Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I know everyone and their brother is sick of hearing how I was in Oregon last month for a week. So, I’ll spare you the details, except… the one thing I wanted to buy while I was there… (well besides a UofO track t-shirt, chocolate covered hazelnuts and pinot noir) was hazelnuts. Fresh Oregon Hazelnuts. Yum.

I ended up buying some the morning I left at the Portland Airport. And... I know what you're thinking... hazelnuts at the airport?? But, there is this cool store in Oregon called conveniently... "Made in Oregon" where everything they sell is stuff produced in Oregon. Cool, huh? I went to one of these stores in Newport and didn't pick up any hazelnuts, thinking I'd go somewhere later in the week that would have a bigger selection. Turns out. I didn't. So, the Made in Oregon store in the Portland Airport had to do. I’ve had these hazelnuts sitting in my cabinet for a month now and I’ve vigorously searched for the right recipe to use some in. Finally, one day on Cookie Madness, Anna posted a recipe with Hazelnuts that she got from this website. I perused the website and decided on these cookies. Oatmeal, Toffee, Chocolate Chips and Hazelnuts... I mean, you can't go wrong there, right?

These cookies are delicious! I used Heath Brickle Bits instead of Heath Bars cut up, so I added more chocolate chips to the recipe. I must disclose, also, that I added probably a quarter cup more sugar than the recipe called for, because my nuts were salted (ha ha).

These cookies turned out chewy with a little crisp and the hazelnuts and the toffee really go well together. A definite winner.

Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

David Leibovitz's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve been holding out on you…

And for that, I apologize.

It’s not because I’m trying to keep a recipe away from you… that’s not it at all. It’s more because I’m afraid you’ll think of me as a one trick pony. I mean, how many chocolate chip cookie recipes can a girl try?

So, to be sure… I made this recipe 4 times in one week. And while, one time, the cookies came out kind of thin (because I made them too small, I think), they’ve been delicious and easy everytime.

Please… don’t groan. It is another chocolate chip recipe, but this one is a really, really, really good one! And I’m not the only one who thinks so!

David Leibovitz, I thank you, sir. These cookies are delicious.

Recipe Notes: I’ve been on a kick lately where I’ve been using Ghiradelli’s Milk Chocolate Chips, but for this recipe, I use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet. Also, make sure you make these cookies big. Three times I’ve made these, I’ve double my cookie scoop for the cookies and they turned out perfect. One time, I just used one scoop from my cookie scoop and they thinned out significantly.
They are very chewy, with the right amount of crisp that you would expect from a chocolate chip cookie.



Great Chocolate Chip Cookies from David Lebovitz's Great Book of Chocolate



1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup(130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped


Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Make about 20 cookies.

Lesson... Pay attention when measuring.

So, a couple of weeks ago, my friend Leigh was in town for the weekend. She was here during a stressful and sad time for both of us, but we managed to enjoy each other’s company and also enjoy catching up one-on-one, which we hadn’t gotten to do in years.

Usually when someone comes to visit me, I like to make something for the occasion. Cookies, muffins, whatever… I like to be the hostess with the mostest, ya know? But, this time around… I didn’t really have the time to make anything before she came into town. So, on Sunday afternoon, while we were relaxing, I decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I have two favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. This one which is crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside and the one posted at the bottom of this post which I adapted from this recipe.

So, we were chatting away and she was talking about how she never makes chocolate chip cookies from scratch, etc.. and I was all like.. “ohhhhh.. they’re so easy, who needs cookies from a tube?” And while I was going on and on about how easy cookies are to make and how this recipe is awesome… I measured some ingredients wrong.

I thought that the dough seemed a little runny, but I was confident in my cookie making skills… I chilled the dough for a bit in the freezer and then started scooping them out. 8 minutes later when I checked the oven… I laughed my ass off:

And that is when I realized… hmmm… I seem to have measured either the wrong amount of butter or the wrong amount of flour. Whoops.

This recipe is awesome though if you like soft, chewy cookies. I made some last week with great results. Just make sure you measure everything carefully...

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup plus 2 tbsp of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups of flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda and powder, vanilla and eggs until ingredients are mixed.
Add chocolate chips and mix.

Add flour and continue to mix until well blended.
Cover and chill in fridge for 45-60 minutes.

Use a cookie scoop or a tbsp to measure out dough and form a ball of the dough in your hands and then slightly flatten it and place it on non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 7-9 minutes. Cool on pan and then transfer to baking rack

Surfer Bars

I love love love a good bar cookie. Soft and chewy, sweet and easy to make. And these bars did not disappoint. I've had this recipe printed out for awhile now, but I never had mini marshmellows on hand, so I wasn't able to make them. Luckily, last weekend when I was in the grocery store, I actually remembered these bars and picked up a bag.

These bars are delicious. I'm not sure why they are called surfer bars, I kept trying to convince myself that it wasn't because they are so high in calories that only surfers will burn the calories, but I have a sneaking suspicion that that could be the case. Eek.

I didn't have butterscotch chips on hand, so I actually used peanut butter chips instead and they came out beautifully. I will definitely be making these cookies again. But, hopefully when I do, there will be other people around to help me eat them.

Surfer Bars

Andes Mints Chocolate Chip Cookies

St. Patrick's Day has been my favorite holiday for YEARS. We're talking wayyy back to like 6th grade or something. Before I even dreamt of the wonders of green beer. As the years have gone on, my love for St. Patrick's Day has turned into an obsession with all things Irish (and green). It's pretty bizarre, actually. I mean, there really isn't any good reason for me to be so obsessed with Ireland (besides the fact that it's a beautiful, friendly country that reminds me a lot of my home state of Tennessee). My ancestors were likely scottish, maybe some were irish, but even that doesn't matter, because my family has lived in TN since the 1780s. I love Irish writers, Irish beer, (if I'm going to have whiskey, I prefer Tennessee Whiskey.. aka... bourbon to irish whiskey), Irish and Celtic music. All of it. I freaking love it.

So, I get pretty excited when March rolls around. I'm having a small family get together at my place tonight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, so there will be a Irish-themed Post on Monday. But, last night, I was craving some cookies. Not necessarily Chocolate Chip cookies, and not peanut butter or oatmeal cookies, either. So, I perused Recipezaar and found this recipe. I had some andes mints that I needed to use up, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Now, I'm starting to get comfortable in adjusting recipes a little bit. Which is very exciting. And after reading some of the reviews of this recipe, I made my own adjustments! And they turned out fabulous! Actually, This is the perfect chocolate chip cookie consistency. I plan on trying it again without the Andes Mints to make soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. If they turn out like these, they will indeed be my favorite chocolate chip cookies, I think. I'll let you know how that recipe turns out.

Anyway, you can use the original link up there, or follow my adjusted recipe below.

And, after I put the first round in the oven, I couldn't help but throw some food color in the second round. When will I ever learn that green cookies just don't look appetizing? Oh well. At least they look cute in my shamrock server!

Andes Mint Cookies

Adapated from KC_Cooker's recipe on Recipezaar.

I made a half batch and got 14 cookies. This recipe is for a whole batch.

1 cup plus 2 tbsp of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsps vanilla

2 large eggs

1 10 oz package of andes baking chips (I used crushed up andes mints)

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups of flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda and powder, vanilla and eggs until ingredients are mixed.

Add mints and chocolate chips and mix.

Add flour and continue to mix until well blended.

Cover and chill in fridge for 45-60 minutes.

Use a cookie scoop or a tbsp to measure out dough and form a ball of the dough in your hands and then slightly flatten it and place it on non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 7-9 minutes.

Cool on pan and then transfer to baking rack.

Peanut Butter- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

There are two types of people in this world. Those who love Martha Stewart and those who don't. I happily fall into the first category. I love Martha Stewart. I love that she highlights that women can still be independent and successful (and single!) but also be very domestic as well. It's not one way or the other. You can be a career-minded woman while also having a completely straight and beautifully folded linen closet and also throw together a dinner party at the last minute. It is possible. And that's the woman I strive to be. Independent, successful, and also a whiz at home.

That being said, I peruse Martha's website quite often and came across this recipe. Now, what's not to love about cookies that have peanut butter, chocolate chips, and Oatmeal in the title?!?!

These cookies were absolutely delicious! They are definitely in my favorites category. They are sweet and chewy and so satisfying. Although, they really aren't that peanut buttery. But, it doesn't matter. They are delicious!

Notes on the recipe: I didnt use natural peanut butter and instead of adding peanuts, I added reese pieces. Yum.

Now... if only I could figure out a menu for my family st. patricks day dinner this weekend. Hmmm.... Maybe I should consult Martha...

Chocolate Chip Cookies by Bobby Flay

I warned you.

Yes, more chocolate chip cookies. This time brought to you courtesy of Bobby Flay.

Look at him

So cute and boyish. With his freckles and red hair.
I'm not sure what it is about him. I'm generally not attracted to pasty dudes, but there is something so all-american about him. Whenever I see him on television, I watch him. And the other day I caught the tail end of his show Throwdown (it's a show where he challenges cooks/bakers/chefs in a little contest) and this episode was Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Now, by this point, everyone is well aware of my recent chocolate chip cookie obsession. What is it???? I have no idea. But, it's like I can't get enough of chocolate chip cookies. I dream about them, I obsess over them, I seek out new recipes. So, when I saw this episode, I knew it was only a matter of time that I'd be making chocolate chip cookies again.

Little did I know it would be like 2 days later.

Anyway, the thing that struck me the most from the episode was everyone said that Bobby's were very buttery. This caught my attention. I loves me some butter.

These cookies were very buttery! And delicious! But, as I've noticed with all chocolate chip cookies, they could use a little chill time in the fridge before they go into the oven. I'll try that next time and hopefully they won't spread so much. Even with the spreading though, they still tasted chewy and oh so buttery. Yum. Incidentally, his cookies didn't win the throwdown, but the other cookies looked too cakey for me. I have some copycat recipes for the cookies that won, that I will eventually try and then I can do my own little throwdown experiment.

Bobby Flay's Chocolate Chip Cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookies, again.

I dont know what it is. But, I think it's safe to say that it's officially an obsession right now.

Yes, I made chocolate chip cookies again! This is the 2nd time this week and like the 4th time in two weeks. I know, I know, you're sick of chocolate chip cookies (surprisingly, I'm not), but I just had to test my favorite recipe with a little adaptation. I substituted a couple of the tbsps of butter for butter flavored shortening. Hoping that that would make the cookies less crispy on top. But, only just slightly. It didn't make the cookies softer, but the cookies did seem to have a little something extra in them. But, I can't put my finger on it.

Why mess with a good thing? Because, I want them to be perfect. And they are close, but they aren't quite there yet. I think I might try this ratio again, but I might actually add more butter to the recipe. Maybe I'll spare you blog readers with that experimentation.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

My notes:

-- I halved the recipe
-- I substituted 2 tbsp of butter for 2 tbsp butter flavored shortening.
-- I always chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before I bake them. (Have I mentioned that before?)

Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies: 2 ways.

Before I started this blog and started baking a lot, my knowledge of bakers was limited to those on television or Betty Crocker. I had never heard of Dorie Greenspan. How could I? She wasn't on the food network, right?

As I started reading other baking blogs, I started to come across her name... I'd see phrases like... "Another awesome Dorie recipe." or "I know this is like the 15th Dorie Recipe I've posted in as many days." I started wondering... who is this Dorie lady and why haven't I heard of her?

Eventually, I made her World Peace Cookies (which were really, really good)and her Chocolate Malted Cookies (which, were okay, but I'd like to make them again). I still didn't fully understand the buzz around her though. And then I happened to be in the car during rush hour one day and heard her segment on NPR (I think it was on all things considered, but don't quote me on that) and she was talking about Figgy Pudding (it was around Christmas, obviously). And her voice, her excitement, her knowledge, her chuckle... it all really mesmorized me and I said out loud to myself in the car. "I want to make Figgy Pudding, dammit!" I mean, seriously... who wants to make figgy pudding??? I had to get a Dorie cookbook. It's a pricy cookbook, though. So, it was kind of hard for me to just fork over the money for a cookbook (when I get so many of my recipes online these days).

Serendipitously, though, my friend Steph bought me Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours for my birthday! So, I've joined Tuesdays With Dorie and will be posting next Tuesday for the first time being a part of a blogging group!

So, Monday night, I decided to try out my first recipe using her actual cookbook. I decided to test her Chocolate Chip Cookies against my Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. I decided to halve the recipe and then I split the recipe into two different kinds. One was your basic Chocolate Chip Cookies with Semi-Sweet and Milk Chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate, I know, I'm weird). And then I made the other half with Reese Pieces, Peanut Butter Chips, and M&Ms.

These cookies are good. Very good. But, not as good as my favorite cookies. These cookies come out a little flatter and crispier than my favorite cookies. My favorite cookies are nice and puffy. The flavor of these cookies is really good, though. I love the sugar blend in this cookie. It lends a rich, molasses-y type of flavor. Yum.

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Dorie Greenspan Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 0z bittersweet chocolate or 2 cups of store bought chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped nuts

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth (about 1 minute). Add sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a rubber spatula mix in the chocolate and nuts.

Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet for one minute before transfering to a cooling rack.

Makes about 45 cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies: My favorite recipe.

It took a lot of recipes before I could dub a clear cut winner in this category. I've made Martha's, Mrs. Fields, Alton Browns, and a couple others, but this one... this one takes the cake (err... the cookie, I guess). This cookie is officially my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've blogged about it a few times, but just made another batch for my friend Jeff, who is recovering from surgery. I can easily say that this is the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside.

Previous posts about this recipe:
The first time I made them
The second time I made them

Inferior (but still tasty) chocolate chip cookie posts:
Mrs. Field's
Martha's

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Warning: This post is likely to contain lots of exclamation points. So many in fact, that your retinas might just burn right off, or if they don’t, you’ll be so annoyed with the overusage of the exclamation points, that you’ll totally blow my excitement off as me being “crazy.”

I’m an excitable person. Let’s just get that out of the way upfront. But, let me clarify. I’m not the type of person who jumps up and down, screams and shouts, and generally overreacts to things. (Well, okay, I do generally overreact to things, but dude… it doesn’t seem like I’m OVERreacting at the time, it just seems like I’m reacting, ya know?). But, Wednesday night, after making these cookies, I found myself precisely in that mode. Jumping up and down, squealing in sheer delight and pleasure over these cookies.

Seriously. Squealing like a 7 year old at a Hannah Montana concert. (As a side note, let me just take a moment here and say that I have no shame in admitting that a cookie can make me as happy as a 7 year old at a Hannah Montana concert. Nope, no shame whatsoever).

Ok, so let’s talk about this for a minute… Name some totally awesome things:

Brownies. Unicorns. Cookies. Cream Cheese Icing. Balloons. Daniel Craig.

End of list. I mean, those are the most awesome things in the world, no?

So, think about how happy you’d be if two of those things magically combined. Take for instance… Daniel Craig and Cream Cheese Icing! Holy crap! I think I need a moment to think about that for a second.

...

Okay, sorry. Now, What about Balloons and Unicorns? I mean. That’s some cool stuff, especially if the balloons were tied to the unicorn's horn. Pretty! Sadly, these two combos aren’t likely to happen to me (well, at least not this week), but…. I found a recipe that magically combined Cookies and Brownies into one beautiful concoction.

I found the recipe in that 500 cookies book that my mom bought me. The picture made the cookies look light and fudgy and crispy but chewy. But they actually came out thick and chewy and exactly like a brownie. These cookies are delicious!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. These cookies made me very, very happy. If you want to be happy and squeal and jump up and down in your kitchen. Make these cookies.

(I left the book at home today, so I'll post the recipe this weekend).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The specific goals of a tailgate party are to:


Socialize. Three people does in fact constitute a tailgate party, in case you were wondering. (two, definitely not, but three is acceptable).

Discuss the possible outcomes of the game. i.e. compare and contrast team players from each position. (Actually, we didn’t do this… we tried to come up with new catch phrases and ways to use them).

Drink. (Even if you are lame and only drink one beer, it counts dude, it totally counts).

People Watch. This includes making fun of the following types of people: those who listen to REM at a tailgate (buzz kill) and fans of the visiting team.

Eat yourself into a coma.

Sunday, April and Greg and I went to the Titans v. Chargers game. All our games are noon starts, so the tailgating must start early. Very early considering you didn’t get to bed until 3:30 (I’m too old for that crap, dude).

We had some good grub… including cheese dip, breakfast casserole and about 6 different bags of chips.

And I also decided to make some new chocolate chip cookies. These are a recipe from Cooks Illustrated that I snagged from Recipezaar. They were pretty good. Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Drinking my one beer... Officially a tailgate.

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ahhh… the luxury of a refrigerator… Finally… it’s a week later than I thought, but I’m still happy. So, now I can continue living like a regular human being. Here it is… nothing fancy… just your basic Kenmore.
Whats that? You want to see inside? You think this is like a blogisode of Cribs or something??? I’m no backstreet boy, you don’t need to see the inside of my fridge… ok, ok fine…

So, I spent 100 bucks at the grocery store yesterday, and that’s all that is in my fridge. Sad, huh?

Anyway, so, last night I decided to do my first baking in the condo. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make, but I finally settled on yet another Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Cause, let’s be honest here folks, can you ever make chocolate chip cookies too much??? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I found this recipe on Recipezaar and supposedly it’s the copycat recipe for Mrs. Fields Cookies.

Now, here in Nashville we have a company called Christie Cookies and they make the absolute BEST cookies. Hands down. They are super buttery, super chewy and just perfection. Especially their white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. (I’m not a huge fan of the taste of the chocolate chunks they use in their chocolate chunk cookies, but the cookie itself is just heavenly). Well, since it’s a small, local company, I couldn’t’ find any copycat recipes for it, so Mrs. Fields will have to do.

Now, of all the things I bought at the grocery store… I forgot salt!!! Luckily, I realized this and found this salt packet lying around the kitchen at my office…
It wasn’t quite enough salt, but I used salted butter, too.

So, these cookies are delicious! I ate about ½ cup of raw dough and about 6 cookies as they came out of the oven last night and they were pretty crispy… well, this morning I had half of one and wow, they were soft and chewy and perfect! Very good cookies. I will definitely use this recipe again when I need a good chocolate chip recipe.

World Peace Cookies

When I first starting reading food blogs, I noticed a bunch of entries devoted to this cookie: The Korova Cookie a.k.a. World Peace Cookie. Most people raved over it. It never really looked like something I would be into, so I never printed the recipe out.

This weekend, I had every intention of making Oatmeal Creme Pies. I bought all the ingredients, was ready to go. But when Sunday rolled around, I just wasn't feeling them. I wanted something chocolatey... so, I decided to try this cookies once and for all.

I made a special trip to the grocery to get Fine Sea Salt and Unsalted Butter (I typically use salted butter... I'm a salt fiend). And I got to work.

These cookies are tasty. Especially when still warm (not hot). They have a GREAT texture that you don't often find in cookies. A sandy, yet soft texture. But, my palate isn't very sophisticated. I like sweet chocolate, not bittersweet chocolate. So, I think I'll try these again with a couple of changes to the recipe:

1. I think I will actually use more salt. Maybe 1/2 tsp instead of just a 1/4.
2. I think I'll mix some milk chocolate along with the bittersweet chocolate. Just to give the cookie more sweetness for my palate.
3. I'll add a touch more vanilla. (Have I mentioned I love vanilla?).

These are very good cookies, but not the worlds greatest cookie as I've seen it referred to before. I'm still searching for that :)

Korova Cookies a.k.a. World Peace Cookies Recipe

Also, a note on the picture. I've found that taking pictures of chocolate chocolate chip cookies is a difficult task. Hopefully this picture looks appetizing, because my last blog entry that featured chocolate chocolate chip cookies prompted my friend Jeff to say that they looked like dog turd cookies.

Another Chocolate Chip Recipe

The following post may sound like a paid advertisement for all

things Martha Stewart, but I assure you, as much as I love Martha,

I'm not on her payroll (sadly).

Sara and I met on our 3rd or 4th day as freshman at the University of South Carolina. My roommate and I were at the Student Union checking our mail and noticed a girl having some problems with her mailbox lock. I went over and offered my help to her, turns out, she had been mailed the wrong combination. Anyway, my roommate and I left and went back to our room. Turns out, the girl that I helped lived right next door to me. Literally. Of all the places to meet, not in the hallway, not in the bathroom, but in the student union. We became fast friends and ended up being roommates the next semester when my roommate transferred to UT. We lived together that spring semester and all of our sophomore and senior years.

She’s a great friend. Always there when you need her and she’s one of those friends that you can talk to once in 3 months and neither of you holds a grudge for not being in contact sooner. You just pick back up where you left off.

Sara and I exchanged some emails last week and I decided that she needs a little pick-me-up. So, I made her some cookies.

I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies for her, because when we were in college, anytime that we went to the mall, she ALWAYS went to the cookie store and got one of those huge chocolate chip cookies. You know, the one that is kind of like a cookie pie. And then she would proceed to eat on the cookie for the rest of the week. So, I knew I wanted to make a chocolate chip cookie.

I decided to try a new cookie recipe and flipped through my printed out recipes and decided on this one from Martha Stewart.

I made large cookies (they fit in the cute boxes much better) and they came out soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Good cookies. Probably my second favorite chocolate chip recipe.

Martha Stewart Cookies for a Martha Stewart Cookie Box.

Perfection.

Another Birthday... another chocolate chip recipe.

This is my friend Jeff:

Trust me, I have WAAYYYY more fun and interesting (read that as drunk and hilarious) pics of this guy, but he has my ticket to the South Carolina vs. LSU game and I can't piss him off till after that...

Jeff is one of my best friends and his birthday was Sunday. We met in college and ours is one of the rare friendships that actually grows stronger AFTER college than during. He's hilarious... he's one of those people that you love hanging out with because you know that you are going to be laughing a lot. And he's loyal. Very loyal... everyone should have a Jeff as one of their best friends.

So, since he is such a good friend and since he lives in baltimore, the baked goods I can send him are limited to ones that ship well... I asked him what his favorite type of cookie is. His answer was:

"Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies"

He studies measles for chrissakes, I should have known it was going to be something basic. Well, anyway, I decided to try a different chocolate chip recipe just for fun and I found this recipe.

This was the best chocolate chip cookie dough I've ever had. I could have eaten the whole freaking bowl. Luckily, for Jeff's sake, I didn't.

The cookies are just good. Not spectacular, but good. I think I still prefer the epicurious recipe, which has a crispier outside and smoother center. But this a good for those who like all-round soft and chewy.

And look how cute they look packaged up in Martha Stewart cookie boxes! They won't look this cute when he gets them after the USPS gets their hands on them.

I need to go back to 1st grade, seriously, I have the penmenship of a six year old.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, another birthday... another occasion to bake! My friend SQB and I have been friends since the 6th grade! We met on burrito day in the cafeteria. True Story.

Anyway, her birthday was Wednesday! Yay! Happy Birthday! So, since we've been friends for like 15 years now and we've shared an apartment together for a year and I was the maid of honor in her wedding... you'd think I know a lot about the type of sweet tooth that she has. Right?? Like, that's a prerequisite for a maid of honor, no? Well, apparently I somehow got around that prereq. I started to think over the weekend what I could make for her... and I was drawing a blank.

I started thinking about when we lived together... what kinds of desserts did we eat then? I remember making iced brownies for a crowd (texas sheet cake) for a halloween party and I think she liked those... I also remember we always made the same meal... lasagna, cheese and sausage dip with chips, and reese piece's peanut butter cookies (from the packages). I know all kinds of main dishes that she likes and veggies and I know what she doesn't like... but the desserts were eluding me... (Oh crap.... as I type this, I now know EXACTLY the cookie she would have wanted.... Grandma Cookies!!!! Uggghhh.. how did I forget that?? Okay, well thats for another time.. damn, I cant believe I forgot).

So, I decided to go the multiple cookie route. 1. My Signature Cookie (of course) and when I saw this recipe for double chocolate chip cookies, I decided they looked promising...

Oh my god, y'all these are da bomb! (Sorry, I somehow channeled Britney Spears there for a minute). The spread a lot on me, so next time I think I'll chill the dough first a bit. The only change I made was I added more chocolate. More chocolate chips... I used a whole bag of ghiradelli milk chocolate chips (11.5 ozs). 4 ozs was melted with the butter and the rest were mixed in the dough. And I also added 2 oz of ghiradelli semi sweet chunks.

And added note... This recipe calls for DUTCH processed cocoa. Now, my regular grocery store doesn't carry and DUTCH processed cocoa. Only natural cocoa. Is there a difference? Yes, there is... And you can use natural cocoa subsituted for DUTCH, but you have to add some baking soda to the recipe as well. Luckily, I found DUTCH cocoa at Harris Teeter... It's Hershey's Dark Cocoa and its a lovely black color and dutch! Score!

The Signature Cookie.

So, I know that this blog is still young and I haven't even scratched the surface of cookie recipes, but this one folks... this cookie might just become my signature cookie.

By signature cookie, I mean the cookie that I'm known for. The cookie that I bring to functions and mail to friends on their birthdays... Amy's Cookie, if you will. So, with that being said, I shouldn't reveal the recipe, right? I mean, it's my signature cookie, it deserves some mystery, that's part of the allure of a signature cookie (yes, I will italicize signature cookie everytime I type, and when I say it aloud, I will always use the quotation mark fingers, because it's that type of cookie). But. whatever, I'm not a bitch. I always hate that actually... when someone brings something to a potluck that is smack ya momma, finger lickin' good... and then when you compliment them profusely they never offer up the recipe and then when you actually ASK them for it, they say.... "Oh, it's an old family recipe." Like, if I had the recipe, I'd rush home and mass market it or something. Jeez. Give me a break. I'm about sharing. And this is a cookie recipe that should be shared!!! (For one, because its pretty freaking time consuming... so, I dont want to get stuck with being the only one making it...) The only thing I require for those of you who make it... is that you tell peeps... Yeah, this is Amy's Signature Cookie... Unless you hate it, in which case, you don't know me, never heard of me.

Here is the recipe... It's really time consuming because you have to let it chill overnight and then after you do, you have to essentially work each cookie into a ball and then flatten them out for your cookie shape, cause they stay the exact same way through cooking. And the require a LOT of ingredients, but they are worth it. I think next time, I'll double the batch and freeze half the dough into a cookie dough log so that I can just slice and bake the next time without having to shape the cookies everytime. Also, the cookies look underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but after they sit out, they firm up.

The pictures didn't turn out well, I actually almost forgot to take pictures before I packed them all away! So, thats why the pictures suck. Don't judge this cookie by the pics, it's delicious.

By the way, these probably have like 10,000 calories per cookie... which is why I only had two last night. And I counted those calories as my dinner. I had to chew gum the whole time I was baking them to keep from nibbling on them as I took them out of the oven. I'm such a sucker for hot out of the oven cookies.

See, they look a little underdone, but they are perfect.

Packaged up and ready to go! (Don't think there aren't 15 more sitting in my freezer waiting to be eaten... mmm)

"The Chewy"

So, I wasn't content with the perfection of this chocolate chip cookie recipe I tried a month ago. Nooooo... I had to go and try to find a cookie that tasted just as delicious, but had a slightly softer outside texture.

I like chewy cookies. Think... oatmeal/raisin chewy. I like them moist and buttery, but not cakey. Definitely not cakey.

So, I found this recipe for Alton Brown's Chewy chocolate chip cookies. And... they are just okay. The flavor isn't really there for me. And the texture is too cakey. So, from now on, when I find perfection. I'm sticking with it.

Don't be fooled...

They look tasty, but they are pretty bland as far as chocolate chip cookies go.

Did I mention that this is an awesome recipe?

Okay, just look at that. Look at how yummy that cookie is.

I made another batch of the chocolate chip cookies from an earlier post . I devoured about 5 of them and then quickly stashed them in the freezer, so that I could take them along on my beach vacation this week. Homemade cookies will be so much better than chewy chips ahoy, no?

This time, I split the batch in two. One batch had your basic milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips (as a side note, I used hershey brand semi-sweet chips and they are awesome! they melted completely in the cookies. I used ghiradelli milk chocolate chips). Then in the other batch, I used up some remaining peanut butter chips and butterscotch chips and threw in some semi-sweet and milk chocolate for some chocolate-y taste, too. And they both turned out delicious!

On saturday, I had a Christie cookie... a chocolate chip one, and I noticed that the chocolate in it sucked, but that the cookie had an awesome buttery, soft texture (I had forgotten how great their texture was). So, while this cookie recipe is the best I've found... it does get a little crunchier on the top than I'd like sometimes... so, I think I'll try some more recipes soon just to see if I can find a softer, chewier one.

These are still awesome though. Mmmm... I wish I had one right now.