cookie dough.
4. While cookie dough chills, make frosting.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

See recipe here.

NOTE: Make small cookies and medium cookies to decorate this cake.  Small cookies can be made with a teaspoon-size cookie scoop, while medium cookies can be made with the tablespoon-size.

1-2-3-4 Cake:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

3 cups self-rising flour

1 cup milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon butter flavor

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two 9-inch cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter until fluffy.  Add sugar and beat well.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add flour and milk, alternating and beginning and ending with the flour, and mixing well after each addition.
5. Add vanilla and butter flavor and combine.
6. Divide batter equally between the two prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes.
7. Cool in pans 5-10 minutes before removing from pans and inverting on wire racks to finish cooling.

"Cookie Dough"**:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

6 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk***

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Beat in flour, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla, beating until smooth after each ingredient.
3. Stir in mini chips.
4. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

**You could probably use this recipe, as well.  I'm sure there's some slight, subtle difference, but whatever. (I actually recommend using the truffles one.)

***You might consider making a double batch of this since sweetened condensed milk comes in 14 oz. cans.  I had half a can lying around after this, and... you know my fondness for sweetened condensed milk.  NOT GOOD.

Brown Sugar Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt*

3 tablespoons milk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar.
2. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Add salt*, milk, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

*When I made this frosting, I found it to be incredibly salty.  I strongly suggest reducing or even completely omitting the salt from this recipe.  Salty caramel - good, salty frosting - baaaad.  You have no idea.

Assembly:

bag of mini chocolate chips

1. Form chilled cookie dough into balls with cookie scoop and place on a baking sheet/very large plate lined with wax paper.
2. Place 1/6 frosting in small bowl.  Add 1/2 cookie dough balls and gently toss until cookie dough balls are covered.  Add additional 1/6 frosting and remaining dough balls and gently toss to coat.
3. Spread dough-ball/frosting mixture on top of one cake with a rubber spatula.  Place other cake on top.
4. Seal-coat cake with frosting.
5. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator or until set.
6. Frost with remaining frosting.
7. Place small cookies around the edge of the top of the cake.  Place medium cookies around the bottom of the sides.
8. Sprinkle remaining space on cake with mini semisweet chocolate chips.
9. Cover to store.

Take a deep breath.  It's a lot of instructions, and a lot of ingredients, and a lot of work, but it's totally worth it.

My advice: eat it in very small doses.  This cake has the potential to be quite lethal.

Now, breaking it down, thoroughly and slowly:

Cookies:

Make these cookies!  Try not to eat too many!

Cake:

Cream butter and sugar...

Add eggs...

Alternate adding flour...

...and milk...

Add flavorings and mix.  WORD OF WARNING: Butter flavor smells awful.  Your cake won't, but the flavor itself is not a pleasant odor.  Jussayin'.

Divide evenly between prepared pans...

...and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Cool 5-10 minutes and invert onto wire racks to cool.  This is seriously the best cake I've ever made.  It came out totally level, which has pretty much never happened before.  Best cake EVAR.

Dough:
Make as directed, OR use my cookie dough truffles recipe.  I actually think it tasted better than the recipe I just gave you above.  Know why?  The dough balls had salt in them.  It's not really cookie dough without that salty taste, you know?  So it's not like I have anything against salt, it's just that salt in frosting is bad.  So let the dough chill for an hour...

Then form it into balls.

Frosting:
Cream butter...

...with light brown sugar...

Add powdered sugar and salt (IF YOU DARE)...

Add vanilla...

...and mix until smooth.

Assembly:
Stir those dough balls in with the frosting.

Spread the dough mixture thing on top of the first cake and smooth it down flat... (YUM!)

Seal coat your cake and let it chill for half an hour.  COVER YOUR FROSTING!  And do NOT refrigerate it!  Guess who did that and winded up with a bunch of hard, crusty frosting?

Frost the rest of your cake...

And decorate it.  Ohhhhh yes.

Don't bother trying to stick the medium cookies in the exact middle of the sides.  They're too heavy, so they just slide down anyway.

Have yourself a slice and bite into bliss.

Have a dough-licious day!
-JJ

Happy 4th in advance!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

My new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Forget the NY Times recipe, this is the best ever.

And of course I am head-over-heels in debt to the Repressed Pastry Chef.  I found this recipe at her site.

Now, a thing about the ingredients.  I'm usually not a big fan of Crisco, but for cookies, I'll make an exception.  And cake flour?  I don't usually use it, but I had a ton left over from some strawberry shortcake that I made (pre-Lemonade Soul! :O that's a looong time ago - but the flour's still good!).

Anyway, make these.  You won't be sorry.  You'll be the opposite of sorry, actually.  Like, ecstatic.  I bet you can add nuts if you like, but to me, that just detracts from the simplicity of the good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie.  But that's just my opinion.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup butter flavor Crisco

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup cake flour

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, beat butter and Crisco.  Add brown sugar, sugar, and salt and beat well.
3. Beat in vanilla and egg.
4. In a separate bowl, combine cake flour, flour, and baking soda with a fork.  Add to wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by tablespoon-sized cookie scoop onto parchment paper and bake 11-12 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before removing cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes about 30 cookies.

Breaking it down:

Beat butter and Crisco...

Add sugars and salt...

Add egg and vanilla...

Add flours and baking soda.  You don't actually have to combine them in a separate bowl, I just stuck that up there because it generally makes for a more even cookie.  Do whatever you want.

Add chocolate chips...

And try not to eat all the cookie dough just yet!  (Doesn't it look gorgeous?)

Drop by tablespoon-sized cookie scoop onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, 12 to a sheet...

...and bake 11 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Let cool 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Or to cool until you can't help yourself and take a bite of the delicious, warm, chocolatey cookie.  Oh, yum.

Enjoy yourself!  You will, I swear!
-JJ

Pretzel Cookies

When I first heard of peanut butter and pretzels, I thought the two together would be awful.  And those fake-peanut-butter-stuffed-pretzels are pretty awful.

But real peanut butter on a pretzel?  YUM - why didn't I think of this earlier?

So, now obsessed with a new combination, I thought - why not add chocolate?

Because that's just the sort of person I am. :)

So, I found this recipe for pretzel cookies from the Foodie and the Family, and it turned out to be some of the chewiest, most interesting, best-tasting cookies I've ever made.

Pretzel Cookies

REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

REQUIRES CHILLING TIME

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten (you can do this with a fork)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups peanut butter and milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup pretzels, broken up

sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, cream butter with brown sugar and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Stir in chips and pretzels.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Scoop well-rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with sea salt and bake 10-12 minutes.
8. Cool 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.  Makes from 24-30 cookies, depending on cookie size.

Breaking that sweet-n-salty stuff down:

Combine your dry ingredients.  Then cream butter with sugars.  I always cream my butter first, then add the sugars and combine.  It's easier on me considering I'm usually not using an electric mixer.  But that's a rant for another day.

Add egg and vanilla...

Then add flour mixture...

...and combine.

Stir in chips and pretzels.  A quick note about the chips: I said use 1 1/2 cups of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips, like that kind Nestle sells that you can buy at Target.  You could also follow the exact, unmodified recipe and use only a 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips, but I had the bag of mixed chips and I really didn't feel like separating all those out.  I'm sure the cookies taste great either way.  Your choice! ;)

YUM.  Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets...

...and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.  Aren't they just cute?

And delicious! :D

Have a salty-sweet day!
-JJ