Jane’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mar 8, 2012 by Lindsey

Cookbooks are a passion of mine. I love the stories they tell me, the photos or drawings inside that inspire me, and the subtle cooking tips that are hidden between the lines of a truly great recipe. I cherish late afternoons spent lounging on the sofa with a stack of cookbooks, a pencil and several post-it notes. Being a Planner with a capital P means that I over-organize my life in many ways, like tabbing my cookbooks and date when I want to prepare them.  My crazy has clearly found a home in the kitchen.

You will understand why I was so excited to receive a cookbook from my dearest friends after taking the bar exam. I promised this lovely couple that I would post about the first recipe that I made out of my new ”A Taste of Georgia” Cookbook. Written by the Junior Service League of Georgia in 1977, this cookbook has won countless awards over the decades and is hailed as a popular present for Georgia brides. The recipes within A Taste of Georgia are true southern recipes. You might think about stocking up on your cream of celery soup, jars of pimentos, and tins of cornmeal before cooking anything out of this cookbook!

The first recipe that caught my eye in this cookbook was “Jane’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.” My new years resolution for 2012 is to cook every chocolate chip cookie recipe that I get my hands on, so this was quite a fitting introduction to the cookbook.

Who is Jane, you ask? She is the wife of William Donald Tomlinson, according to the recipe. It is so interesting that each recipe is signed by the woman as “Mrs. [Husband's Name]” instead of using her own name. Way to steal the credit, guys! I think that Jane Tomlinson must have been a pretty good cook to devise a recipe for chocolate chip cookies out of pancake mix.  Here is dear ‘ol Mrs. Tomlinson’s recipe for you readers – they will not disappoint.

Jane’s cookies are slightly crumbly and taste like a mix between shortbread and chewy cocolate chip cookies. You will notice that they are bittersweet from the buttermilk pancake mix, but have just the right amount of sugariness to make you reach for another, and then another. This recipe took me about 20 minutes to prepare and used only one bowl and a spoon. You won’t regret the time and effort spent making these easy little cookies.

Thank you, Worth and Medley!

Lindsey

 

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Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jan 16, 2012 by Lindsey

These cookies have really brightened my weekend. In spite of the fact that I am studying 24/7,  that our neighbor decided to bulldoze her house this week, and that our dog Tucker had to go to the E.R. on Friday night, these cookies made it all better. I brought little ziploc bags of them to the vet, the vet’s assistant, my bar exam class, and who knows who else will end up with a little ziploc bag of goodies by the end of the weekend. I admit that I did not bring them to the construction workers next door. I am still coming to peace with that situation.

My good spirits throughout this obstacle-filled weekend were brought about by these amazing cookies. The recipe is from the blog, The Picky Palate, which is a fantastic source of creative recipes if you’re ever looking to please picky eaters. These cookies are fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to look at. Everyone asks question, “Wait… are those Oreos in there?” And the answer is… yes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons sugar (not much – remember, the Oreos have lots of sugar!)
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanillla
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 crumbled Oreos (see below)
• 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars, then add the egg and vanilla until blended. Do not over-mix the ingredients or the cookies will lose their softness.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda and salt. Incorporate this into the dough in small batches. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips and Oreo pieces.

Using your hands (I found this to be the easiest), roll the dough into 1″ balls and set on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake for no more than 10 minutes for the perfect cookies!

Good things will happen to you after you make these cookies. Boys will bring you flowers. Sick puppies wil feel better. Birds will chirp. Bulldozers will stop moving the earth below your feet. Life will be sweeter. Trust me.

I hope you have a happy and safe week!

Lindsey

 

 

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Caramel Surprise Cookies

Dec 5, 2011 by Lindsey

This is the recipe for Jason’s favorite cookie, just in time for the holiday baking season. These delicious sugar cookies are simple on the outside, but have a chocolate-covered caramel in the middle.  When they emerge from the oven, you will see peeks of the melted chocolate and caramel through cracks in the cookie dough. I always add a pinch of salt on top of them to really accent the caramel flavor within. These easy goodies will certainly please a crowd!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 c flour

2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

12 or more chocolate covered caramels (I used Dove)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat to 350 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Set aside. In a large bowl, use a mixer to combine the sugars and butter until fluffy. Mix in the flour in small batches. Mix in the eggs.

Use a tablespoon scoop to create 12 tablespoon-sized dough balls. Set them on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

Press one chocolate-covered caramel in the middle of each bit of cookie dough. Then, top the caramel with another tablespoon-sized cookie dough ball. Pinch the edges together and press down to 3/4 inch thickness.

I only made 12 cookies, so I rolled the leftover cookie dough in parchment paper and froze it for anytime cookies.

Put your cookies in the oven for about 13 minutes or until they are completely set. When you take them out of the oven, immediately sprinkle the tops with salt. Let cool on a wire rack.

These cookies are sure to brighten your day. You’ll love how easy they are to make and how much joy they bring to those who eat them. My fiance sure liked them… He ate two right off the wire rack while they were cooling!

Happy Monday everyone. I’m off to learn Constitutional Law for finals next week!

Lindsey

 

 

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Pumpkin Cookies

Nov 21, 2011 by Lindsey

Happy Thanksgiving week!

I hope everyone is gearing up for a short work-week and anticipating the holiday ahead. Jason and I bought our Christmas tree this weekend (it’s fake, don’t judge!) and I finished one of my final exams by presenting a full trial at a federal courthouse with a partner. It was a stressful, but fun experience. I’m glad it’s over and am grateful for everything that I learned and the friends that I made in the process.

These two accomplishments really put me in the holiday spirit this weekend,  compelling me to whip up a batch of these easy, fluffy pumpkin cookies last night. They have the spices of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and are so soft you’ll wonder if it’s actually cake you’re eating. Because they are so light, I think these are a fantastic after- (or pre-) Thanksgiving dinner treat. They’ll satisfy your sweet tooth without filling you up.

Here’s how I made these wonderful holiday cookies.

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

INSTRUCTIONS

I did not take a lot of pictures while cooking this recipe since I made them while also cooking a casserole for dinner. Here’s the instructions on how to make the cookies, and if you have questions, just E-Mail Me!

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt.

In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar using the paddle attachment. Beat in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Drop cookies on baking sheet using a 2TBS cookie scoop.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cookies completely on a rack.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth.  Dip the cookies top side down in the glaze, then set on a rack to dry.

See how fluffy and cake-like they are? These are a great holiday cookie for a Thanksgiving spread, or to leave out for Santa.  The sweet glaze compliments the pumpkin and spices in the cookies perfectly, so don’t skip that step. It is worth the extra calories.

I hope you enjoy and are thankful for many things this year. One of the things I am most thankful for is the success that my blog has had this year. I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Keep coming back for more Holiday recipes and musings every Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving y’all,

Lindsey

 

 

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The Secret to Making Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Apr 20, 2011 by Lindsey

I have been posting WAY too many sweets on this blog lately. I apologize, kind of.  I promise that  I do cook real, healthy food and will be posting more dinner recipes again shortly. This sweet little tidbit was just TOO good not to share.

I read an article recently in one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Kitchn, about the secret to making perfect chocolate chip cookies, which they found in the New York Times. After all, if it was up to just the ingredients, every cookie would be equal (sugar, flour, eggs, etc.). The secret to the perfect cookie lies in the baker’s technique.

Well, great, I thought. I have the baking technique of an elephant on rollerskates. Looks like my cookie-baking days are over. But after reading further, it turns out that they key to perfect chocolate chip cookies is letting the dough rest for 36 hours. Anyone can do that! So, that night I whipped up  this easy batch of dough from Nestle Tollhouse Kitchens and let it sit under plastic wrap for 36 hours in the fridge.

Apparently, the 36 hours is significant so that the ingredients in the dough can get to know each other better. Ruth Wakefield of Tollhouse cookie explains that, “A long hydration time is important because eggs, unlike, say, water, are gelatinous and slow-moving, she said. Making matters worse, the butter coats the flour, acting, she said, “like border patrol guards,” preventing the liquid from getting through to the dry ingredients. The extra time in the fridge dispatches that problem.”  Neat! Does Alton Brown know about this for Good Eats?

Speaking of 36 hours, I feel like it’s worth mentioning that Jason looked at me funny when, on Sunday night while mixing dough, I said “Wednesday we’ll have some great cookies!”  He let me live in my fantasy world of time all the way until last night (Tuesday) when he reminded me that 36 hours does not equal three days. So, 48 hours after making the dough, I whipped these up, feeling rather “blonde” about the whole mathematical error. He knows I’m bad at statistics, gah!

How did they turn out? After 18 minutes at 350 degrees, I testify that these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. They are perfectly round, crispy on the outer edge of the cookies, but chewy and soft in the middle. The flavors are all there of a great cookie, but its the texture that makes these extra-yum. I think Mrs. Ruth Wakefield of Tollhouse Cookies found the holy grail of cookie making! Next time you feel like some old fashioned chocolate chip cookies, try this trick and tell me what you think!

Are there any other tips that I’m missing?

Overcooked

 

 

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