Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

One can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes in their arsenal. I whipped these up last month when my mom and I needed cookies. We were packing for our trip to California/I made her watch The Bachelorette (don't judge), therefore we had to have cookies. A true southern woman, my mom always has pecans on hand, so we of course needed a recipe that included them. I also wanted to experiment a little bit by adding a bit of cornstarch to the recipe. I remember seeing the addition of cornstarch in chocolate chip cookies on Apple a Day (making a mental note now to try her recipe), so I thought I'd add them here too. Since cornstarch is so light, perhaps that's what lifted them, or gave them a more delicate crunch on the outside. Regardless, these cookies were awesome. I'm embarrassed to say, we totally hovered the entire recipe by the next morning on one of our flights. Hey, at least we own it! Soft, chewy, crunchy, nutty…these cookies were amazing! Enjoy! 

P.S. we had a little too much fun with my mom's Mickie and Minnie salt and pepper shakers….or we were just excited about the possibility of going to Disneyland?

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Notes: we like a lot of vanilla in our chocolate chip cookies, so I changed the original amount from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. If that sounds like too much, just stick with the teaspoon.

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla (see note above)

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

Cream butter and sugars together until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch in a separate bowl and gradually stir into butter/sugar mixture.

Once combined, stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Spoon dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (or one lined with a Silpat or parchment paper) in 1 tablespoon amounts.

Bake in a 375F oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Makes about 4 dozen cookies (For the record, I think I halved the recipe? I don't think we could've eaten 4 dozen cookies…or could we?).

Recipe source: adapted from Southern Bites

Guinness Brownies

Happy St. Patty's Day!! I'm usually not one to make a big fuss over St. Patrick's day, but I was waiting to have an excuse to whip up something full of Guinness and chocolate. I originally had cupcakes in mind, but it's spring break and I wanted something easy (I don't think mother nature got the memo, it's definitely 30 degrees outside).

These brownies are very rich, chewy, super chocolatey, and have hints of Guinness to finish things out. They're truly decadent, and worthy of any St. Patrick's day celebration. Enjoy!

P.S. Looking to whip up something a little less sweet for the holiday? Try this Irish Brown Bread recipe!

Guinness Brownies

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 cup flour

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/4 cup Irish stout beer (Guinness!!), room temperature and foam skimmed off

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Place oven rack in the center position. Preheat to 350F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a small bowl.

Melt bittersweet chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Remove from heat.

Beat sugars and eggs together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add melted chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture, 2-3 tablespoons at a time, until just combined. Whisk in beer until batter is thin; fold in nuts. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with moist crumbs, 25-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Recipe source: adapted from All Recipes

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

I'm home. After finals, work, and 15 nutcracker performances, I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to finally be here, relaxing and soaking it all in. As always, my mom's house is covered in garlands, bows, lights, ornaments, poinsettias, and Santas (some of them even dance!). We're getting ready to do some serious holiday baking around here. So far, the plan is to make some kind of caramel pecan cheesecake (my honey's fave), and cut out cookies (I'm hoping for gingerbread!). However, I have made a promise to make another batch of these chocolate raspberry rugelach, simply because they are so scrumptious, I just have to share!

I know it seems odd, baking a traditionally jewish cookie for Christmas, but they're so tasty, that I just don't care. I made these for some friends of ours in the orchestra, for the arrival of their son returning from Afghanistan. They're having Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to make up for holidays missed with their son, so I definitely wanted to make this for them. They have been so sweet to me and Chris this past fall, that I wanted to do something nice for their son's homecoming. They seemed to be very well received! I also have a bunch left in my freezer back in Cinci, so I can bake some whenever the craving hits. 

Before I sign off, I wanted to take a moment to thank anyone who has taken even a minute to stop by my little blog. It brings me joy to share these culinary experiences with you all, and I am grateful for your time and comments. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas full of love, family, joy, and delicious food. Happy Holidays! 

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

Ingredients

Dough

16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature

8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

Fillings

2/3 cup raspberry jam (preferably seedless)

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons pecans, toasted and finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips

Glaze

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

Coarse or sanding sugar, for sprinkling, or additional cinnamon-sugar

Directions

In the bowl or an electric mixture, beat butter and cream cheese together until they are light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine the salt and flour, then pour flour mixture into the mixer. Beat on a lower speed until the flour just disappears. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape as best as you can into a flatish packet. Wrap well in plastic and chill in fridge for two hours or up to three days. The dough can also be frozen for up to two months.

Once, the dough is chilled, line three large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it simmers. This will loosen it, so it will be easier to spread thinly. Set the warm jam aside.

Grab four small dishes. Stir together your sugar and cinnamon in one and set it aside. In your second dish, put the pecans. In your third bowl, put the chocolate. In the last one, whisk together your egg yolk and water until it's smooth. While you're getting organized, so ahead and grab a rolling pin, flour for the  counter, a butter knife or spoon for the jam, a knife or a pizza roller for cutting the dough, a spoon for the dry toppings, a large piece of waxed paper to help set the fillings (I just used my hands lol), and a brush for the egg wash. 

Divide your dough into thirds. On a well-floured counter, roll the first third (the remaining two can go back in the fridge until needed) into a large, thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. It does NOT need to be a perfect circle at all...and odd shaped oval works just fine.  

Spread two to three tablespoons of jam thinly over your dough. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate, and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts. Use your piece of waxed paper to gently press the toppings into the dough, so that they'll spill out less once rolled. Use your knife to divide the dough into 16 wedges. Roll each wedge tightly from the outside to the center. Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet-keepong the pointed end of each rugelach tucked underneath and space them 1 inch apart. Pop the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. 

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Repeat the rugelach-making process with remaining filling and two pieces of dough, then chill the trays in the freezer.

Before baking, brush the rugelach with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar or extra innamon sugar. Bake the rugelach for 20-25 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown. Transfer the rugelach to cooling racks while they are still hot-this is important because the jam that spills out will harden as it cools, making the cookies harder to remove from the paper. Serve cooled or lukewarm.

Recipe source: adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting {Shockingly Gluten-Free!}

Before I start talking about how awesome this cake is, I want to say thank you. I just realized through this post, this little ole blog of mine will hit 20,000 pageviews. I know that's not a whole lot compared to big name blogs out there who get at least that many hits per post, but to me it's pretty rad. So thank you to anyone who took 2 seconds out of their day to take a peak at my little recipe journal. You rock!

Anyhoo, my birthday was August 15th. I ended up celebrating on the 17th and had a great time with friends...and margaritas! However, the original plan was to celebrate with my friend, Katelyn. See, her birthday is August 16th, and we were born the same year! Our original plan of having a double birthday bash didn't really work out (though I think we may still need to get a piñata girl!), so I thought it would be fun to have a mini celebration when she came back. Enter: this awesome cake.

Katelyn can't have gluten, and Chris has been gluten free for the past month, so coming up with a gluten-free birthday dessert, especially a birthday cake, seemed daunting at first. As if she read my mind, Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe wrote about a chocolate cake that didn't require any special flours (which are usually so expensive I can't justify buying them), and is gluten-free! The only special ingredient is quinoa, and I just bought some after being out for months. Trippy, right?

So Sunday I baked the cake for us. Katelyn came over, and we were both blown away. This cake isn't good considering it's a gluten free cake, it's just good...period...and don't even get me starting on the frosting. Chris and I were licking the bowl clean, and I want to put it on every cake, gluten free or not, for the rest of my life. The cake as a whole is rich, decadent, and super chocolatey. It would probably be outstanding with some raspberries on top, or raspberry jam/puree in the middle. I'm sure you could also make several adjustments to fit your dietary needs. Make it dairy free by swapping out the milk for soy or almond milk, the butter for oil (mmm..coconut oil!), and for the whipped frosting, did you know you can make whipped cream from coconut milk??

I am so happy I found this recipe, and that I was able to share it with one of my best friends. Happy belated birthday to us, girl!! xoxo

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Frosting

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake 

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (From about 1/2 cup raw quinoa. Be sure to cook in water, not broth!)

1/3 cup milk

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

First, prep the frosting. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan until it gently simmers. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let the mixture sit for five minutes. Whisk to combine until it is glossy and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled and cold (2-3 hours). You can speed up this process by placing the bottom of the bowl in an ice water bath and stirring until cool. 

Next, preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Process just until combined. Add the cooked quinoa and the butter. Blend well until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the contents from the blender and mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake on a rack in the middle position for 28-30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto cooling racks (remove the parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the cakes). Cool completely.

To finish the frosting, remove cooled cream mixture, and use an electric mixer (stand mixer or handheld) to whip the mixture to soft peaks.

Place one cake layer upside down on a serving platter or plate. Top with a generous portion (about half) of the whipped frosting, spreading to within 1/2-inch of the edge of the cake (it will press to the edge when the top cake layer is put on).  Gently put the other cake layer upside down on top of the frosted layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake. Chill the frosted cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving to let the frosting set up a bit.

Stick your entire face in the cake, and dig in!

Recipe Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chocolate Walnut Coconut Granola

I've mentioned this before, but I love making granola, though I wish I thought to make it more often! Weekly would be ideal. It's way cheaper than buying cereal and you have total control over what goes in it! There's not much I can say about this granola other then it's probably one of the best I've made, and my friend Erin seemed to love it as well! 

The technique is a bit more involved then granola I have made in the past, but well worth the extra effort. See, you actually toast nearly all the ingredients on the stove first. Then, only bake for 15 minutes! I much prefer this method as opposed to baking all the ingredients, especially when there is coconut in the granola. By toasting the coconut separately, then adding it at the end, you can ensure there is no burnt coconut. Trust me, if the coconut burns, the whole batch is trash. I still have a batch from this fall where I slightly overbaked the coconut. Have I touched it? Nope. It's going in the garbage real soon.

As with all granola recipes, make it work with what you have! I know I can't afford dried cherries like the original recipe (would love to try it though!), and I only had walnuts on hand. It was still awesome, especially with a sliced banana on top. Get creative, and enjoy your homemade cereal!

Chocolate Walnut Coconut Granola

Ingredients

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I love the Trader Joe's 72%!)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt. Mixture will be thick, but will thin a lot once the hot oat mixture is added later on.

Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the coconut to the pan in an even layer and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and toasted.  Transfer to a small bowl and wipe out the pan.  Return the pan to the heat and add the chopped walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the oats and olive oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Add the toasted oat mixture to honey mixture, and stir until evenly coated. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring every few minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

Remove from oven and stir in the toasted coconut.  Move the granola to one side of the baking sheet and press gently into a thick slab.  Let cool to room temperature.  Break the dried and cooled granola into small clusters, mix in the chopped chocolate, and store in an airtight container.

Inspired by: Annie's Eats who got the original recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Texas Cake

I'm so excited to finally have a cake recipe to post...but I'm even more excited that it's a chocolate cake. I ran out of cocoa powder about two or three months before my planned departure from Beijing, and being that it's very expensive out there I chose not to buy any more. That meant no baking with chocolate. For over two months. It was a very dark time in my life.

Now that I'm back in the states there has been a lot of chocolate consumption in this household, this texas cake being the most recent, and yes, the most delicious. We had this cake all the time growing up, and I can't remember the last time I had it. I've been helping out at home with a garage sale all weekend, so meals weren't really a priority. I actually had this cake for lunch today, along with some watermelon...I know...weird.

I'm not sure why we always called this cake Texas Cake, but the pioneer woman thought it was because the cake is the size of Texas (hellooo 13x18!!). We used her recipe, because it looked the closest to what we've always done, but did it in a 9x13 instead.

In other news, this week I'll be moving yet again, back to Cincinnati. I'm so excited to just be in one place for a while, and to see some of my old friends again. Maybe another cake should be in order? I think so!

Texas Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
2 sticks butter
1 cup boiling water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (you could also give sour cream a try!)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the frosting:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 stick butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 pound minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar. This is kind of a loose measurement, add bits at a time until it's the desired consistancy. Any lumps will eventually break up, no need to sift.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a saucepan, boil water, then add butter and cocoa. Bring back to a boil, and let it boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Mix in the sugar until combined, then add the flour and salt, stirring lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, wisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Pour into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Cake should look just set, but not jiggly.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and add the powdered sugar in batches until it reaches the desired consistancy. Stir in the chopped pecans, and pour over warm cake.

So easy, so addicting, SO delicious.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman

Elvis Granola

Even though I was born in California, I like to think I'm a southern girl at heart. I spent more then half of my life in Mississippi, and my mom and sister still live there. As I'm sure you may know, Mississippi was the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and the state takes great pride in that (did you know Oprah is from there too? Go MS!). In fact, the house he was born in is an hour east of my mom's house, and Graceland is about an hour north. I've of course visited both, and would highly recommend going if you're a fan and haven't been. 

When I stumbled across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Eat Live Run, I jumped on it. I was confused at first, as I was always under the impression that Elvis loved to eat peanut butter and bananas together, but if the recipe calls for chocolate, you add the chocolate. Plus, the name...rocks. 

The result? The king of rock 'n' roll, is now the king of my breakfast. This granola is outstanding. It's so good, I couldn't wait two minutes to start writing about it. On top of yogurt, it's like dessert for breakfast it's so decadent. In homage to the king's love of bananas, I added a sliced banana on top. If you ask me, the banana should be mandatory, as I feel it completes the meal. Plus, fresh fruit! So put on a little Elvis, and whip up this granola, stat! Thank you...thank you very much.

Elvis Granola 

Ingredients

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 of a cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky..doesn't matter)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

2/3-3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 275F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Bring the oil, honey, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon to a simmer on the stove. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

While that's cooking, combine oats and peanuts in a large bowl. Pour hot syrup mixture over the oats and toss well to coat. Spread granola onto baking sheets, and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally and turning trays midway through. 

Cool completely before adding the chopped chocolate. Eat the granola by itself, or serve with yogurt or milk, and top with sliced bananas.

Recipe Source: adapted from Eat Live Run

Nutella Brownie Cookies

The name says it all. I bet your ears flickered up like Scooby Doo accompanied by a rumbly "hmmm"??? Nutella. Brownie. Cookies. I love Nutella, but never bought it because in the states it can be pricey (at least when you're a full time student in graduate school). I fell in love with Nutella in Italy, and ate it with my breakfast at our hotel nearly every morning and swiped some packets for later. I was there for five weeks. Yeah. It's good stuff, Nutella. 

Well, yesterday I bit the bullet and bought some (well...er..."Nussa"...I think it's the Spanish version of Nutella). It's good, but it tastes more like chocolate frosting and you don't get a lot of hazelnut flavor, so maybe get the real stuff if you can. After pinning this recipe twice by accident on Pinterest, I thought it was high time I make them.

These are the easiest and quickest cookies I've ever made. If you've got the Nutella I'm willing to bet you have the remaining ingredients. They are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, and taste like a brownie. If you're particularly fond of corner pieces when you eat brownies (like me!) these are especially nummy.

Of course I'd rather use real cocoa in a chocolate cookie, but I just ran out, and I'll be moving back to the states in about 2 months. Plus, at $8 a pop I think I'll satisfy my chocolate cravings by paying half the price for "Nussa" and make these cookies or eat good ole chocolate bars until I'm back in America. I can live with that.

Nutella Brownie Cookies

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen 

Ingredients

1 cup Nutella

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour (I did half all purpose, half whole wheat)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk or water*

Directions

Blend together all ingredients until well combined. Form into 1 inch balls, spaced 2-3 inches apart**, and place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake about 7-8 minutes (8-9 minutes for large cookies) or until crisped on the outside and somewhat set in the middle. They will look underbaked. If you overbake them they will be crunchy and not very good. Cool on the pan for about 3 minutes to set, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Only add the milk or water if you feel the dough is too dry or crumbly. I just added it because it seemed to be what most reviewers did, but I think it would be fine with or without.

**If you do add the milk, the dough will be pretty soft and will spread...a LOT. I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough like I always do, and as you can see in the photos the cookies were pretty massive. I enjoyed the larger cookies. Also keep in mind when handling them fresh from the oven, that they are pretty fragile when they're that large and thin.

Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before coming to China, I was a total bagged Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix fan. It was a regular thing (along with s'mores!) with me and my best friend to make these when we were both in Cincinnati. Stressed out? Grab the cookie mix. Movie? Betty..where are you? Hungry? Betty...done.

I had of course made chocolate chip cookies from scratch before, but they were always too crunchy! I wanted a crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside chocolate chip cookie, and Betty was always there. Not to sound unappreciative, but sorry Betty, your services are no longer needed, for I have found the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookies. 

It wasn't until after my trial with the orchestra, when I knew I was staying in Beijing, that I bought my current "oven". The first thing I wanted to make was chocolate chip cookies. I suffered three long months in China without them, and had to have them immediately. Being that boxed mixes are super expensive here in Beijing, I decided making them from scratch was the way to go. So began my quest for chocolate chip cookie perfection. I tried theknead4speed's recipe, but found it a little too sweet (could have been my super dark brown sugar..recently found the lighter stuff..yay!) and they didn't really sink much either. Then I tried some from Apple a Day. They were excellent, but still not exactly what I was searching for (though I would totally recommend making those as well).  Then I stumbled across these bad boys on Smitten Kitchen, and honestly, I've been "smitten" with this recipe ever since.

When a chocolate chip cookie recipe has the same amount of chocolate chips as it does flour, you know you have a winner. Fresh from the oven, they're absolutely perfect. They're crispy, chewy, soft, buttery, chocolaty...just...amazing. Through this search, I have learned that the key to a crispy on the outside chewy on the inside cookie is to not over bake! When they're barely golden around the edges they're finished, as the cookies will continue to cook when they rest on the baking sheet.

Wow. Have I really blabbed this long about a chocolate chip cookie? Looks like it! I'm done, I swear. Just promise me one thing, okay? Make these cookies. You seriously won't regret it!

Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (this was the first time I ever used parchment paper..I think I'm in love!).

Whisk together 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 in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in flour mixture until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1 tablespoon at a time onto prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. If the dough is too soft to spoon into balls, put it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly toasted. Be sure to check your cookies before they're done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely (yeah right..who can wait that long before eating one? Not me). They will seem underdone, but will continue to cook as they rest on the cookie sheet and rack.

Magic Cookie Bars

Wow, have I already been home for five days? Time sure does fly when you're lazy and tired all the time. Trying to recover from a 14 hour time difference hasn't been totally easy. Today is the first day I actually feel a bit normal and a lot less tired, and last night was the first night I got a full night's sleep without the aid of naps during the day or a sleeping pill. Jetlag aside, it has been wonderful being back in America. I've enjoyed spending time with my family by watching movies, playing games, shopping (yay!), and of course eating. Boy have we been eating. My awesome mother has been saving a turkey for me since November and we had Christmas and Thanksgiving this past weekend. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade bread, stuffing..the works. I was too tired to really help much, and slept nearly the whole time the turkey was cooking, but the whole house smelled like the holidays when I woke up. It was wonderful. 

Last night after a day of shopping (boot sale!) my mom and I stopped by Kroger on the way home to pick up two ingredients we needed to make these bars. Of course we ended up getting more (it was apparently a day of sales). I remember my mom making these for me and my sister when we were little and for some reason I can't remember the last time I had them. It had to have been when we were living in southern Mississippi, which was at least 5 years ago. Because my mom made them, I think I just assumed it was her special recipe, and that this elusive recipe had to be found by searching old recipe card holders. Thankfully, that was not the case. My mom never used a recipe, because she just knew how to make them. I now understand why. These are seriously SO EASY to make. The hardest part is melting the butter and mixing it with the graham crackers. After that you just pour the milk, dump the ingredients on top and bake it. Half an hour later you are left with an amazingly decadent bar that you will not forget. Cut yourself a square and pour a glass of milk!

Magic Cookie Bars

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups mini chocolate chips 

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 

1/2 cup toffee bits

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1 square unsweetened bakers chocolate, melted.

Directions

Heat oven to 350˚F (325˚F for glass dish) . Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, and press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture, and gently spread with a rubber spatula. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a spatula. 

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Once out of the oven, drizzle with unsweetened chocolate. Cool, then cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature, or freeze for later.