Soft and chewy Chocolate chip cookies

Soft and Chewy Chocolate chip cookies

So easy and so good, you'll love these cookies!

 

**Sorry Im lacking in pictures for this recipe**

Ingredients

1 cup of butter softened (margarine works well with this recipe too - its what I use mostly)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar (not firmly packed)
2 eggs
1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla (to your tastes) we use 2
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt - seriously just a pinch, or you can omit this.
1 cup of chocolate chips (doesn't hurt if you add more )

Cream together the butter, and sugars until well blended. Add in the eggs, and vanilla, mix well

Next you add in all the dry ingredients until well mixed (everything is wet)

 I would suggest using a greased cookie sheet. I use Pam baking spray and LOVE it! Trust me, you'll love it too. Drop by tablespoonful onto the cookie sheet 

Set your oven at 375 and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

I hope you like these cookies as much as we do :)

Creamy melt in your mouth Chocolate Truffles

Delisious Melt in your mouth truffles

I found a recipe for this and had to try it right away. Unfortunately everytime I did the recipe it never ever worked.. EVER. Original recipe here
I followed the instructions to the letter, and nothing. Finally I got fed up with it, and tried my own thing.

What you need:
Mellon Baller to shape your trufffles
1 bag of chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet) I use Milk Chocolate ***
** You will also want to use good chocolate like bakers or hersheys, as it works so much better, I find ngeneric brands dont melt as good, and some taste funny
1/2 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream) NO SUBSTITUTIONS or your recipe will not work

bring your 1/2 cup of cream to a boil, JUST. You dont want it to boil long so as soon as you see those little bubbles thats good enough.

Place your chocolate chips in a heavy glass bowl. I use a casarol dish and it works perfectly. pour the cream over the chips and let sit for a minute. you'll notice the chips are melting.. thats a good thing.

wisk your cream and chips together until blended. it will be a thinck consistency, this is exactly what you want

now place in the fridge for at least 8 hours. I let it sit overnight

 

now your chocolate will be a hard chunk in the fridge, this is where your mellon baller comes in. Use that to create your truffles.
If your truffls are not coming out round you cna always shape them with your fingers. I do this after they are frozen before dipping in chocolate :)
 



Now you can have them just like that or rolled in cocoa powder, rolled in almonds whatver you liek.
BUT I go one step further.
I use another half a bag of chocolate chips, with my secret ingredient... crisco,, yes seriously!
You really dont need much, I use a small bit just to thin the chocolate so it covers easy and has that nice shine.
 

After putting my truffles on a plate lined with wax paper i set them in the freezer. This makes them so much easier to dip in chocolate.

let them sit in the fridge for 45 mins to an hour after dipping, and they're ready to eat. :) OMG soooo good. trust me, you'll be making these all the time!!

No Bake Yummy Granola bars

OK so there is no granola in these, but I still call them granola bars.

I love making these for my kids. I know whats in them, and they can take them to school without having to worry about the penut allergy. And its way cheaper then store bought!



Ingredients:

1/4 cup of honey ( I use the semi solid stuff, but I dont see why it wouldn't work with liquid honey
1/4 butter or margarine
1/3 cup of brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of rice krispies
2 cups of quick cooking oats***
** Or you can use 1 1/2 Cups quick cooking oats, and 1/2 cup wheat germ

I found wheat germ in the cereal isle, and cost less the 2$ for a bag. I find adding the wheat germ keeps the granola bars together better


In a medium to large bowl add the oats and cereal, and just give it a stir with your fingers


In a small to medium saucepan (pot) melt together the butter, sugar, and honey uon medium high heat until it boils. Continune to cook for 2 minutes (this is very important. If you do not boil it for 2 minutes your granola bars are more likely to fall apart) stirring occasionally. remove from heat, then add in the vanilla and stir.
 

Add this mix to the dry mix, and stir well


pour into a greased pan ( I double my recipe so I use a 9 x 11 pan)



Now you can add your toppings, raisins, chocolate chips, M&M's whatever  your heart desires.
But If you add them reight away they will melt.
My kids loved when the chocolate chips melt so I add them before I press it down into shape
** I also use wax paper to press down on, and be careful its pretty warm**

If you dont want your toppings melted, the press your granola bars firmly into place, and let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes first. The add your topping and press into place.
 

do not leave your granola bars in the fridge for more then 20 minutes, they turn hard and crunchy and are not very good then.
Cut into shapes, bars, or squares, and store in a air tight container
 

Now you might think well this doesn't really save me money, but $20 for the ingredients  last a long time. With my double recipe I make 33 bars... I can make about 3 of these batches so 99 granola bars for $20..
Even granola bars on sale at walmart 5 for $2 doesn't compare

A single batch should make you between 10 - 15 bars, depending how thick you make them.

A double batch (is what I always make) makes 30 - 35 bars

Soft Delisious Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft and delisious Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these for the first time a month or so ago. I found this recipe written on a paper in my recipe binder so I have no idea where it came from. But LOVE this cookie!



1 1/4 Cup of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Cups butter or margarine softened
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon of milk
1 Teaspoon of vanilla

Bake at 350 F For 10 to 12 minutes, I use a shiney metal sheet. I think it workes best. You can use a dark non stick sheet but I would recommend that you cut a minute off of the cook time.


 

Start buy adding the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and just move it around a bit with your fingers, so that everything isn't just topped ontop each other.

Cream together both butters, with the sugars, until you get a unified mixture

 
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well.

Add the flour mix in with the butter mixture, just until mixed



Now roll up your dough into balls and roll those around in granulated sugar.



place on the cookie sheet about 1.5 to 2 inches apart



Now these might not look like they are completely cooked, but trust me they are. They will be slightly puffy still as you pull them out of the oven, but dont worry! I say 12 minutes tops for these cookies, or you'll end up with a hard crunchy cookie instead of a soft and chewy cookie.


Keep them in an air tight container and they willl last up to 2 weeks :)

Air tight conatiners are the key, if you just leave them on a plate in the kitchen they'll go hard.
Enjoy