THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Oh yeah.  This is definitely worthy of the ALL CAPS TITLE.








I've been trying to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for seriously like....well....FOREVER.  I can't even tell you how many different recipes I've tried. My mom always insisted that the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House bag of chocolate chips were the best, since she made those as a kid, but they really aren't.  For me at least, the Toll House cookies made from scratch always turn out too flat.  The cookie dough was awesome, don't get me wrong (I could eat cookie dough all day), and the cookies tasted fantastic just out of the oven, but they got crunchy overnight.  I have been looking for that perfect, go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe that's bursting with flavor, loaded with chocolate chips, and is thick and fluffy and not flat as a pancake.  I also hate when you pick up a warm chocolate chip cookie and it flops over like a soggy piece of pizza.  I wanted a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie that would be perfectly soft, yet not flop over.  All of my attempted chocolate chip cookie recipes have been too flat, not rich enough, not vanilla-y enough, or too crunchy....all of them were good, just not knock-my-socks off good.  That is...until I found this glorious recipe.  Once I made my first batch of these bad boys, I was literally singing "Hallelujah" around the kitchen because I was so happy to have FINALLY found the most PERFECT recipe. These cookies are fluffy (if you follow the recipe EXACTLY), they do not flop over (see in the first picture how the middle is very soft, yet the bottom is firm?  Yes...perfection right there), yet are still incredibly moist, they're full of buttery-brown-sugary-vanilla flavor, keep a soft, yet slightly crunchy-just-around-the-edges texture, and my favorite part - they are lightly swirled with flecks of sea salt.  The sea salt is what truly sets them apart from other chocolate chip cookie recipes.  Anybody who cooks/bakes knows that salt is the key ingredient to any good recipe, since it brings out all the other ingredient flavors.  The sea salt in these cookies form a sort of salted-caramel like flavor mixed with the brown sugar.  Which brings me to another reason why I'm in love with this recipe...the majority of the sugar is brown sugar, as opposed to half white half brown, which gives the cookies their perfectly soft texture (brown sugar tends to yield a more chewy cookie because of the molasses). I told me dad, "In the future, when I own my own bakery, these cookies will be there."  He said he would never let me forget that.

You can find this blissful recipe here.

Red Velvet Cookies

I was looking for a way to use up some cream cheese in my fridge, and I stumbled upon a red velvet cookie recipe in my recipe box.  It was love at first sight.  Who can resist a fluffy, chocolatey, moist red velvet cake cookie? The consistency of the "cookie" is the perfect balance of red velvet cake moist-ness but the thicker texture of a soft cookie. The cookie itself is amazing, but it's not a true "Red Velvet Cookie" without the cream cheese frosting (it would simply be a red, fluffy, chocolate cookie).  This frosting is what really makes these cookies out of this world.  Maybe I just hadn't had cream cheese frosting in a while, but it's absolutely divine.  I'm not even embarrassed to say that I was eating it by the spoonful.  I like my cream cheese frosting not very thick - more like a glaze -, so that you can taste more cream cheesey-ness than powdered sugar.  If you like frosting really thick and stiff with powdered sugar, then feel free to add as much as you want...I just prefer less.  Anyways...back to the cookies.   They are seriously everything you love about red velvet cake, but in cookie form.  Hold up - I take that back, because I've never had a slice of red velvet cake that's nearly as delicious as these cookies.  I had some warm from the oven with the cream cheese frosting oozing off, and also at room temperature the following day (the cream cheese frosting firms up perfectly the next day).  Both incredible...heavenly...to-die-for delicious.  My dad nearly fell to the ground on his first bite.

Yield: about 36 small cookies

  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used semisweet, but other flavors are fine)
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• Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, or as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with the rack in the middle position. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Break the chocolate squares into chunks, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High until the chocolate melts, about 90 seconds. Stir the chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy; pour in the egg and beat until smooth. Mix in the red food coloring and chocolate, scraping the bowl down regularly, until evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients, stirring until well incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven until they spring back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost completely clean, about 9 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. For the cream cheese frosting, whip 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar in half cup portions until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.  If you want to eat the cookies when cooled, then wait to frost them until the cookie has completely cooled.  If you just can't resist waiting for them to cool and decide to eat them when warm (which I highly recommend because the chocolate chips are all melty and delicious), then slather the cream cheese frosting on them and dig in(:  Just a warning: the cream cheese frosting may ooze a bit on the warm cookies, but that just makes them so much more irresistible.

***you can also make a cookie sandwich with them if you want.

Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Ohhh these were so, so yummy.  I seriously lost count of how many I ate within a few hours of making them. I took these to my friends lake house, and everyone gobbled them up even when we were stuffed from dinner.  The cookies themselves are super soft and fluffy and seem just like muffin tops.  They taste like a spice cake with a touch of apple....very comforting and delicious.  Then you get the wonderful, rich, decadent, smooth, dreamy, melt-in-your-mouth, caramel frosting.  The frosting definitely takes these cookies to the next level.  It's like you're biting into a heavenly cloud of perfect deliciousness.   I first spotted these cookies a few weeks ago on Pinterest, and had been dying to make them but we never had heavy cream in the house.  So when we finally did have heavy cream, I knew their time had come.


Recipe credit to Chef In Training.

Chocolate Florentine Cookies

One night last week, I was in a baking mood (when am I not??) and browsed through my recipe folder, but everything was just kind of boring and same-old, same-old, when this caught my eye.  I'd heard of Florentine cookies, but they always seemed kind of difficult to make, so I never really gave them a shot.  I'm so glad I did though because they're amazingly delicious!! And way easier than I thought.  The hardest part was waiting for them to cool because I wanted to eat them so badly!   I did change up the original recipe to make it my own based on what I thought would taste best...and the result was perfect(: They're not very filling, so my dad and I (us being the chocoholics of the house) ate almost the entire batch that one night.  I've never had anything like them before, which makes me like them even more since they're so unique.  One suggestion: Make sure to follow the recipe exactly when it says drop by TEASPOONFULS THREE INCHES APART.  I didn't think they'd be big enough since the batter looks so small when you drop it, but they spread out a lot.  I did heaping teaspoonfuls for my first batch, and I ended up with one giant sheet of cookie since it spread out so much, so I had to break it into deformed pieces.  But hey - It's the taste that counts though, right?

Yield: about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (i used half semi-sweet, half dark)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and grease the foil.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir together the oats, flour, salt and sugar; mix into the melted butter until well blended. Stir in the corn syrup, milk and vanilla. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, until medium brown. Cool completely before removing from the cookie sheets. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Spread chocolate onto the bottoms of cookies and sandwich them together.

Mocha Nut Cookies

 

Okay...so I gave up coffee for lent (I know...it's totally awful, right!?) but I can have foods with coffee in it, like ice cream, tiramisu, etc.   I spotted a recipe in my recipe folder called Mocha Nut Cookies, and of course, I had to make them on first sight of the "mocha".  I've been craving coffee majorly (still 2 weeks till lent ends!), and this would satisfy the craving at least a little bit.  And I was right...these definitely satisfied my craving because they were so good!  The coffee flavor isn't very strong, so if you don't like coffee, you'll probably still enjoy these cookies. They're so chocolatey and delicious, with a slight crunch from the nuts.  The addition of melted chocolate makes them very moist, rich, and more chocolatey. And the addition of coffee powder brings out the chocolate flavor even more!  Oh yeah...the cookie dough is incredible as well.  And you know the cookie is gonna turn out good if the cookie dough is good.  Whether you're having a chocolate craving, coffee craving, or just a big dessert craving from a major sweet tooth (that's my life right there), this recipe is sure to satisfy it.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
• 2 teaspoons boiling water
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt over hot (not boiling) water 1/2 cup of the chocolate morsels. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
3. In small cup, dissolve the instant coffee in the 2 teaspoons boiling water. Set aside.
4. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
5. In large bowl, combine butter, sugars, and coffee. Beat until creamy. Add egg and melted morsels. Mix well. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in remaining 1-1/2 cups chocolate morsels and nuts. Form into walnut-sized balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10-12 minutes. Allow to stand 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.

Cinnamon-Apple Glazed Cookies

These aren't just any cookies.  They're cookie craaaaaackkk.  They are absolutely incredible...SO [full of flavor]. These are most incredible fresh from the oven, and warm so that all the delicious cinnamon sugary vanilla glaze drizzles off the cookie and melts in your mouth.  These are my whole family's new favorite cookie.  I love the apple, nutty, cinnamon flavors combined in this magnificent little cookie.  Just my mom, dad, and I nearly finished an entire batch.  And the cookie dough is super amazing as well (I was eating it by the spoonful). But this is one of the rare times where the cookie (especially warm from the oven) tastes even better than the cookie dough.  These are so soft and cake like and just pure cookie perfection.  And don't forget to make the glaze! It truly makes the cookie.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1.5 cups apples - peeled, cored and finely diced
• 1/4 cup grated apple
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Beat shortening, butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and blend thoroughly.
2. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
3. Stir half the dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts, apple chunks, and grated apple, then stir in remaining half of dry ingredients and milk. Mix well.
4. Drop from tablespoon 1 1/2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies to racks and while still warm, spread with glaze.
5. To make Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and enough milk to make glaze of spreading consistency. Beat until smooth. Spread on warm cookies.

Almond Joy Cookies

   

These are now my daddy's favorite cookies.  Almond Joy is definitely one my my top 3 candy favorites (Whoppers and Reese Cups being the other 2), so I decided to make a cookie that tastes like it.  These cookies are most delicious straight from the oven...or even better - the cookie dough.  Oh my goodness people, this cookie dough is absolutely AMAZING.   I think the dough is a little better than the actual cookie. And the cookies are incredible. I gave my parents a spoonful of the dough, and my dad seriously dropped onto is knees and "Mmmmmed" because he loved it so much. I honestly ate more dough than I did cookies.  My parents and I finished off nearly an entire batch in one night.  Try dunking a warm cookie in milk...yummm. 

Yield: about 20 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt
3. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix on low speed until blended.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until blended. Do not overmix. Add the coconut, chocolate chips and almonds and stir until just incorporated.
5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until set.

Almond Sandies

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• Have you ever had Pecan Sandies? They're a buttery, shortbread-like cookie, and they're one of my favorites.  However, we never have pecans in our house...but we always have almonds.  So I decided to create an almond sandie.  And they turned out soooo tasty!  They seriously blew my mind and didn't last a day in my house!   My family could not stop eating them. They truly [melt-in-your-mouth].  The glaze is not something that's normally on pecan sandies, but I think it adds so much and makes the cookie taste much better, because pecan sandies aren't typically a very sweet cookie...and I like my cookies sweet. The glaze makes these much more unique than any other cookie.  I love the little crunch from the nuts, too.  And the almond in the center makes these so pretty and the perfect gift or dessert to bring to a party.  I can't wait to make these during the holiday season!
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• Yield: about 4 dozen
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• Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash of cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped almonds + some whole ones

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, vegetable oil, 1/4 cup white sugar, brown sugar and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the almonds.   Freeze the dough for 30 minutes.
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto parchment paper place a whole almond into the center of each one, gently pressing the cookie down slightly (these don't spread out much while cooking).
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden. Remove from paper to cool on wire racks. 
5.  Combine the glaze ingredients together.  Dip cooled cookies completely into glaze and let sit a few minutes to set.