I love watching how other people prepare things, the ingredients they use, and let’s face it, I’m easily charmed by cute commentary!

These chocolate chip cookies have been proclaimed as the best by their maker. Decide for yourself!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick regular Crisco (or 1 cup Crisco)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs (large or jumbo)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups all-purpose flour

~ Mix the Crisco and white sugar together with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes till creamed together.

~ Add the salt, baking soda, eggs and brown sugar. Mix again on medium for 1 minute or until incorporated.

~ Add the flour and mix with the mixer until both cups are incorporated.

~ Stir in an entire bag of semi-sweet chips by hand.

~ Roll into balls larger than golf ball size, but smaller than a small lemon, about six should fit on one cookie sheet at a time. Leave room because they get big.

~ Bake at 345 for 14-14.5 minutes.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

I found these at Crepes of Wrath, and since I always have the supplies on hand to make chocolate chip cookies, I printed out the recipe and headed straight for the kitchen. They were easy enough to make, though the dough is a little different that what you’d normally be used to because the olive oil is liquid as opposed to the more solid butter, so there’s no creamed butter/sugar mix.

I have to say, it does make a very pretty cookie! The taste at first was a little underwhelming, but you can definitely tell they’re a bit different than a standard chocolate chip cookie, a little caramely, almost. They actually taste better the next day, and they stayed nice and chewy as well!

These would be great with a white chocolate chip, macadamia nut and craisin makeover, too!

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6 chocolate chip cookies
Mint chocolate chip and/or vanilla ice cream
Black and orange sprinkles, colored sugars or other Halloween cookie decorations

~ If cookies are homemade, make sure they’re completely cooled before preparing ice cream sandwiches.

~ Soften ice cream at room temperature about 10 minutes or in microwave oven on medium (50%) for 10 to 20 seconds.

~ For each ice cream sandwich, place about 1/4 cup (1 small scoop) ice cream on flat side of one cookie; top with another cookie and press gently so that ice cream meets edges of cookies.

~ Immediately roll edges of ice cream in decorations, if desired.

~ Wrap in plastic wrap; freeze until ready to serve.

~ Six cookies makes three sandwiches.

[image: flickr]

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On Thursday, October 1st, the popular cookie chain will be handing out one free chocolate chip cookie at each participating location across the United States between 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

“Cookies are a fun way to honor many different occasions in people’s lives, so it only seems natural to join in the celebration that pays tribute to cookies,” says Steve Willes, Mrs. Fields’ Director of Marketing. “We believe that part of our business is putting smiles on people’s faces and we hope that our Free Cookie Day, as well as the frequent cookie card and coupon, will provide plenty of reason for people to celebrate and keep smiling.”

The chain is also said to be promoting other events and giveaways, but a lot of them are specific to each location, so you need to double check with yours!

[image: flickr]

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The increased demand for gluten free products has been on the rise for many years, and for those who suffer from celiac disease or just want to eat gluten free, these dessert mixes are a great addition to a growing market.

Celiac disease, an auto-immune disorder that causes digestive distress in individuals who eat any form of wheat flours, affects approximately 1 in every 133 people in the United States, including children and adults:

Celiac Disease (CD) is a lifelong, digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. ~ celiac.org

The mixes are made with rice flour in place of traditional wheat flours, which is an acceptable grain for those who suffer from the disease. The products are also produced in a gluten free environment.

Have you tried the new dessert mixes?

[image: betty crocker]

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I missed this entry when she first posted it but it’s still a timely experiment! Nicole prepped her car first by parking it in full sunlight and lining the dashboard with pot holders to protect it.

Using parchment paper, a cookie sheet and a specific chocolate chip cookie dough recipe (included in the post linked above) that requires refrigeration so it can be cut into even slices, she successfully baked a batch of cookies in her car!

She also set an oven thermometer on the dash and was able to see that the interior of her car got up to 180 degrees and took about two and a half hours to bake the cookies.

They didn’t brown up like cookies typically do in an oven, but they did bake and were apparently so delicious they were gone in minutes!

I would actually really love to try this! Initially I wondered about the egg used in the dough and leaving it in a hot but-not-oven-hot environment for so long, but as long as the cookies reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees they should be ok. Another thing that makes me hesitate is that in my city neighbors and houses are right on top of each other — I can only imagine the looks I’d get!

And let’s not forget: Chocolate chip cookie-scented car. I’d be willing to do more driving if I could get my car to smell that way all the time!

Would you try this?

[image: flickr]

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My favorite kind of chocolate chip cookies are thick and chewy, the ones keep their shape when they come out of the oven. I’m not crazy about cookies that flatten out, thin as pancakes.

Thick and Chew Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups + 2 Tb all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside. Mix butter and sugars in mixer until well combined. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Using a cookie scoop, place cookies two inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

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Today is the last day of school for my kids, and it’s also a half day so I’ve just put a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. I plan on having some homemade ice cream sandwiches ready for them when they get home.

You’ve probably come across this before and it couldn’t be easier: Make your favorite batch of chocolate chip cookies. I’m just making the good old Tollhouse cookies today but I’ve done it with oatmeal chocolate chip as well and they’re amazing.

Let the cookies cool completely, and get your ice cream out of the freezer long enough that it’s softened up just a bit. Using a scoop (not a big one – you want to be able to get your mouth around it!), put a scoop on the bottom of one cookie, and then squish another cookie on top of the ice cream. Voilà! Instant ice cream sandwich!

Play with it! Put the ice cream in a bowl first and let it soften up enough that you can mix in chopped nuts, a swirl of chocolate syrup, a dash of cinnamon (especially good if you’re using oatmeal cookies), etc. And don’t stick with just vanilla ice cream – chocolate is excellent of course, and I like java ice cream in mine.

Eat the sandwiches immediately or wrap in some wax paper and put in the freezer, but not for too long because the cookies will get soft.

Snickerdoodles, ginger snaps, and other cookies work really well too, but we’re all about the chocolate here!

[image: flickr]

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Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!

NCCD always falls on May 15th and is intended to celebrate the wonderfulness that is chocolate chips and their popularity in our cooking and baking. While there is no congressional record or proclamation that today is officially a “national” anything, it’s still a valid holiday in my book! And of course, there are ecards.

The above video gives you some great tips on how chocolate chips should be added to baked goods. I’ve always kept my chocolate chips in the freezer by default (they get too melty in the cupboard), so I was glad to see that mentioned!

What’s your favorite recipe involving chocolate chips? What is your favorite brand of chocolate chips to use?

My favorite recipe is my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and I prefer the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips.

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Dreena Burton hosts an episode of Everyday Dish: Vegan Cooking and demonstrates how she makes her easy vegan chocolate chip cookies!

The recipe is below the cut:

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1⁄4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 – 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup canola oil (a little generous)
1⁄3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not over-mix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour produces a more classic cookie taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still get a delicious cookie. For a wheat-free version, use spelt flour, but add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of the spelt flour to the dry mix (the amount needed varies with brand of spelt flour and whether you are using a refined spelt flour versus a less processed spelt flour).

Note: If, as you are mixing together your batter it appears quite floury and thick, simply mix together a couple of teaspoons more canola and maple syrup and incorporate it into the batter. Sometimes humidity, type of flour used, and other factors can affect the density of the batter and so a touch more liquid may be needed.

Makes 9-12 large to average sized cookies

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