Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been searching a long time for the best bakery style chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I think I have finally found it.  Even hubby (who is more of a oatmeal cookie kind of guy) said these were "really good cookies".

I found the recipe here at Sugar and Soul Co.  These cookies come out soft and chewy.  They had great flavor with tons of chocolate chips in each bite.  The recipe was easy to make, had no "secret ingredient" (that you have to order from Amazon cuz your Krogers doesn't carry weird stuff) and made 12 really huge cookies.  Only 12 cookies!  I am sure you are saying that will not last long at your house!  But take my word for it, these cookies are ginormous.  I couldn't even fit them all in my large cookie jar.  12 cookies will be enough.  Seriously, I refuse to believe you will be able eat more than one. 

Recipe

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted *Do not use soften butter!!!!  You must melt it!!!
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 additional egg yolk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Cream together melted butter and sugars in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. 
2. Add in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and beat until light and creamy. 
3. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing between each addition. 
4. Fold in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. 
5. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

   
   
6. Preheat oven to 325­­°F and measure dough into 1/4 cup-sized balls (I used an ice cream scoop), place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 3 inches apart  (I lined my pan with parchment paper). Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the pan.

Here are some Recipe Notes that Sugar and Soul Co. shared on her site.

It is crucial that the cookie dough is chilled for at least 1 hour so that the cookies will be thick and chewy.

It's also very important that the cookies are allowed to cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes after coming out of the oven. 

***I followed the recipe very carefully.  Well almost.  I didn't have unsalted butter so I just reduced the additional salt from 1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon.  Seemed to be about right.  Cookies tasted great!!!!

Diana

Sees Copycat Bordeaux Chocolates

Have you ever tried Sees Chocolates?  For those of you on the west coast that probably sounds like a dumb question but since moving to the Ohio Valley I have been shocked at how few people have even heard of Sees!  Thank goodness we now have one in Columbus so I can enjoy them anytime I want.....well almost anytime I want since it is a one hour drive to the mall.  But for those times I can't wait I've found a wonderful recipe from Love & Turquoise that produces a "close enough" chocolate.

I did tweak the recipe a little.  First I used Guittard chocolate because that is the brand Sees uses.  I also tempered my chocolate.  I have a tempering machine but you can do it the manual way if you like.  I also added a little more powdered sugar than her recipe called for because my centers were not thick enough.  Lastly I used real chocolate sprinkles-definitely not the kind you get at the grocery store!  I get mine from a online dutch company.   You can also get them from Amazon.  Once you taste these sprinkles you will never eat the American version again, I promise.  Oh, and I left out the coffee.  Mormon.

 So how did they taste?  At first I was a little disappointed (like right after they had set up).  The centers were just not quite creamy enough.  But this morning (don't judge me, it was in the name of quality control!) I ate one and it was sooooooo good.  Okay, so I had to eat another one to make sure I had a large enough control group.  

 Creamy and delicious!  Best Chocolate ever.  If fact it was so good I pack up most of them to give as gifts and sent them with my husband to deliver!   

We are having quests for dinner tonight so I held a few back to set at each place setting.  And there might be a few more tucked away in my secret place for myself.  Don't tell anyone okay?

Diana

Chocolate Covered Jelly Sticks

Third attempt the charm!  At least when it comes to this yummy candy.

While these aren't exactly like the delicious candy you can buy at the store. they come pretty close.

I tried two other recipes. neither of which worked very well.  One came out two runny and the other was so chewy it was inedible.  Both were a lot of work too.  Big disappointment.  Finally I went with the easiest recipe that appeared here on Utube.  It worked and took no time at all.  I used raspberry jello cuz that's my favorite.  I poured the liquid into a silicone mold for water bottle ice cubes.

 Well. the gummy part took no time at all but dipping them in chocolate. not so easy.  Those little buggers were slippery and floppy.  What a mess.  But once they were covered in chocolate I drizzled a little more chocolate on top to make it look deliberate.  Ta-da!  Fancy looking candies! 

What would I do differently......add a little raspberry flavoring to increase the intensity of the raspberry jello!!!!  I had also made some gummies in a heart mold and I wouldn't do that again.  Too difficult to hold on to for dipping in chocolate.  Kept falling off the dipping fork and back into the chocolate.  Over and over again til I just gave up and grabbed them out with my hands.  Chocolate everywhere.  EVERYWHERE!  And the finished product?  Not pretty enough to appear on the blog so you got to take my work for it.  Stick with the sticks.

Diana

Pin Win Chocolate Eggs With Cheesecake Filling

Pin win!  I tried these adorable cheesecake filled chocolate eggs I found on Pinterest  and they turned out perfect!

 The pin was from raspberri cupcakes and with a few adjustments I was proud to put these on the Easter table.

 First of all I couldn't find premade hollow chocolate eggs so I had to make my own.  No mold-no problem.  I just worked with a half egg mold I had.....I would love to show how I did it for you but apparently cheap molds shouldn't go in the dish washer.....who knew!  Let's just hope you can find a 3D egg mold so you can have an easier time.  I trimmed off that ridge of chocolate to get a smooth joint.

 raspberri cupcakes' cheesecake recipe was delicious but instead of the passion fruit yolk she used, I made up a batch of lemon curd.  Dyed it a deep orange to more resemble a rich yolk.  Also I piped in the fillings instead of using a spoon to shove it in.  

One other adjustment.  I made my eggs freestanding by putting a blob of melted chocolate on wax paper and setting an egg on each blob.  You have to hold them steady for a bit but it worked out great.  If you have enough egg cups you could avoid this step.  Pretty impressive huh.  Kind of like a Cadsbury egg!  But much more delicious.

Diana