Because we are still stuck at home because of the weather and I wanted to get in the kitchen and bake. What perfect weather to keep the fireplace going and get the chocolate chips out and get some cookies in the oven.
Because I have had so many friends tell me that they love my chocolate chip cookies. I thought I would post the changes I make to the recipe which is on the back of Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate chips. I follow the recipe except for two things.
I use half butter and half Crisco shortening.
I only use 1 large egg instead of 2.
Today I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and ground up with a food processor, Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate truffle bars. The cookies are amazing.
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teas vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup of grated dark chocolate
1 cup chopped pecans (if desired)
Cream the softened butter and Crisco with both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Beat in the flour mixture with the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans (if you are using pecans)
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in a preheated 375 oven for 9-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.
I cool them on paper towels. Then I wrap in waxed paper and freeze while still just a little warm. They freeze beautifully and stay very moist. Or just keep them out and watch them disappear.
Chocolate Cookie Pudding
Being at our daughter’s house last week, I began to look for simple desserts since my son-in-law had informed me before I got there that I was expected to make at least 3 of them while there. This one caught my eye since it would be simple, not many food items to purchase and even the 3 year old would love it. To change it up, feel free to change out the Oreo cookies for Double Delight Oreo Peanut Butter & Chocolate cookies.
1 (5.9 oz) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip
16 double stuffed cream-filled chocolate Oreo cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Whisk together the chocolate instant pudding mix and 2 cups milk for 2 mins. Cover pudding and chill 5 min.
Stir together cream cheese and Cool Whip; blend well.
Place 1 cup crushed cookies in an 8 cup bowl. Spread half of cream cheese mixture over crushed cookies; sprinkle with half of pecans if using. Spread all of the pudding evenly over top; spread remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over pudding. Sprinkle with remaining cookies and pecans. Chill for about 2-4 hours until ready to serve.
Yoga Van
Yoga Van
Yoga Van
Just coming back from visiting our daughter and family in Phoenix, I am still trying to figure out why I gained weight over the last week. The entire week I was there, Jodi kept trying to inspire me with her new tales of what exercise class was doing for her and how, if I, would just go with her to class, I would feel better and have more energy, with less cravings. As I drank the awful shake she had made me try of flax seed, kale and cucumbers, I began to ponder that she might be right. she immediately tells me that I would probably need to crawl to the back of the van as we were headed to pick up her mother-in-law for lunch and she is not able to crawl to the back. (Has Jodi remembered that I am not still 35?)Mind you there are 2 baby seats with wires in the middle seats so it takes great agility to step up over wires to the DVD’s and with nothing to hold on to but the baby seats, all the while stepping over school backpacks, discarded McDonald, Chick Fila sacks and water bottles on the floor van.
When I thought about it, I informed little miss, “Yoga Guru” that I didn’t need to pay to exercise, I got all the muscle stretching that I could stand right there in the van. I also reminded her about the quick trips to the back of the van to grab Kleenex to wipe the little darling’s noses got me in a position that took me hours to get out of, made my case in point.
During the week in Phoenix, there were times that I would go in to potty (I know, TMI) only to discover that the toilet paper that was there just a few minutes earlier had been yanked and carried off by the 3 year old to take to his mom for wiping his nose. So there I would sit, trying to figure out if I should yell for help, drip dry, or use one of the used pull ups that was in the trash can (NO IT WAS NOT MY PULL UP).
The visits they are achanging. With them now having one teenager and 1 elementary child, plus a VERY strong willed 3 year old, our mother-daughter times were now complex. We use to be able to put them down for a nap while Eric stayed home with them and we would escape. Now, because there are no more naps, and because the school age kids go and get out at different times and the 3 year old only falls asleep while watching videos while she drives around in the van, our mother-daughter time is limited to van riding. We kidding about finding a drive thru salon for pedicures, and found ourselves riding around eating salads from our laps, so Noah wouldn’t wake up. It made me realize that I have to find something here in Dallas to keep me in shape so my body will stay in shape for the next visit of crawling back and forth in the van. As soon as Noah would wake up, he would cry for a certain toy which we would see had been thrown in the very back and guess who got the joy of crawling back over the seats to retrieve it..?
My idea for a mini-van commercial:
“No time for exercise? No extra money to join a gym? Buy our van, your body will thank you! Stretching and muscle building while you carpool. Great way for grannies to keep up muscle tones while visiting their grandkids. Plenty of door pockets to hold Depends for times when you sneeze as you are crawling over the seats to wipe those little precious noses”.
Mini-Van’s….buy them for your health.
Happy Valentines Day
Randy gave me the best present ever!!! Today has been just a perfect day so far. It began when he presented me with a gift certificate for a facial and massage and then took me to In & Out. Then…here comes the best part, he let me rearrange the furniture, bringing down our chairs from in our bedroom and taking the chairs that we have been glued to this past year, upstairs. In case you don’t know me well, one of my favorite things is to rearrange furniture and I am married to a guy that when he sees “THAT LOOK” in my eye, he knows just to go ahead and give in because he knows that until I rearrange what I am thinking about, there will be no sleep for the weary. I just cannot turn it off; I will keep going over and over in my mind, how I want it to look, what I think it will look like and what I will do if it doesn’t turn out like I thought. So…he just goes ahead when he sees the look and goes out to the garage for our sliders and pours a glass of tea and says, “we might as well get started” so we will be finished and you will be able to sleep.”
We just finished. Of course, rearranging means having to change the pictures on the wall and all the little knick knacks, but that makes me dust, which also makes us vacuum, which now means I have a clean house to wake up to in the morning. I just remembered that I am leaving town next week and Randy will be the only one here to enjoy the clean house. But, maybe that can be one of his Valentines presents. Ouch! I got a massage and facial and he gets a clean house, (after moving chairs, couches, lamps, pictures). Poor guy. But at least when he is sitting here next week wondering why I didn’t make some frozen meals for him, he will look around and at least be glad he is getting to watch TV from the new lazy boy chair (which we hauled downstairs, knocking a few paint chips off the wall going down the stairs) in a clean house. Am I a good wife or what? I’m so glad I made chocolate cake for tonight. Maybe that will get me out of the dog house.
Actually I baked the cake for a party we are going to tonight, with a few favorite sayings of the birthday person, but I will be sure Randy gets a slice. Happy Valentines Day from Valentino and TKBakesalot
Red Velvet Whoppie Pies Via Duncan Hines
Tomorrow I am baking these little gems for a lady who has requested them for friends coming in from out of town. I am using my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting for the filling instead of the canned frosting that this says to use. If you want to make your own, all it is is:
1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 box of powdered sugar
Enough whipping cream or milk to get it to spreading consistency.
Whoppie Pies
1 package Duncan Hines® Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 6 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Baking Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease baking sheets.
2.Combine cake mix, eggs, butter and vanilla in large bowl with wooden spoon until dough forms.
3.Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2-inches apart on prepared pans.
4.Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool cookies 1 minute on pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
5.Spread frosting on flat side of 20 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.
6.Baking Tip: Use a 1 to 1-1/4 inch scoop to form dough into balls. For best results, bake one baking sheet at a time. If baking two sheets together, rotate pans halfway through baking.
Fudge Spoon Pie
I noticed that I have a new follower on Twitter, Kennbuck Inn and want to say welcome. This dessert would be fabulous served after dinner at any B&B. It is taken from Southern Living Desserts and would be a great ending to any meal. To gooey to slice like a pie, but served as a cobbler with whipping cream or ice cream…I know I would come back to anyplace that served it.
1/2 cup butter
1 (1 oz) sq unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teas vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Ice Cream or Whipping Cream
Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and next 3 ingredients.
Pour batter into a greased 8″ square pan. Bake at preheated 325 oven for about 22 minutes. (Do not overbake) Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Mississippi Mud Cake
To continue our month of Chocolate Desserts, this cake has always been one of my favorites.
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teas vanilla
1/8 teas salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5 oz) bag miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting:
1 ( 16 oz) package powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (4 tables), softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
Cake:
whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured 15×10″ jelly-roll pan.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 min, or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and sprinkle the marshmallows over the top of the cake. Return to oven and bake about 3-4 min. Drizzle the Chocolate Frosting over the warm cake, over the melted marshmallows. Top with more chopped pecans if desired.
Frosting:
Beat all ingredients at medium speed with mixer until smooth.
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
A few days ago I read on a blog called, Two Chums about substituting some of the butter in chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese for a moist chewy cookie. I had to try it so today I made my regular chocolate chip cookie (if you make the one on the package of chocolate chips, the only difference is that I use half unsalted butter and half Crisco which gives you a much more fluffy cookie) using 1 stick unsalted butter, 4 tables Crisco and 4 Tables softened cream cheese. I always only use 1 large egg instead of 2. The cookies are so soft and chewy.
Plus a little cream cheese flavor, which always is a plus! Try it and see what you think. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Chocolate Castles 