I'm on a mission

I made myself a bucket list for 2011. Things I want to try, accomplish, do. One of the cooking related things on my 2011 bucket list is to find the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Now, I know, it's a chocolate chip cookie Steph, who cares? I care! I don't have a go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. And I love a good chocolate chip cookie, so I'm really ready to find the PERFECT recipe.

So I'm taking my time and making cookies this year, hoping to find the ultimate recipe for a basic chocolate chip cookie - nothing fancy, nothing with add ins, just a basic chocolate chip cookie.

In order to keep track of my baking, I've made myself a spread sheet. DORK? YES! But this way I'll be able to recall the cookies and really find the best recipe for me. I've also started freezing one dough ball of each cookie - and at the end of the year, I'll bake all of them and figure out really, once and for all, which one is superior for my tastes.

So what am I judging on? Appearance, out of oven taste/texture, milk dunk test, day after taste/texture, and the hubs take on the cookie. I mean, he HATES chocolate chip cookies, and really cookies in general. But if I can find a cookie he even remotely enjoys, than that has a lot to do in the ratings scheme as well.

So I started the other weekend with this recipe from Baking Bites for Brown Sugar Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

My review:

Chocolate Chip Used: Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Pieces

Ease of Recipe: Super easy recipe, very few ingredients, no chill time. Quick to prep and bake. Done in 3 cookie sheets and 1 hour total, start to finish.

OOO (Out of Oven) Texture: Crispy bottom, fluffy - taller cookie, soft center that is still moist, crispy edges.

OOO Taste: Not too sweet, mild chocolate flavor (dark chocolate)

Milk Dunk Test: Doesn't absorb a ton of milk but it does help make it a little moister. When dunked when the cookie is hot it's DELICIOUS!!

DA (Day After) Texture:Firm, center is still soft as is cookie, lost its crispy edge, a very dense and solid cookie

DA Taste: a little sweeter, still the same. Just cold

Appearance: Not all pieces have chocolate chunks at the surface but just brown flat tops, but very symmetrical in size, not too much spreading

Husband Rating: Not bad, better if no chocolate. Soft interior but the bottom is too crunchy, top is fine

Overall Notes: Overall a really nice cookie, good taste, texture and not too sweet. I think the chocolate pieces tended to sink during the cooking process a bit compared to how the recipe was pictured. Should have floured my chips perhaps? The cookie is great the 2nd day if you warm it in the microwave for 7 seconds. Determined this is really a cookie that is best served warm because it is so dense.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chunk Cookies

from Baking Bites

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt (pref. kosher salt)

14 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups dark or semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, gradually blend in the flour mixture until no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Shape dough into balls just over 1-inch in diameter. Place on prepared baking sheet, allowing for room to spread.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are very lightly browned around the edges. Cookies may look slightly “wet” – but not raw – at the center (bake until golden all over for crispier cookies).

Cool for 3-4 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 2 1/2 – 3 dozen cookies

Another Whole Foods Rave!

Thanks to the commenter - I've entered this in the Presto Pasta Night roundup. Thank you to Ruth at Once Upon a Feast and Abby at Eat The Right Stuff.




I grabbed this recipe off of the Whole Foods website and we adored this recipe. First off it was so easy to make. Secondly, it was so delicious as well - even the leftovers were tasty!

We used fresh roma tomatoes and basil from our garden. I used ground sausage as well. Otherwise it was the same thing and it was surely delicious!



Farfalle with Hot Italian Sausage, Tomatoes and Basil

Hot Italian sausage, sweet tomatoes and fresh basil are tossed with bowtie pasta in this easy, flavor-packed summer dinner. Try this recipe with classic Italian pork sausage or leaner chicken or turkey sausage if you prefer.


Serves 6 to 8


3/4 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 bunch basil, leaves torn into pieces
1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved or shredded
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and toss in olive oil. Set aside. Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet. Squeeze sausage from casing into pan, crumbling it into small pieces. Add garlic and cook until sausage is browned and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Toss cooked sausage with pasta, basil, tomatoes, cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

A Secret Baker Shout Out!

The girls on the RI Nest board recently did a Secret Baker Swap. I signed up and sent out one of my favorite recipes for Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I in turn received these wonderful Molasses Sugar Cookies from Diana. It's so funny that Diana was my secret baker - we're always back and forth on email about things and she was just accepted to do the Art Show at my office with her wonderful photographs.

These are the cookies she sent - they were out of this world - I highly recommend them - and so do my neighbors and co-workers and husband!

Diana's Molasses Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup(s) shortening
1 Cup(s) sugar
1/4 Cup(s) molasses
1 egg
2 Teaspoon(s) baking soda
2 Cup(s) flour
1/2 Teaspoon(s) ground cloves
1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon(s) ground ginger
1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 Melt shortening and add molasses and egg. Mix well. Add sugar and mix. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add to mix. Chill. Roll into balls and coat with additional sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.



Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
(very moist cake like cookie)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cup(s) flour
2 Teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 Teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 Cup(s) sugar
2/3 Cup(s) softened butter
2 egg
1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 Cup(s) mashed banana
2 Cup(s) semisweet chocolate chips
Optional Ingredients:1 chopped nuts

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together, set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in banana. Add flour by spoonfuls. Stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts). Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Oo La La! Vie La France!

Tonight we took a trip to France for dinner.

Ok not really, but I made crepes for supper.

I was just trying to think of some new things for dinners this week and thought ooo crepes could be fun.

Easy, Tasty, Fun dinner!




Mushroom, Spinach and Ham Crepes with Bechamel Swissh Cheese Sauce

(I made the recipe for the crepe filling up)

1 package pre-made crepes, warmed to be softened

1 package Morel ham steaks, 2 steaks, diced

1 small container of mushroom slices

1/2 large onion sliced thin

1 package baby spinach

2 T butter

Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1 package finely shredded swiss cheese


In a large sautee pan heat butter and saute onions and mushrooms until tender.

Add diced ham and cook until browned and warmed. Add 1 tsp. mustard and other seasoning sand stir in. Add spinach and let wilt.

In each crepe, add a T of swiss cheese and top with about a quarter cup of filling. Roll gently seam side down. Top with sauce and serve

Bechamel Swissh Cheese Sauce (from Good Housekeeping)

In a sauce pan melt 2 T butter and then add 2 T four and wisk together.

Slowly add in 1 cup warm milk. Stir for about 5 minutes until thick. Stir in 1/2 cup swiss cheese and season with 1/2 - 1 tsp. nutmeg.

Tasty goodness without the cost of an airplane ticket.

This recipe also qualifies for my friend Robin's Recipe Remix challenge!