The Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The title is seriously right on the dot. These are amazing and I hate to say that I ate the majority of them...they were that good. I got this recipe from all recipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat the vanilla, egg, adn egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just bleded. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and putty (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

***I just rolled up good sized balls of dough and put them on the sheet pan. I didn't make a big deal about degrees and stuff. Came out with amazing cookies!!!!!!

Forgotten Kiss Cookie

I found this recipe on the blog: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com It was submitted by Amanda Buechler from Two of a Feather (via Pioneer Woman)

1 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

24+ Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

some chocolate to melt on top of cookies

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Slowly add flour and mix well. Form 1 inch balls around each kiss.Bake 350° for 8-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to rack. After cooling, melt some chocolate to top it off. Can use a variety of kisses and hugs.

This is a picture of my cookie with the caramel kisses in the center. I don't think these worked out so well...the caramel I think just got smooshed and you couldn't taste it as well. But I'm sure any of the other kisses would work great! It tasted a lot better with chocolate drizzled on top.

Soft Sugar Cookies and Frosting

The soft sugar cookie recipe is from allrecipes.com by Georgie Bowers and the sugar cookie frosting is also from allrecipes.com by JBS box.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Ready In: 3 Hours
Servings: 48

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour (and a ½ cup to roll the dough out)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened on stovetop
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Parchment paper

Directions:
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are barely brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Tips: Just when the center doesn't look wet anymore, take them out! If you like soft sugar cookies, roll them out thicker. If you like them crispy, roll them thinner.

I also substitute 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup powdered sugar instead of the 1 1/2 cup white sugar. The consistency of the dough is nicer that way.

You can also roll these out in powdered sugar instead of flour.

If you divide the dough into 4 sections, wrap each in plastic wrap or something and freeze while working on one section then you'll won't have to deal with sticky dough as much. It's much easier to work with if it's chilled.

Frosting:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Tips:

I love this icing/frosting because I'm not a huge fan of a lot of fluff on my cookies. This is perfect for me. It looks very wet...make sure it's dry before stacking cookies.

I use spoons, measuring spoons, etc to apply on the cookies and smear. And I seperate the frosting in little bowls and add the food coloring that way.

I add small amounts of milk (1 tsp at a time) to get the consistency that I want. DO NOT add more corn syrup to get the consistency you want---that will make it so the frosting never dries.

You can add flavors to the frosting. I like almond or vanilla.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

When I first made chocolate chip cookies after becoming a wife, I was disappointed in my husband's disappointed reaction. He said his sister sent him cookies when he was on his mission and that they were the best. So, I got her recipe. They really are the best. I've tried others who claim that they are the best, but to no avail. These are soooo good! This is Mary's recipe:

Ingredients:
1 small pkg vanilla pudding
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. Cream butter, brown sugar, pudding, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Mix in chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet in little balls. Bake 8-10 minutes. They should still look a little rounded with touches of golden brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then move to a rack to cool the rest of the way. Brent thinks they're even better the next day.

*to send them to a missionary anywhere in the world, wrap them in aluminum foil and put that in a ziplock bag with a piece of bread in it. Freeze them and send frozen. I send them in either pringles or crystal light canisters that I've wrapped in paper or placed inside another box. They made it all the way to my brother in northern Russia and they were fine...even though their mail system is a wreck over there.

Andes Mint Cookies

I think it's about time a recipe that involves chocolate is posted on this blog! I actually found this recipe randomly online. I found it on this blog: www.beckyhiggins.com. She actually had other fun ideas on her site as well. The cookies looked so delicious, I knew I had to try them!



How to make them:
3/4 c. butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. water

Melt in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then add:

2 c. chocolate chips, stirring until completely melted.

Cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl and beat in 2 eggs.

Add:
2 1/2 c. four
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together and chill for about 45 minutes. Roll into balls (like 1 - 1 1/2 inches big), and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

When cookies come out of the oven, place an Andes mint on top of each cookie and allow to melt for a few minutes. Swirl the melted chocolate like icing. Allow to cool. I actually put mine in the fridge to help them cool faster. They turned out super yummy!