Cookie Snobs Unite

Did you know that I am a cookie snob?

Yep, it's true.
I never eat store bought cookies (unless they are Girl Scout Cookies, of course!)

And, I have rules for homemade cookies.
They must be soft.
Hard cookies are no good....I am all about under baking my cookies to make sure they are soft enough.
Cookies are better if they are thick & chewy.
Small, thin cookies are no good (in my humble opinion)

A few years ago, I finally found a Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that met all my standards.
They are not your typical chocolate chip cookie, but they sure are yummy!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Here is what you need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounce size)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag chocolate chips ( I always use milk chocolate)
*optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (I never add nuts, but if you like nuts, add them!)

Yes, you read that right, you add a box of instant vanilla pudding!
And, I ALWAYS use milk chocolate chips (no semi sweet for this family.. to each their own!)
I told you I was a cookie snob!
I always have the girls help me when we make cookies.
They love to help.Mostly, they make a mess, but that is okay, it keeps them entertained!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.I use a cookie scoop...So much easier & less mess!
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
Edges should be golden brown. Don't over cook them!
(I always check them at 8-9 minutes)And, I store the cookies in an air tight container with a slice of bread in it!
The bread dries out, but keeps the cookies soft..try it!
Kevin taught me this trick!I always use the heel of the bread because that is the only thing it is good for...does anyone actually eat the heel of the loaf? Yuck!
Are you a cookie snob also?
What tips & tricks do you have when making cookies?

P.S. 4 more days left to enter the Pioneer Woman Cookbook & Book Giveaway!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite soups to make during the fall & winter is:

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made up this recipe a few years ago & it has become a staple in our house during the cold months.

Here is what you need:
4-6 chicken breasts, cooked & diced
1 large (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can enchilada sauce
(I use medium, but you can use mild or hot)
1 medium onion, chopped
(Or, if you are a cheater like me, I buy the pre-diced onion. My eyes are SO sensitive to onion & my eyes water so badly. The pre-diced stuff is the best invention since sliced bread!)
1 can chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn

For the garnish:
Corn Tortillas
Avocado
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Green Onions

Here are the Super Easy directions:
1. Boil your chicken breasts until fully cooked. Then, dice them up!
Or you can use my Quick & Easy Shredded Chicken Method {HERE}
2. Place diced chicken, diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, mined garlic & corn into your crock pot.
3. Pour in chicken broth, add cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper.4. Stir.5. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours.

About 30 miutes before you are going to serve the soup, you need to get the tortillas ready!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with olive oil (or vegetable oil, whatever you have on hand!)Cut tortillas into strips (I use a pizza cutter) then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.To serve, put tortilla strips over soup.
Then, I garnish that with sour cream, shredded cheese & sliced up avocado (you can garnish with green onions also, I just didn't have any)It looks this pretty for about 10 seconds & then I stir it all together and eat it!
This soup is so easy & so yummy.
We go back for seconds every time I make it for dinner!

Enjoy!

Cookie Exchange: Ultimate Ginger Cookie

It's Virtual Cookie {Recipe} Exchange Time!

I can't wait to share one of my favorite cookie recipes with you and I am even more excited to see what recipes you link up with!


One of my favorite cookies, especially during the holidays is homemade Gingersnaps.
(They have to be soft!)

I had a gingersnap recipe that I used year after year. But then my older sister made gingersnaps with a new recipe....and they were even better! She came over today to make them with us!
The recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's (Ina Garten) Ultimate Ginger Cookie.

Here is what you need to make The Ultimate Ginger Cookie:

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
• Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

The recipe calls for chopped crystallized ginger (we got ours a Whole Foods)

But, if you don't have any, you can make the cookies without the crystallized ginger. This is what it looks like, in case you were curious:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Then, stir it together.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Make sure you set the timer for 5 minutes so you don't forget. Elyse & Claire did a countdown for us:

Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 2 minutes.

With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined. If you aren't using the Paddle attachement on your stand mixer, you want to switch it for this part because the dough gets pretty dense and it might bend your mixer (not that I would know from experience.....!)

Here is the dough, all blended in!

Scoop the dough with a cookie scoop (or a spoon)

With your hands, roll each cookie into a ball & then roll in granulated sugar.

This was Kate's favorite part. She was in charge of rolling them in sugar:

It's all fun & games until someone got sugar spilled all over their head & shoulder:

Place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees:

The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside.

Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

They are the perfect cookie to enjoy with a cup of tea or cider. Yum!
And, they taste better if you eat them while sitting by your Christmas tree with Christmas music playing in the background :)

Now it's your turn to link up your favorite cookie recipe!
Use the linky below & remember to link to the specific post, not just your blog home.
It would be helpful if you included the cookie name in the linky!
Thanks for joining in and be sure to check out all the other recipes!

*If you need more time to get your post up, I will keep the linky open for the next 2 weeks!*

It's Cookie Time!

Mark your calendars.
One week from today:
12.06.10
I am going to have a Cookie Exchange!

{Well, it is more like a Cookie Recipe Exchange, since we can't all get together in person and actually exchange cookies, but you get the idea!}

I don't know about you, but during the holidays, I LOVE baking & making cookies to give to family, friends & neighbors.

I love trying out new recipes, so I thought I would host a
"Virtual Cookie Exchange"
I can't wait to get new cookie ideas & recipes from YOU this Holiday Season!

Won't you join in?



{You can grab a button on my side bar}


On Monday, December 6th, I will put up a blog post with one of my favorite cookie recipes and I will have a linky up so you can link up your favorite cookie (or cookie bar) recipe!

It can be a recipe you have already blogged about, or you can post a new recipe.
It doesn't have to be a Holiday Cookie recipe (but it can if you want it to!)
Have you been wanting to spill the beans on a secret family cookie recipe? Now is the time!
Post your favorite cookie recipe or a "tried & true" cookie recipe!
Cookies, Cookie Bars, Brownies....I can't wait to see what recipe you share!

Be sure to comes back next Monday to link up (or to just check out everyone's recipes!)

Start digging through your cookbooks & recipe boxes...
It's time to make some cookies!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

Have you ever made the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls?

If you haven't....you need to! They are A-mazing!
On Monday, a few girlfriends and I made over 300 of them!
When I got the Pioneer Woman's cookbook for Christmas last year, I knew I wanted to make her cinnamon rolls. So, when my friend Becky sent out an email last month to myself & a few of our friends asking if we all wanted to get together and make them, I said Yes!

We met Monday morning at our friend Susan's house.
Everyone had different assignments on what to bring.
One batch of cinnamon rolls makes about 7 tins (with about 8 Cinnamon Rolls in each tin)
Because there were 6 of us who were making them, we 6x the recipe.
That makes A LOT of Cinnamon rolls! But the thought was to keep some for our families & give some to friends & neighbors!

The night before Becky & Susan made the dough (which I was very thankful for because whenever I use yeast, it is a fail)

The first step is to roll out the dough...work it Becky!
Then pour 1.5 cups of melted butter on it like Susan is doing:
Then sprinkle sugar & cinnamon and roll it up!
Then, slice them up!
The middle ones turned out best!
Put them in a buttered tin & then bake them!
After you bake them, you make the glaze...which is full of powdered sugar, coffee & maple flavoring.
YUM. YUM. YUM.
I am not a big frosting person, but this stuff was GOOD!
Here are some more pictures from the morning!
Kelly & Bridgette:
The boys helped out for a little bit:
Kate looking on (we had my younger sister come to watch some of the younger kids because between all of us, there were 10 kids there)
Kelly perfected the rolling & cutting, look how pretty this batch is!
The table of cinnamon rolls waiting to go into the oven:

Chaos in the kitchen:
So much fun!

2 hours later, we had 45 tins of cinnamon rolls!
Which is over 300 rolls!

These are perfect to make before the holidays because they freeze great & they make a great gift to give to neighbors & friends...wrap them in cellophane, but a bow around it & Viola! you have a perfect holiday treat!

(Partial) Group shot:
It was such a fun morning & we are going to do this every year before Thanksgiving!
Hooray for new Traditions!
Making Cinnamon Rolls is fun & easy, especially when you make it with a fun group of friends!
Can't wait to make them again next year!