Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today's treat is cherry chocolate chip cookies, which happen to be my dad's specialty. Of course this is my spin on his fantastic recipe, they are slightly different, dad's are all white flour, a little flatter and have far more cherries. Both versions are deliciously different from your average CCC. Here's my take on Dad's famous CCCCs.

The Deets

1/2 Cup Margarine or Shortening

3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 Sticks)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Maraschino Cherry Juice

1 tsp baking Soda

1 tsp baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Bag Chocolate Chips
10-12 Maraschino Cherries Roughly Chopped

The How To

Cream Butter, Margarine, Sugar and Eggs

Add Vanilla, Cherry Juice, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and 2 Cups of Flour, Mix until smooth

Add Whole Wheat Flour and mix until smooth

Add Chocolate Chips and Chopped Maraschino Cherries and Mix until well incorporated
Roll into Balls for Baking

Bake @ 365 for 8-10 Minutes

Delicious! 

Fall into Fall: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Fall = Pumpkin. I'm a big fan of pumpkin in the fall, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin seeds. There are only two ways (I know of) that I don't like pumpkin: pumpkin pie (I know, I know, it's a classic - but I can't do it - in fact, I don't like pie at all) and pumpkin soup (sorry mom). Anyway back to the good pumpkin! Today we are whipping up some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! This recipe is quick easy and yields about 5 dozen fluffy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Yummy.


The Deets
1 Cup Butter (2 sticks) 
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Can Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Cups Flour (I use 2 Cups Regular, 1 Cup Wheat)
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon 
1 tsp Nutmeg 
1 Bag Chocolate Chips (Milk)


The How To
Cream Butter, Sugars and Eggs
Add Vanilla and Pumpkin

Add Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Beat until Smooth

Add Chocolate Chips

Scoop onto cookie sheets (spray sheets with Pam first)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes (may take 20 minutes depending on oven)

Enjoy a cookie or two along with your beautiful fall weather!

Banana Bread

Banana Bread is one of those perfect treats on a cold day.  

It's sweet, it's bread and it has fruit in it, so you don't have to feel bad about eating it, even if it is loaded with chocolate. Plus you can add flax or nuts for a little more of a health kick.
I started experimenting with banana bread recipes back in college, my friends enjoyed countless trial runs of various recipes, even after I came up with "the one".  But no matter how many things I add, take away or mess with the ratios,  this is the best one I've come up with, I always come back to it.  I think it's perfect.  Let me know what you think.


The Deets
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Milk
4 - 5 Bananas (I prefer to freeze mine & then thaw them out when it's baking time)
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Flax Seeds


Instructions
Mix Wet Ingredients 
Add Bananas & Mix Well
Add Flour, Backing Soda & Salt
Add ChocoChips & Flax Seeds
Heat Oven to 350 Degrees

I'm a big fan of the mini loaves.  
This recipe will make 4 minis or one normal loaf of Banana Bread
For the minis bake @ 350 for 35 minutes
For the normal loaf bake @350 for 50 - 55 minutes or until toothpick pulls out clean.

Enjoy!

Cookies Part I

Some Days you just need cookies. 

Today was one of those days.

I Love Chocolate Chip Cookies! 

Of all the desserts in the world, a perfect cookie is my favorite.

I'm pretty sure it is because I have such great memories of making chocolate chip cookies with my Dad when I was little.  My Dad makes THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies.  

His secret? Maraschino cherries & lots of love. 

My sis sneaking some cookie dough circa 2006?

Memory plays a big role in food choices. There are foods we love or hate based on past experiences (See my very first post for more details). Making cookies with dad was always fun. No matter how many little hands were trying to help, he always made you feel like your job was the most important part.  He never got frustrated and he never worries about the mess we made. And the best part?  He always let us eat as much cookie dough as we wanted! Oh & he did the dishes!

I don't make Dad's cookies very often, because it's a pretty sticky process & I tend to like to experiment with making my treats a little healthier.  Plus it's just more fun to make them back home with Dad. 

Tonight I used the following recipe:

1 1/4 cup mixed flour (1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 unbleached flour)

1 cup oat flour (1 cup oatmeal blended in the blender)

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp real vanilla extract

2 free range eggs

1 bag chocolate chips (Ghirardelli to be exact)

Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes

The Set up

I Love Love Love my Kitchenaid Mixer. My parents bought it for me 5 years ago when I bought my first place. One of the best gifts ever.  Also note the awesome collapsible measuring cups by Chef n. As you will note I have a thing for Kitchen tools. There is at least one kitchen tool on my wish list for every holiday.  My latest acquisition is a set of Williams Sonoma Gold nonstick insulated cookie sheets (I also got a set of matching muffin pans because my husband rocks!) Let me tell you, these cookie sheets are amazing! They really do not stick.  Your cookies slide right off, pure perfection. 

Baking away

So this was my first attempt at "Low Elevation Baking". I've always been a high elevation girl, I learned to bake nestled in the Rocky Mountains, I've been doing it for so long, that I forgot there was a difference when you change elevation. Well. Let me tell you. There is a difference.

The Proof

The cookies jumped off the pan so fast (courtesy of husband) I couldn't get a shot of the whole sheet. 

But these 4 little guys just couldn't bear to part.

Although they weren't aesthetically pleasing, they were delicious!

A few more batches & I'll have them back to perfection.

Happy Baking!