Lovin' From the Oven

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

by 4 Comments

DSC_0228

At work today, we had a Freedom walk to remember the victims of 9/11 and honor our troops who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom. I was talking to a lady that drove five hours from Gilroy just to do the Freedom walk, only to drive the five hours right back home afterward. Isn’t that amazing?! I’m so inspired by people like that– people that have so much pride and love for their country. This chocolate chip cookie is for you guys!

As if there aren’t enough chocolate chip cookie recipes already, this one’s a little bit different. I know they’re titled “Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies,” but I’d call them “Just a bit different chocolate chip cookies that have major potential.” Okay.. so maybe that isn’t the most ideal name for them. These come from the guy who cooks and have just a bit of a kick to them. I do adore the addition of malt milk powder since I’m a HUGE whopper/maltesers fan. I think with a bit of tweaking, this recipe could be a real standout (perhaps adding another egg yolk would help give it a chewier rather than crumbly texture).

Warning! This recipe does use shortening… so butter-only users, look away!

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (white)
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons of malted milk powder
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  1. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and malt powder.
  2. Cream the butter, shortening, and sugars and mix until smooth.
  3. Add the eggs and mix until evenly combined. Then, stir in the vanilla and vinegar.
  4. Pour the flour mixture in and beat until combined.
  5. Refrigerate for 24-36 hours.
  6. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  7. Form the dough into balls and bake for 10-14 minutes.

Chocolate Chip, Almond & Toffee Cookies

by 7 Comments




I really can’t wait for the fall and winter weather. As much as I love the sun, I prefer sleeping bundled up in sheets rather than sweating through them. Although the heat doesn’t keep me out of the kitchen, it’s a lot more comforting with the oven running when it’s cold out. Cue countdown to cold weather.. now!

Last night, my DB and I went to Disneyland to finally see the World of Color show. Yesterday was actually the perfect day to go to Disneyland… no people (we were able to park on the Daisy level even when getting there at 3:30!), warm weather, cool night, and little traffic! Our Disneyland annual passes expire in two weeks, and sadly, I don’t think we’ll be renewing our passes. This means no more pin trading! ::sigh:: Time to be an adult… or something like that.

I know that these are simple cookies, but simple ones are the best kind! I like trying out different chocolate chip recipes purely out of curiosity. What makes it better? What makes it worse? These were soft, chewy, and sweet.. just the way I like them. The recipe comes slightly adapted from Cafe Johnsonia. Enjoy!

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup toffee pieces

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Beat butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the vanilla, beat well.
  3. Whisk dry ingredients together. In two or three additions, mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips, toffee and almonds. Use a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon to drop balls of the dough onto baking sheets. Gently flatten the tops of the dough.
  5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet.
For those that asked a million years ago, I did a room tour on my fashion blog HERE. Enjoy!

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

by 3 Comments




I just got home from Vegas and I can’t wait for a little R&R. Weird, right? You shouldn’t need R&R coming home from vacation, but this trip was just the opposite. We walked at least 3 miles a day in 110 degree weather, ate our weight in the 24 hour buffet, stayed out until 3 AM every night, and battled our way through outlandish crowds. Usually, people go to Vegas for the clubs, drinking, and gambling, but for me, it’s all about the food and shopping! You don’t need to be an alcoholic party animal to enjoy Vegas.

As much fun as my trip was, I’m glad to be back at home watching “Trick ‘R Treat” with my DB. Yes, I’ve talked about before how my guilty pleasures consist of bad scary movies, so this is a perfect way to end the weekend for me.

These cookies come from the Culinary Chronicles. My DB loved them, but that’s probably cause there’s toffee in them and he’s a sucker for toffee. They were really chewy and I would recommend baking them for longer than I did. These definitely are fragile cookies, so be careful if you’re going to travel with them. They’re also very chocolate-y, so if you’re not a fan of chocolate cookies, stay away!

  • ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¼ Teaspoon Salt
  • 16 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 1¾ Cups Light Brown Sugar
  • 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 8 Ounces Coarsely Chopped Toffee Bars
  1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave using 20-second intervals, stirring in between each period. Continue until the mixture is melted and smooth—about 100 seconds, depending on the oven. Do this slowly and carefully as to not scorch the chocolate. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
  3. Beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and then toffee. Chill batter until firm but not hard, about 30 minutes.
  4. Using a large scooper, about 1/4 cup, place dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 2½ inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets.

Ask me anything on Formspring

Categories