Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes--some thick and soft, some flatter and chewy, some not so good. This recipe is the BEST I've found... thanks to my sister.

I usually try to make the cookies a little bigger than normal sized (heaping spoonful). Take these cookies out of the oven at the first second you see them turning brown. And here's the trick: once the cookies are out, you must whack the cookie sheet on the top of the oven. Trust me, though it sounds weird. This will flatten out the cookies to the perfect thickness.

Also, organic flour, cane sugar, brown sugar, eggs, butter, chips, etc. make these cookies taste even better. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Beat butter in mixer for 1 - 2 minutes until fluffy, and then add sugars. Continue beating for several minutes.
2. While whipping sugar and butter, combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) in a separate bowl. Mix well.
   
3. Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture and fully incorporate.
4. Slowly add dry mixture to butter/sugar/egg mixture. Incorporate.
   
5. Add chocolate chips to mixture. (I actually like to beat the chips for a second in the mixer; it breaks some of the chips up so there are tiny pieces of chocolate throughout the cookie.)
6. Scoop heaping spoonfuls of batter and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I usually bake about 9 per sheet.)
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 - 11 minutes.
   
8. Take out the second they start turning brown. Whack cookie sheet several times on top of oven. Cookies will look a bit underdone, but leave them on the tray for 5 - 10 additional minutes to finish the cooking process. Remove to a cooling rack once the bottoms are solid.
   

Simple and Delicious Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• (melted chocolate and confectioner's sugar, optional)
  

Directions:

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.
6. Optional, drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
   

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mini Tarts

Ingredients

12	Gingersnap cookies
1 (8 oz.	) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup	Solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup	Sugar
1 teaspoon	Pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon	Vanilla
2	Eggs

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place 12 muffin cup liners in a muffin tin. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each liner. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until well blended. Add the eggs and beat well. Divide bater equally among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and chill before serving (whip cream optional... actually not really - USE IT, but I will say its an option).

Sour Cream Banana Bread

The sour cream and brown sugar make this bread chewy and delicious; the nutmeg/cinnamon combo adds the perfect amount of spice. Feel free to add walnuts or chocolate chips :)



Ingredients
5 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. mashed bananas (about 3-4; the blacker the better!)
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9X5 loaf pan, making sure to cover each corner with the butter then flour, so the bread comes out easily after baking.
   
2. Cream butter and sugars together with mixer on about a medium speed. Let mixer run for a minute or two to whip the mixture.
3. While that mixture whips together, combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
   
4. Lower speed of butter mixture and add egg, egg whites, and vanilla. Mix to incorporate.
5. Add dry mixture and sour cream to butter mixture, alternating a small amount of each at a time, starting and ending with the dry mixture. Blend for a minute to whip and incorporate.
6. Slowly add mashed bananas to the mix and blend quickly to incorporate.
7. Evenly pour mixture into pre-greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1hr 10 mins. at 350 degrees.

A Fun Halloween Treat

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients

2 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Double Chocolate Soy Pudding

I know soy scares some people, but I promise this doesn't taste like soy at all. Just like pure and creamy chocolate! It is husband-tested, believe me. Oh and I took out some butter to make it healthier as well. Once it's chilled, you can place it in some sundae dishes or small mugs and grate chocolate shavings on top to make it look that much tastier.

Ingredients:

1/3	cup natural cocoa powder
3/4	cup sugar
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup cornstarch
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla extract
3	cups chocolate soy milk
1	tablespoon butter

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cocoa, sugar, salt, cornstarch and whisk well.
2. Add chocolate soymilk, whipping continuously. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whipping non-stop to discourage lumps from forming. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whip in butter and vanilla.
3. Pour into a heat-proof dish, cover and place in the fridge until completely cooled and set.

Shan's Dark Chocolate Cake

Here it is friends... the one and only.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Ready In: 1 hr. 10 mins.
Makes: 10-12

INGREDIENTS:
CAKE:
½ c. natural cocoa powder
½ c. boiling water
2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
¾ c. unsalted butter—room temperature
1 ¾ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 ½ c. sour cream

FROSTING:
6 ounces dark chocolate—chopped
2 Tbsp. water
¾ c. sugar
4 large egg yolks
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter—cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature
Grated dark chocolate (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
CAKE:
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
2. Whisk together the cocoa and the boiling water in a small bowl until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large deep bowl until well blended—the mixture will be dry. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, just until well blended. Add the cocoa mixture and blend well. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 20 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the racks and remove pans. Cool cakes completely before frosting.

FROSTING:
1. Melt the chocolate with the water in a double boiler, set over about 1 ½ inches of simmering water, whisking until smooth. Transfer to a large deep bowl.
2. Heat the sugar with the egg yolks in another heatproof bowl over the same saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly for about 4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Whisk the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, add the vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Beat in the butter one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cake.
4. Top cake with chocolate shreds (optional).
5.Chill cake before serving.
(Courtesy of Luscious Chocolate Desserts!)

Ashly's Dad's Mom's Pumpkin Bread

This recipe for pumpkin bread, courtesy of Ashly M. Jernigan, is insanely moist. And please, whatever you do, DON'T add chocolate chips.

(Makes 3 loaves)
4 c. flour
3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 c. oil
1 big can pumpkin
2/3 c. cold water
4 eggs

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour. Bon appetit!