salted chocolate chip cookies

these delicious chocolate chip cookies amplify an unheralded hero: salt. if you've ever had a cookie, piece of cake, or other baked good and judged it "good, but not worth the sit-ups", there's a high probability that the baker was too conservative with the salt. though this recipe calls for three (!) types of sugar, i will let you in on my cheat: 3 of those packets of turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) from your local coffee shop equals 1 T. do with this what you will.

salted chocolate chip cookies adapted from smitten kitchen
3/4 c. butter, room temperature
3 T. sugar
3 T. turbinado sugar (or sub. brown sugar)
1 heaped c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
flaky salt (sea or kosher)

preheat oven to 350°. cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add eggs and vanilla, beating until incorporated. beat in salt and baking soda until combined, then the flour on a low speed until just mixed. the dough will look crumbly or dry at this point. fold in the chocolate chips.

scoop cookies onto pan(about 1 1/2 T. mounds). sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt. bake for 10 minutes.

extra dough can be formed into balls and frozen on a plastic wrap-lined pan until solid, then transferred to a freezer bag. baked from the freezer they need, at most, 1 minute more baking time.

texas sheet cake

this is my favorite cake, hands-down. growing up, when my mom would ask what kind of cake i wanted for my birthday i always chose this one. i'm not a big frosting girl, but this cake and frosting - oh man. it's because there's buttermilk in both, making them not overly sweet. i'm so excited i'm making this today! i hope i can wait to eat it til tonight... it's not as good of a birthday cake with a big section missing and crumbs around the cook's mouth.

texas sheet cake from gretchen riedel
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
1 c. water
1/2 c. cocoa
1/3 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla

preheat oven to 400. grease and flour an 11x17" cookie sheet. mix flour, sugar & salt in a large bowl, set aside. in a small saucepan, combine butter, oil, water & cocoa and bring to a low boil. pour cocoa mixture into flour mixture and stir. add remaining ingredients, mix until combined and pour into pan. bake for 20-25 minutes and spread frosting when cooled.

chocolate buttermilk frosting
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 c. buttermilk
4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
dash of salt

bring butter, cocoa & buttermilk to low boil, pour over sugar and stir to combine. add vanilla and salt and beat well. spread over cooled cake.

banana muffins

we had a large amount of bananas in our kitchen this morning and that needed to stop. you see, i'm not a huge fan of bananas - i don't eat them and feel pleasure. the exception: when they're baked into something. then i feel pleasure in eating them.

i found a recipe using allrecipes.com and experimented by adding some extra flavor and cutting down on the fat. i also substituted in some whole wheat flour. it worked really well! they taste wonderful and our house smells fantastic. i added chocolate chips and walnuts, but you don't have to & they'd still be good. hope you enjoy!

banana muffins
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. plain yogurt (i used fat free & it was great)
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. chopped walnuts

in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg. in another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. fold in bananas, chocolate chips and walnuts. fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

the ultimate chocolate chip cookie

there are so many recipes for chocolate chip cookies - how can you know which one to bake? well, let me choose for you: this one. christopher kindall, the guy who started "america's test kitchen" (and who also apparently hunts) came up with this recipe. and man is it amazing! i think the big difference is that you brown the butter. and anything with browned butter is my friend. it takes just a little longer than the regular nestle recipe, but you don't need to use a mixer with this one - score! just... trust me, they're amazing!

the ultimate chocolate chip cookie adapted from america's test kitchen
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

preheat oven to 375 degrees. combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. mix and set aside.

melt 1 1/4 sticks butter in a pan over medium-high heat. keep stirring until butter has a dark golden brown color and a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. remove from heat & mix in the remaining butter until melted. add the sugars, salt, and vanilla to the butter and mix well. add the egg and yolk; whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. let it rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for about 30 seconds, before letting it rest again. repeat the whisk/rest routine about 4 times, until you have a thick, glossy, and smooth mixture. gently stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined. stir in the chocolate and nuts.

bake for about 10 minutes, then put the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets.

chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies

oh. my. land. bake these cookies and then cancel your afternoon appointments in order to pig out in peace. found this recipe at bakersroyale.com (via pioneer woman - thank you, ree!) and the picture drew me in so i included it below - why would i ever try to top that picture? these work best if you chill the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours (or up to four days - just as good!), although the cookies themselves don't keep very well after 4 days or so - not that they'll probably be around that long. these would have been great at Christmastime... but i had a newborn and can say that these are also fantastic in january. or june. or right now - go bake!

chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies adapted from bakersroyale.com
1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
3 T. butter, melted
2 T. corn syrup
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 t. vanilla
1 ½ t. peppermint extract
1 c. powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 50 percent power for 1 minute, stir, microwave for 15 seconds more and stir, repeat until melted; set aside.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together sugar, oil, butter and corn syrup. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract. Then on low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll the dough into 1-1.5 inch balls. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar. Arrange cookies on baking sheet and bake 12 to 14 minutes for crisp cookies, or 10-12 minutes for a chewier cookie.

chocolate pumpkin muffins

these might be the easiest muffins you'll ever make. well... let's be honest - they're a little more like a cupcake than just a muffin. so we will call them a "cupin" and just enjoy, ok? my sister jen shared this crazy recipe with me and i could hardly believe it'd work. but it does! the other magical thing about these is that you really cannot taste the pumpkin - they just taste like moist chocolate... cupins.

chocolate pumpkin muffins/cupcakes/cupins (you decide)
1 box devil's food cake mix (any brand)
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. chocolate chips and/or nuts (optional)
1/4 t. salt

combine cake mix, pumpkin, salt & water until moist (batter will be thick). mix well and stir in chips/nuts. put into muffin pan sprayed with oil - fill cups 2/3 full. bake at 350 for 25 minutes. makes 20

hot fuuuuuudge

oh my land. heavens to betsy. for pete's sake. you will say all of these things when you try this hot fudge recipe shared with me by dear katherine (whose mom has passed on some amazing cooking skills to her daugther!). this is simple to make, but drizzle it over even plain vanilla ice cream and your guests will be impressed. also, unless you're serving 10 or 12 people, cut this recipe in half.

hot fudge
4 oz. (4 cubes) unsweetened bakers chocolate
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. cream

melt bakers chocolate and butter in a pot over medium heat, stirring often. once melted add cocoa, sugar & vanilla and stir. mix in cream and stir until smooth. serve warm. (will keep well in refrigerator)

zucchini bread

oh, summer. the sunburns, the lemonade, the baseball, the out-of-control zucchini plants. got one of those plants? well, us city folk are jealous - send some zukes our way! and then we can happily make zucchini bread using this super recipe from kristin (whom i receive zucchinis from, as well). you can serve this as a dessert or enjoy it for breakfast (or whenever the heck you choose, frankly). the recipe calls for 2 cups shredded zucchini, and just to give you perspective, i grated (via food processor - ahhh) one foot-long zucchini and got 4 cups from it.
kristin taught me that you can freeze the extra grated goodness - let's hear it for not wasting! feel free to omit the ginger, clove, nuts, or chocolate chips... but why would you do that to yourself?!


zucchini bread
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
3 c. flour (i mix whole wheat & a.p.)
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 c. nuts (i used walnuts)
1 t. ginger
1 t. clove
2 c. shredded zucchini
1 c. chocolate chips (i used a generous cup)

preheat oven to 350 & grease two small loaf pans. beat the eggs in a large bowl. add sugar, oil & vanilla & stir. add flour, powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, nuts, ginger, & clove and stir - mixture will be thick. add zucchini & chocolate chips, stir. divide into pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.

caramel chip bars

warning: this is naughty. there, i said it. but what i'm also saying is: decadent. my sister amy shared this recipe and i figure that i need to put some recipes for bars on here. it's the midwestern thing to do.

caramel chip bars
1/2 c. butter
32 caramels (the little square individually-wrapped ones, obviously unwrap them)
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (18 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 (1.5 oz.) heath bar, chopped

in a large saucepan, combine butter, caramel and milk; stir over medium-low heat until smooth. cool. in mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs; mix well. stir in chips and heath (dough will be stiff). press 3/4 into greased 9x13". bake at 350 for 15 minutes. cool for 10 minutes.
pour caramel mix over crust. drop remaining dough by spoonfuls into caramel. bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. cool for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of pan. cool 40 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or until serving. when you cut to serve, cut fairly small as these are rich!

oatmeal cookies

oooh doggie, these are some good cookies. and they have oatmeal in them, so surely they're healthy. right? anyone? these are good just with chocolate chips in them. or without, i suppose, if you're into that sort of thing (why on earth are you into that sort of thing?). i have two favorite ways to make this recipe. first, substituting half the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips - that's what's in the pictures. second, i love adding about 1/3 c. dried cranberries and 1 t. cinnamon (i think that makes these cookies even healthier, right? i mean, that's practically granola). below i'm just writing the basic, but add what you will!


oatmeal cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 c. oatmeal (old-fashioned)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1 c. chocolate chips (optional)

cream butter & sugar together. add eggs & beat well. add the rest of the ingredients & mix well. bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

holy toledo cupcakes

when my friend joy (actually, my cousin-in-law joy) shared this with me, it was in a small pile of recipes she thought i might like. i don't think it had a real name, but she did mention that it was her husband joe's favorite. so i thought i'd give it a try. and that is why they are now named "holy toledo!" cupcakes - they're that good.

holy toledo cupcakes
mix & set aside:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 (6 oz.) package chocolate chips

in another bowl, mix:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 T. vinegar
1 t. vanilla

put liners in cupcake pan. fill halfway with batter (will be runny), top with heaping teaspoon of filling. bake at 350 for 20 minutes.