Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This is my absolutely favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I try not to make these very often because I’ll eat the entire batch in one go.

Yield: Makes 32 cookies

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preparation
1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well blended. Beat in 3 tablespoons water and the vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.
3. Drop dough in 1-tablespoon portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake in a 300° oven until edges of cookies are browned, but an area about 1-inch wide in the center is still pale, about 14 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
5. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Options
None. These are perfect the way they are!

Two-Tone Chocolate Fudge recipe

Two-Tone Chocolate Fudge recipe

Ingredients
(Makes about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (11 1/2-ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 tablespoons coffee cream or milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
In saucepan, over low heat, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. Spread into aluminum foil-lined 9-inch square pan. In another saucepan, over low heat, melt milk chocolate chips with remaining sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/2 cup walnuts. Spread over fudge in pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off foil and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Options
The chocolate can be melted in the microwave for quicker fudge

Ganache Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ganache Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies, originally from Whats Gaby Cooking?

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups Chocolate Chips
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated.

Chill the dough in the refrigerate for 2 hours. Scoop out a 1/4 cup size of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll it around in some Chocolate Chips and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place 6 cookies on a sheet since they will spread due to their size. Bake for 12-14 minutes until just slightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let rest on the baking sheet. *Note* The might look a little under baked in the middle – but don’t fear!! They will continue to bake a bit once removed from the oven.

While the cookies are cooling, go ahead and make the ganache.

In a small pot, bring the cream to a low simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the bittersweet chocolate with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Dip half of each cookie into the ganache and set on parchment paper to dry

Comments

Absolutely love these cookies, even with the Ganache dip. I do tend to add about another quarter to half cup of chocolate chips with no ill results so far.

I’ll also replace the bittersweet chocolate with a nice dark chocolate. But be careful as dark chocolate tends to have a bit higher melting point.

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe *
From the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook adapted by Smitten Kitchen

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have included two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (I prefer chunky no sugar added peanut butters, but lots of people use regular smooth)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuit Recipe

Garlic Cheddar Biscuit Recipe

Sort of like Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits. But better.

Ingredients:

2 cups biscuit baking mix – Preferably Snoqualmie Falls brand
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2/3 Cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic salf

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or 206 degrees Celsius. Grease cookie sheet

2.) Combine baking mix, cheddar cheese, and garlic powder into large bowl. Stir in milk.

3.) Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

4.) Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes

5.) Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.

6.) Bake for five more minutes

Options:

  • Double garlic powder
  • Use three cloves of fresh garlic instead of garlic powder
  • Double cheese
  • Replace half of Cheddar cheese with White Cheddar Cheese