Mom's Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mom's Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is seriously the BEST cookie recipe I have ever used!
The cookies stay soft for days, if they last that long, which in our house, they don't.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of salted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt butter in small saucepan on low. Make sure it doesn't boil. In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg; beat on low until just combined (10-15 seconds). If you beat the egg too long the cookies will be stiff.

3. Add flour mixture into the stand mixers bowl. Mix until well combined, dough should be between "wet" dough and "dry" dough. Incorporate chocolate chips by hand.

4. Roll dough into 12 balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are barely golden brown and puffy. DO NOT OVER BAKE. This is essential for keeping the cookies soft, even if they don't look done, pull them out.

5. Let cookies cool on the pan for around 30 minutes and then transfer to a plate. If they make it that long.

Other variations:

Cookie skillet
     Make recipe the same as above, spread cookie dough out over the bottom of skillet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Playdough Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring (optional)
Glitter (optional)

Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients in a 5 quart pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is a thick dough consistency (no longer sticky). Scoop out onto a cookie sheet to cool before playing.
2. *Add food coloring during the cooking process.
3. *Add glitter and knead after the dough is cool. 

Simple White Cake

This is the first time I have tried this recipe and I LOVE IT!!! It's the best cake I've ever made! It tastes like a sugar cookie and is just dense enough it doesn't fall apart when you frost it. Although, it's not totally a "white" cake, it's a little yellow-ish. I think by only using egg whites and not the whole egg, it would be white. Anyway, here it is:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes (in gas oven)

Size: 13x9 inch pan or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter

4 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

3 cups of flour (we use unbleached organic)

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups of milk (I used our very first goat's milk!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan or line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder in separate bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 45 to 50* minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

*Cook times may vary by oven. The original recipe that I based mine on says to bake a 9 x 9 cake for 30 to 40 minutes and cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes. Since I doubled and adjusted that recipe, mine took longer. I started the timer at 35 and added 10 mintues twice.

Slow Cooked Fruit Butter Recipe

I titled this "Fruit Butter" because I have made Apple Butter and Pear Butter using the same recipe. 

Surprising fact: There is NO butter! I'm sure most people know this, but my kids were amazed when it wasn't on the ingredient list.

 We mostly eat Apple/Pear Butter on toast for breakfast. We have also put it on pancakes and I recently read that some people put it in their oatmeal. I'll have to try that one.

Most apple butter recipes I have seen say to peel the apples. I prefer to leave the peel on, that's where all the nutrients are after all. Once pureed you can't even tell.

Anyway, on to the recipe...

Slow-Cooked Fruit Butter

6 large Honeycrisp Apples, cored, finely chopped
OR
10-12 pears, cored, finely chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Place cut fruit in slow cooker, it should fill the pot to the top. Top with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and dark brown. Uncover and puree in blender or food processor. Spoon into sterile jars or containers and refrigerate.

Alternative:
Cook on high, uncovered, for 1-2 hours.

P.S. Growing up surrounded by orchards I am a "fruit snob" and very picky about my fruit. We get all of our apples and pears from Stemilt World Famous Fruit in Wenatchee, WA.