Recipes for Cook

I know. Everyone has a chocolate chip cookie recipe they love, but in case you dont, I am posting this.  And since it is my go-to recipe, I figured it needed to be on this blog!  When I was in high school, I had a friend named Jeff who always brought snacks to our AP English class.  Usually they were almonds or dried mangoes, but occasionally they were these cookies.  He was a good friend and always shared. :)  His mom made these often and shared the recipe with our family.  Weve been making them ever since!  The trick is to not over-mix the dough and to take them out before you may think theyre done.  The result - an extremely soft fluffy cookie that is incredible fresh out of the oven but that stays soft for the next day too...if you havent eaten them all by then....


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white sugar
1 T. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 c. flour
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl or mixer, mix butter, sugars, vanilla, baking soda, salt and eggs together until combined.  Add flour and chocolate chips until just combined! (Dont over mix).  Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake for 9-10 minutes until bottoms are just beginning to brown.  Take out before they look completely done.  Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

(Fresh out of the oven, puffy and barely browning on the edges, and then after theyve cooled)

Ingredients
14 tablespoons (1 stick, plus 6 tablespoons) butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional, My husband and I dont like nuts)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Dash salt
1 (6-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips or thin chocolate bars

Picky picky husband loves anything peanut butter and I love anything chocolate; so I combined two of our favorite recipes and this cookie "was born".  It is a GREAT lunch box or picnic cookie, as they travel well and stay soft if you keep them in a lidded cookie jar.
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco  (see note below)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Jiff)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream the butter flavored Crisco, peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and mix well.

Add the flour, salt and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips and pecans.

Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 10-12 minutes (at 375 degrees) until they are very light golden around the edges.

They wont look quite "done" in the center, but trust me...they are.

NOTE: Some people freak out about using Crisco in cookies, however, 99.9% of the reports show that there is virtually zero difference between Crisco and butter when it comes to saturated fat, not to mention there is zero cholesterol in Crisco (something you can not say about butter).  Just make sure (for flavor sake) you use butter flavored Crisco.

I have no idea how these cookies turn out if you use all butter... I just know that in classic chocolate chip cookies, you get a super thin misshapen cookie if you use butter... but if you use butter flavored Crisco in that same recipe, you get a nice thick, perfectly round cookie.

NOTE: I like to use miniature chocolate chips in my cookies because they distribute in the batter well, however, regular size chocolate chips would work too.

4 points per 1/2 cup serving

makes 2 cups



1 cup fat free icotta cheese

4 tbsp. confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1/4 c. fat free nondairy whipped topping



Puree the ricotta cheese, confectioners sugar, and the vanilla in a food processor. Scrpae into a medium bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate until well mixed. Witha rubber spatual, gently fold in the whipped topping until blended. Cover and refridgerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour. Spoon into goblets or dessert dishes to serve.



From WW Dining for Two.

This is one of the cakes my mother always makes for holidays like Christmas and Easter, and for birthdays and other special occasions.

500 g flour
350 g sugar
250 g margarine or butter
2 eggs
3 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
2 tbs dark cocoa
as needed milk

Cream together the sugar and softened margarine or butter. Mix in the eggs. Sift the flour with the spices, baking soda and cocoa. Add to the margarine mix, one tablespoonful at a time. Alternate with splashes of milk, and mix well in between (batter should be medium thick). Pour into cake tins and bake at 190°C until firm. Cool.
My mother makes these cakes about as thick as her thumb, and uses three layers of cake and two layers of vanilla butter icing. Tastes great with whipped cream.

Freezes well.

The way to my mans heart generally involves some kind of chocolate biscuit cake, although all cakes and biscuits are appreciated. These little Chocolate Crunchie Munchies are, not only a decadent and delicious morsel to munch on with your coffee, they are also a frugal make. Now that is bound to please your loved one!

I came home on Friday night and had a bit of a craving for something chocolatey, I knew there were no chocolates in the house but there was a bar of Rylands Dark Chocolate. I get this chocolate at the supermarket, it is about 89p for a 200g bar and tastes very much like Bournville chocolate. Its not in the league of specialist chocolate for eating, but it is excellent for baking and sweet making.

So I had the chocolate, now I needed to find something to mix with it. I rummaged around and found the end of a box of Special K, the flakes had gone a bit soft and chewy, but there is an easy way to rescue cereal, by putting it in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes. You need to use it up pretty quickly after that, but it crisps it up beautifully. As I was putting the oven on for supper anyway, this wasnt going to cost any more in fuel.

Special K being crisped up in the oven

 

I also found a bag with a few Amaretti biscuits in it and some sultanas.

Chocolate Crunchie Munchies

150g Dark Chocolate
50g White Chocolate
25g butter
225g cereal and/or crushed Amaretti biscuits
50g sultanas or small pieces of other dried fruit

1. Break up the chocolate and put it in a bowl with the butter, over a pan of hot water. Melt the chocolate being careful not to get any water into the chocolate or it will granulate.
2. Stir in the cereal crushed biscuits and sultanas and spoon into paper or silicone cases.

3. Put in the fridge for about 30-50 minutes.
4. Using a clean bowl, melt the white chocolate and put into a piping bag.
5. Drizzle the white chocolate over the Crunchie Munchies and return to the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

These little chocolate bites definitely hit the spot, you can adapt the recipe for any type of cereal or mixture of cereal and crushed biscuits, add nuts or seeds, smarties, M and Ms or anything that you like. Great for kids to make.

I received the heart shaped silicon cupcake cases in a lovely parcel from Dunelm Mill. I find that Dunelm Mill is a great place to get all your baking equipment, the prices are much cheaper than some of the specialist stores and there is a wide range of different products. I like to pick up items for food styling as well. As you can see I received a silicone madeleine mould, some large silicone cupcake cases, some silicone flowerpots and a Macroon Baking Set. The Heart Shaped Cupcake Cases are the first item I have had a chance to use but I am really excited about the Flower pots and the Macaroon Baking Set. I have made Macaroons before but they werent very even and the set contains a baking mat which will keep my macaroons all the same size.

As this is a frugal recipe Im entering it for Credit Crunch Munch the blog event run by Fuss Free Flavour and Fab Food 4 All. This month it is Elizabeths Kitchen who is hosting the challenge.

Im also adding this to Treat Petite, a NEW challenge from Cakey Boi and the Baking Explorer. This month the challenge is for any small cake or treat and The Baking Explorer is hosting.

I was sent these baking items by Dunelm Mill, I was not paid for this post and all my views are my own.