Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Back to the basics...


Sometimes when I am looking for something to bake, I get distracted. Distracted with things like caramel, peanut butter, custard and the likes. Not that these are bad things. Far from it. But sometimes really yummy things get forgotten about. Really basic stuff. Like cookies! 

These are my two favorite cookie recipes, and really- how can you go wrong? If you need to bring dessert somewhere, you don't have to worry about someone being allergic to peanut butter, or not liking custard. These cookies are about as basic as you can get, and they are just delicious, plain and simple.



Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks margarine
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 3/4 - 3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Using a mixer, cream margarine. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Add eggs, vanilla and lemon juice, and let beat for at least five minutes, until very creamy. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. The batter should be thick enough that you can pick up some dough without your hands getting all sticky, but thin enough that the chocolate chips stay inside the dough and don't fall to the bottom. Its a hard balance to find! Generally 2 3/4 cups flour is enough, but on a hot day, sometimes it needs 3 cups.  If you accidentally added too much flour, you can add some milk/soy milk ,  1 tablespoon at a time. Drop by teaspoon on a baking sheet, and bake for exactly 11 minutes. Cookies may look underdone, but they harden as they cool. 

Chocolate Fudge Cookies
1 1/4 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for exactly 10 minutes, do not overbake!


Now go bake some cookies!!

9 comments:

  1. They look delicious! How was the texture?? I like the picture of the cookies stacked up high!! ps I like ur new background!!

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  2. Thanks! I had fun putting it all together- the background and the cookies~! Took every ounce of self control not to eat them while I was arranging them! The texture of both cookies are similar- the regular chocolate chip are slightly thicker, but both are soft and chewy.

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  3. These chocolate chip cookies are my new favorite recipe! I sent a batch up to camp with my son and they were gone that night. He took one out to eat and all his bunkmates smelled them and saw them and before he knew it, the whole bag was gone. I've just made another batch to send him. Thank you so much!

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  4. Aww, thats so sweet! I'm glad you liked them ( and the bunk too :) )

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  5. U make the most delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies! They r to die for! Thanx

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  6. I still make these cookies! My son still requests them. He tells me to make 2 batches - 1 for his dorm and 1 for himself that he keeps hidden for fear of dorm mates' invasion and completion.

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  7. What's the yield on the chocolate fudge cookie recipe?

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    Replies
    1. Depending on the size of the cookie- about 4 dozen.

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