Tag Archives: home-made

Browned butter chocolate chip bars

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Tuesday is the annual day of giving, which encourages people to do good. Tuesday is also the start of V Week at ESPN to raise money for cancer research. If you can help, go to v.org to donate.

For part of my effort to put good into the world, I made browned butter chocolate chip bars. Very easy to make. Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.

Some decided to cut into the bars

To brown your butter, put it in a pan and melt over low heat, keep cooking it until you see light brown specs. Then immediately remove from heat.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned and cooled 10 minutes
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – line and 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combined browned butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Fold in chips. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes (no longer). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. Remember to put some good out into the world.

Week 11 victory cookies

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A classic cookie is what I opted to bake for my week 11 Bills victory cookies – chocolate chip.  This has not been a season for as many victory cookies as past years, but I take wins when we get ’em.  So I baked cookies at 830 tonight.  Yikes!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount,  chill your individual cookie dough a few hours before baking.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so oven cycles to the right temp before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tep salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and vegetable oil. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 2 tbs dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on prepared sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes. Cookies will be a little undercooked on top, but bottoms will be browned. Cool completely. Chill in fridge to help cookies firm up. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! I wish you a day of joy, peace and love. Remember to be kind. Go Bills!

Triple chip cookies

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Today is the first time in a month it hasn’t felt like you are sitting on the bleeping sun when you go outside. So to celebrate, I made triple chip cookies (Rob’s request). The humidity made so many of my cookies a big, flat disaster. I was assured they tasted good, but the fact that they were flat BUGGED me. (Plus the humidity bugged the hell out of me as well). These cookies did flatten a bit, but not as bad as some of the other ones.

Remember to scoop your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, form your dough into tall mounds and chill them for a few hours, and preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp. (That last tip was a lifesaver from a tech who serviced one of our first ovens. Very valuable advice)

This is a mound of cookie dough
  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, cold and shredded with a cheese grater
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
This is how I stagger cookies on a sheet

Directions – in a bowl, cream grated butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop put 1/4 cups of dough and form tall mounds or cylinders. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden and there are golden spots on top. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. I wish you peace, love and joy. And remember to be kind. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle each day. Being mean helps no one.

The puffy cookies are back!

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After a few batches of my chocolate chip cookies turning out waaaaaayyyy flatter than I prefer, the puffy cookies are back! I head read about using more baking powder to have cookies be puffer and more baking soda for flatter cookies. So, I used all baking powder here and am quite pleased!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your flour container so you get the right amount. Chill the individual mounds of dough to prevent spreading. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup butter, cold and shredded with a cheese grater
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup mini m&ms

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips and m&ms. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form tall mounds. Chill a few hours in fridge or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper. Bake 9 to 11 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. I wish you peace, joy and happiness. Remember to be kind. You never know what someone else is going through. You may need that same grace from someone else.

Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

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I have made a LOT of chocolate chip cookies (or some version of them) lately and was looking to break out of the box. I noticed I had some Reese’s peanut butter chips among my morsels collection, and thought I would put them in some large chocolate cookies. So here is that recipe.

Remember to spoon your flour and cocoa from their bag or container into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. If you directly pour into the measuring cup, it gets packed in, and you can wind up with a dry cookie. Also, chill the mounds of cookie dough for a few hours to prevent spreading of the cookies in the oven. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup, so you get the right amount)
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (scooped from your container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 bag peanut butter chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Blend in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill in fridge a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on prepared sheer – a row of 2, a row of 1, a row of 2, a row of 1 (I fit 6 or 8 on a sheet, depending on size of sheet). Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer. You don’t want the bottoms to burn). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you a day filled with peace, joy and happiness!

7

A tribute to Little Debbie brownies

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A Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies tribute

I loved Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies (and Oatmeal Cream pies, too) growing up. With the brownies, I always thought the topping was magical, so delicious. I’m not sure how I would like the cosmic brownies now (processed foods have not been my thing for a long time), so I present to you homemade version. These have cornstarch in them to make them softer. I err on taking them out a little earlier (about 20 minutes) than too late because a dry brownie is a grave sin.

Remember to spoon your flour and baking cocoa from your flour bag and cocoa container into your measuring cups so you get the right amount. Pouring directly into the measuring cup would pack in the flour, and that makes for a dry treat. I also preheated my oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted then cooled for 5 to 10 minutes
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups flour (spooned from your flour bag into your measuring cups)
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray and set aside. In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in eggs. Fold in dry ingredients. Mixture will be thick. Evenly press into prepared pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with a few moist crumbs). Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I combined semisweet and milk chocolate)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chips and milk in 1 minute increments until you can stir smooth. Stir for a few minutes to thicken up. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with mini m&ms. Let ganache set. Cut and store in covered container. I put mine in the fridge to help with the ganache setting.

Look at all that fudgy goodness

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you try these, let me know how you like them. Have a wonderful day and remember to be kind!

Brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies

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Now that’s a cookie!

To celebrate having one of our favorite co-workers on campus this week in Bristol – the one and only Harry Douglas, of “Fitz and Harry” on ESPN Radio, as well as day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft, I present brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I “cheated” and used a mix for the brownies. But honestly, I think brownie mixes are just fine to use and make great brownies, especially when you are pressed for time.

Nothing wrong with using a brownie mix!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. If you pour directly from the bag to the measuring cup, it gets packed in, and you could end up with dry cookies! I chilled the dough overnight to prevent spreading. Also, preheat the dough for 20 minutes before baking so it gets to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 pan brownies baked and cooled, cut into 2 inch squares
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. If dough seems a little try, add a tbs or 2 of water. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Divide in half and slightly flatten.

Place a small brownie square on top.

Top with other half of flattened cookie dough

Seal edges so you can’t see brownie.

Chill dough at least a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 13 minutes – there will be light golden patches on top. Don’t bake them too much longer. Even if they are a little doughy, they will firm up. Store in covered container.

There is magic inside this cookie!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you peace and joy today. Remember to be kind. Life can be so hard for people. We are all fighting a battle, and some are worse than others.

Very puffy triple chip cookies

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As we enjoy another night of Stanley Cup playoff hockey, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. These are made with browned butter and 2 oz of cream cheese. The cream cheese helped them stay thick and they did not spread out at all. You can not taste the cream cheese at all! They stayed nice and puffy and are loaded with 3 kinds of chocolate chips.

A few notes – browned butter is super easy. Place the butter in a sauce pan, cook over low heat . A few minutes after it completely melts, brown specks will appear. Turn off the pan and pour butter in bowl. Let it cool for 30 minutes. Spoon your flour from your flour bag into your container so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

1/2 cup butter

2 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 kinds of chips!

Directions – place butter in a pan, cook over low-medium heat until there are small brown specks. Cool in a bowl for a half hour. (Otherwise, the chips may melt and you will have marble cookies). Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a bowl, combine cooled butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients (you may need to use your hands and mix them like meatballs). Mix in chips. Scoop our 1/4 cups dough. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on the sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Cakey chocolate chip cookies

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Cakey chocolate chip cookies

These are a cakey chocolate chip cookie. Very soft and pillow. I used a half all purpose flour and half bread flour. I incorporated bread flour because I wanted to prevent them from spreading too much. I also froze the dough pieces for 20 minutes to prevent spreading.

Scoop the flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount and preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 10 tbs butter, softened
  • 4 tbs crisco
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop out 3 tbs dough and form into tall mounds. Freeze 20 minutes or chill an hour or two. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet – a row of 2, a row of 1, a row of 2, a row of 1. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Bottoms will be golden and tops should be mostly set. They will firm up after taken out of the oven. Cool completely and store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by!❤️❤️

Fudgy Brownies

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Fudgy brownies

I got a request from Rob for brownies and thought these would fit the bill. I was looking for something that baked in 20 minutes or less.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp for baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 10 tbs butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave butter, sugar, baking cocoa and salt for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add flour and beat only for 40 strokes. Fold in chips. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center of brownies comes out basically clean. Cool completely.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day with lots of love and joy!