The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

As you’ve probably noticed by now, I’m a bit of a traditionalist.  All my food snobbery can’t change my love for the roast beef and gravy recipe of my childhood that involves all canned and processed ingredients.  So, when I first found Heidi Swanson’s recipe for Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies, I was intrigued, but not convinced.  I was intrigued enough to order some mesquite flour from Amazon (I love Amazon, but the shipping price was a little crazy).  Sadly for me (and for everyone else out there in cyberspace), when my flour arrived and I went online to get her recipe, I found it was gone.  She’d taken it down because she included it in her book Super Natural Cooking.  I own this book, but I’d lent it to a friend.  So, I had to wait.

In the meantime, I couldn’t help myself, I just had to open the mesquite flour to see what all the fuss was about.  From the moment you open that bag, the aroma is amazing – it’s warm, nutty, spicy, kind of cinnamon-y and kind of cocoa-y.  I’m considering using it as perfume.  Seriously. 

When I finally got my book back (I shouldn’t say finally, it didn’t take that long…but it seemed like a long time with mesquite flour and organic chocolate chips sitting on my counter, staring at me), I couldn’t wait to make these cookies.  I made mine almost exactly like Heidi’s recipe.  The only differences were I used coconut oil, as part of a new experiment, and regular old (evil) white granulated sugar because I didn’t have the good stuff Heidi’s recipe calls for and I was too lazy (and too anxious to get started on these cookies) to run out to the health food store to get some. 

So, the cookies…this recipe comes together just like a regular chocolate chip cookie dough.  It doesn’t have a ton of ingredients, so I think it’s important to use high quality ones whenever possible.  (Thanks to Tera for bringing this to my attention in the early days of my food snob awakening…it was Tera who practically wrestled a bottle of imitation vanilla from my hand on our first Christmas cookie baking day…I’ve never let her live down her food snobbery, but I’ve also never bought imitation vanilla again).  So, I use organic, free range eggs, organic butter (when I use it), real, high-quality vanilla, and a good brand of whole wheat flour. 

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking, Celestial Arts, 2007

2 1/2 Cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup mesquite flour, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (I used 3/4 cup coconut oil)
2 cups natural cane sugar (I used the same amount of white sugar)
3 large eggs (organic, from my local farmer’s market)
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Position the racks in the upper half of the oven, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats).

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.  (I like to do this is a large measuring cup or one of those “batter bowls.”  This way you have a spout and it makes it a lot easier to pour the flour into the mixer.

In a large bowl or stand mixer (I used my kitchen aid), beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until of a consistency like thick frosting.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated.  Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition (I just put the mixer on low speed, and slowly add in the dry ingredients).  At this point, you should have a moist, uniformly brown dough.  Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed.

(Here, I have to say, I almost never mix in ingredients by hand.  My personal conviction is that my mixer was a very expensive item, and it should darn well be able to mix up some cookie dough.  So, usually, I make my mixer add in the chips or whatever comes at the end of the recipe.  This dough, however, is very, very stiff.  So, I pressed on with the rolled oats, and my mixer was doing a valiant job, but it was protesting, and groaning, and I finally gave in and finished the job by hand.  The reality is that even if your mixer can do it, the dough is stiff enough that it really needs a human touch at this point to get the oats and chocolate evenly distributed.  If there’s anything that will change my stubborn mind, it’s the thought of a cookie without chocolate chips.)

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on both top and bottom.  don’t over-bake these, if anything, underbake them.  Cool on wire racks.  (again, of course, Heidi is totally right – I baked these for exactly 10 minutes, and when they came out the seemed awfully gooey and not set.  I gave one that had been cooling for 5 minutes or so to my husband and he immediately declared it underdone.  I ignored him, and the cookies, once cooled are perfect.  If they’d been cooked longer, they’d be dry.)

So, the finished product?  Well, after I burned my tongue on the first cookies to come out of the oven, I have to say, they are absolutely amazing.  They’re moist, nutty (with no nuts, for those of you with allergies), chewy.  They almost taste like you’re eating a chocolate cookie, but not quite.  And I know I’m not the only one who loves them – I found numerous other bloggers who just had to post this recipe because they loved it so much and Heidi took her version down.  So, go, make these cookies, and then go buy Heidi’s book.  It’s amazing, and every recipe is as interesting and tasty as this one!

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

This recipe for sweet potato casserole comes from my mother-in-law, Debbie, who I believe got it from her mother.  I was never a big fan of sweet potatoes in any form, but this casserole made a believer out of me.  This is now a favorite dish at my family’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter holidays.  This is the only sweet potato dish my sister will touch. 

This is the traditional recipe.  I’ve also lightened the recipe, which I think came out amazingly.  But, for now I’ll stick with the tried and true.

Sweet Potato Casserole
Filling:
4 1/2 cups Sweet Potatoes (canned)
3/4 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 stick of butter
1 ½ tsps real vanilla
Mix all of the above ingredients together (works well in the mixer) and pour into a 13 x 9 casserole dish or an extra large pie plate.
 
Topping 
1 cup of brown sugar (half light half dark)
2/3 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 cup nuts (I use pecans)
 
Crumble evenly over the sweet potato casserole and bake at 350° until hot and bubbly, usually between 30 & 40 minutes.  Serve warm.

 

Cool Miner’s Cake

This recipe is one of my childhood favorites (I think I say that about all my recipes, but it’s true!).  My grandma always made it for my sister and me when we went to visit her and Papa in Tennessee.  One of the highlights of our summer visits was finding out what desserts grandma had waiting for us.  There were always at least two.  Usually, they included a chocolate pie and this “icebox cake.”  Of course, we usually stayed there for at least 3 weeks, so there were lots of other desserts to be had.  She made (and still makes) amazing red velvet cake, strawberry cake, lemon icebox pie, German chocolate cake, coconut cake, and many, many more. 

This was probably one of our favorites, and to this day my mom makes it when I go to visit, and my sister and I still reminisce about how Papa used to cut the dessert.  Papa was a devoted dessert lover, and we loved when he cut any sort of cake or pie, because he always gave us the size piece he wanted – which was always very big!  My mom (a weight watchers instructor) is not allowed to cut desserts at our house – my sister or I usually take this job, because we can be trusted to give each other enough, and – almost as important – the right part!  This cake is extra fun because of it’s punning name (Cool Whip, Cool Miner’s…like Coal Miner’s…) - I think it’s from the era when convenience foods were a big deal, and Campbell’s casseroles were actually fashionable to serve for your husband’s boss or whatnot. 

If you have kids in the house (or a husband), you can let them crush the Oreos (grandma always let us loose with a Ziploc of cookies and a rolling pin).  You can also give them a zip in the food processor, but what fun is that?  This is a great summer cake, since there is no baking and very little prep.  Perfect for a summer barbeque or picnic – although I have certainly made it in the middle of the winter!

Cool Miner’s Cake
Crust:
Regular package of Oreos
1 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 cups milk
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (low fat does not work as well)
1/2 cup sugar
1 9 oz. container of Cool Whip

Crush Oreos, reserve 1 cup of crumbs for topping.  Mix remainder of crumbs w/ melted butter.  Press into a 9×13 pan.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and 1/2 of cool whip, spread over crust. 

Mix pudding packets and milk and spread over cream cheese layer.  Spread remaining Cool whip and sprinkle with extra crumbs. 

Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

 

Gooey Chocolate Cake

I’ve been holding off on posting this recipe, because just looking at it makes me start to drool.  I’m going to try to post this without giving in to the urge to make it….but let’s just say that there might be pictures of this sooner rather than later.

First, let me say that this is not a cake for the faint of heart.  This is a rich, sweet, over-the-top chocolate cake.  The frosting is right on the line between insanely rich frosting and fudge.  It also happens to be quite easy to make.  This was my favorite birthday cake growing up, and when I was in college in Texas both my grandma and my mom sent it to me (it travels amazingly well) via USPS.  I was oh so popular on the days when those packages arrived!  My grandma always made this cake when we came to visit, and then insisted that we eat it as soon as we got there (even if it was 2am; you can see where my love of food comes from).  Now my husband makes it every year for my birthday.

Be careful…the frosting and the cake are both made on the stove-top, and they’re both so luscious and tasty that I often burn myself trying to lick the spoon and pan.   So, try to be patient – but don’t let any of that chocolate go to waste, either!

If you’re not lactose intolerant, serve with a big glass of cold milk! 

Grandma Sally’s Chocolate Cake
For the Cake:
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup water
4 Tbs. cocoa
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda

Combine butter, water and cocoa in a saucepan until boiling.  Remove from heat.  Add sour cream and sugar.  Beat eggs lightly.  Temper (slowly adding small amounts of the hot liquid to the eggs; then add to chocolate mixture.  Add baking soda and flour (whisk, whisk, whisk!).  Stir to combine. 

Pour batter into a 9×13 pan.  Bake 30-35 min at 350 degrees.

For the frosting:
1 stick of butter
4 Tbs. cocoa
7 Tbs. milk
1 lb confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine butter, cocoa, and milk in saucepan.  Bring to a gentle bubble, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth (more whisking).  Immediately pour onto hot cake.

*Cake may flatten a little if you pour the hot frosting immediately over the hot cake.  If you let the cake sit for about 5 minutes before frosting, most of the steam will be out of the cake and it shouldn’t flatten too much. 

 

Basic Pie Crust

I hate to admit it, but this recipe actually comes from the book that came with my food processor.  Now, I’ve had more flavorful crusts, and more tender crusts, but they are almost always very delicate and difficult to work with.  This crust has good flavor and a good flakiness, but is pretty user-friendly.  I make it in my food processor, but you could use a pastry cutter and do it by hand if you wanted to.

One Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold shortening
1 Tbs. cold butter, cut up
2-4 Tbs. ice water

Two Crusts
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold shortening
3 Tbs. cold butter, cut up
5-7 Tbs. ice water

Combine flour and salt in bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add shortening and butter.  Pulse 3 to 4 times, 2 to 3 seconds each time, or until crumbly.  Sprinkle minimum amount of water evenly over mixture (or stream in using the tube of your processor).  Pulse 1 to 3 times, 2 to 3 seconds each time, or until mixture pulls away from sides of bowl and dry ingredients are moistened.  Add additional water if necessary.

On a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball (2 balls for 2 crust pie), I roll mine out on a silicon mat, which makes clean up easy and makes moving the crust around easier.  Roll each ball into a circle 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate.  Fit into pie plate; avoid stretching.  Proceed as directed in pie recipe.

To bake single crust shell, flute edges of crust.  Prick shell thoroughly with a fork.  Weight with dry beans, pie weights, or heavy duty aluminum foil.  Bake at 425 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes, or until light golden brown. 

 

Mrs. Terri’s Apple Crumble Pie

This is my all-time favorite apple pie.  I know the all-American version is supposed to be a double crust, but in my mind, this crunchy, buttery topping just can’t be beat.  I got the recipe from a long-time family friend – Mrs. Terri, who spent years bringing this pie to holiday events at our house because it was my favorite.  Thanks so much!  When I moved out and got a place of my own (and my own oven), she bought me a beautiful extra large pie plate to make this pie in [picture to come]. 

Mrs. Terri’s Apple Crumble Pie
Filling:
5-7 medium baking apples
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. lemon rind (optional; orange rind is also yummy, but use less)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbs. butter

To Prepare: Peel and slice apples, place in a large bowl.  Stir in lemon juice, sugar, flour, zest, and spices.  Pour into prepared crust in a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate, or an extra large pie plate.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until crumbly (this can also be done in a small food processor).  Sprinkle over pie. 

Cover crust with a ring of foil to protect it from over-browning.  Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking to allow crust to brown.

Bake for 45-50 min at 400 degrees.

*Mrs. Terri makes an extra large crust to fold over pie.  I always follow her lead and make a double crust.  If you have extra, use it for pie art – leaves look particularly pretty on this pie.

*Variation: Melt a handful or so of caramels in a heavy saucepan, adding 1-2 Tbs. heavy cream to loosen the caramel.  Spread caramel mixture in the bottom of pie crust before adding apple mixture.  You can achieve a similar taste simply by serving the pie with store bought caramel sauce.

 

Ivalou’s Mama’s Pecan Pie

This recipe is as authentic and down-home as it sounds.  I actually got the recipe from a friend of my grandmother’s named, you guessed it: Ivalou.  She brought little pecan tartlets to an event in Tennessee, and I begged her for the recipe.  It arrived in the mail a few weeks later, and apparently it was written out by her husband, who titled it “Ivalou’s Mama’s Pecan Pie.”  It will always go by that name in my house.  It has a great rich flavor and a good texture.  It’s very sweet, so be prepared!

Ivalou’s Mama’s Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
1 cup white Karo syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 cup pecans (I use chips because it’s easier to eat that way, especially if you make tartlets; use pecan halves if you want a prettier presentation)
1/2 stick of butter
3 eggs

Stir together Karo, sugar, and butter in a heavy saucepan.  Heat over medium-low heat until butter melts, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs well.  Add vanilla.  Temper egg mixture by adding sugar mixture a little bit at a time, stirring as you add.  If you rush this part, you get scrambled eggs.  Spread pecans in the bottom of a 9 inch pie shell.  Pour mixture over pecans.  

Bake for 1 hour at  350 degrees.

 *Ivalou says you can increase all ingredients by 1/3 to make 24 tarts.

[picture to come] 

 

Ode on a Chocolate Cupcake

My fabulous husband brought this home from the local bakery (there was also a german chocolate one…it didn’t survive to be photographed…maybe next time).