Sunday, May 15, 2011

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Combine butter and sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape into cookies and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and outer edges of cookies start to harden -- center may still be soft.

NOTES
Adapted from Annie's Eats.
Everyone who has tried these thinks they're the best chocolate chip cookies EVER.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

5 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 c chopped spinach
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pizza dough

Shape pizza dough into a large rectangle and place on a baking sheet.

Combine oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Use 3 Tbsp of oil mixture to spread on prepared dough. Toss remaining oil mixture with spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. Sprinkle cheeses over dough and top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

NOTES
Originally from Rachael Ray.
My favorite pizza, easily customizable. I like to add black olives and red onion, and often use tomato slices or skip tomatoes entirely. Often out of laziness I'll use thin slices of mozzarella instead of shredded.

Southwest Mac and Cheese with Cornbread Topping

4 poblano peppers
1 pound elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups cornbread
1/4 cup all purpose-flour
4 cups whole milk
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated
10 ounces Monterey jack, grated
1 seven ounce can diced green chile peppers
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt to taste

Halve poblanos lengthwise and remove core, stem, seeds, and membranes. Coat with a little oil, place skin-side up on a greased baking sheet, and roast in a 450 degree oven until skin is blackened. Remove from oven and put into a paper bag to steam and cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from bag, peel skin off peppers, and dice.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. When cooked and drained, toss with 2 Tbsp butter.

Grate the cornbread into crumbs (you can use a food processor for this step).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk pretty constantly for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Simmer, whisking occasionally until it begins to thicken.

Stir in cheeses gradually, mixing to incorporate as cheese melts.

Stir macaroni and all peppers into the cheese sauce. Pour into the prepared pan. Top with cornbread crumbs (good in a thick layer).

Cover with tinfoil and bake for about 30 minutes, until it is bubbling around the sides. Remove the tinfoil and bake 10 more minutes until the cornbread crumbs are turning golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

NOTES
From Serious Eats.
Not a hit with the kiddos, but the husband and I liked this quite a lot.

Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread

1 c oats
1 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 c oil
1/3 c milk
1/3 c honey
1 egg
4 small apples, peeled, cored, diced

Combine dry ingredients; mix well.

Combine wet ingredients; mix well.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients; stir until just combined.

Gently stir in diced apples.

Bake at 350 degrees in a greased loaf pan for 45-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

NOTES
Recipe from the blog Cheap Healthy Good.
Nice mix of spices. Good bread.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 c powdered sugar
1 c peanut butter
3/4 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk chocolate chips

In a medium pan over medium heat, melt 1/2 c butter. Stir in powdered sugar, peanut butter, and graham cracker crumbs until smooth. Spread mixture in a foil-coated, greased 8" square pan.

Melt 1/4 c butter in small pan. Add chocolate chips. Stir and melted until smooth; pour over peanut butter layer and smooth out.

Chill 30 minutes.

NOTES
Can't remember original source, but there are similar recipes all over the web.
So delicious.