Home Made Cookies Are Always Better!

The holiday season is upon us and if your like me that means it is time to make cookies! Cookies may not be the healthiest food you could be eating but if you make them from scratch they are so much better for you then store bought cookies or pre-made batter.
For the first round of cookies this season I decided to make 'Chocolate Crunchy Tops with Peanut Butter Chips". I did not make these cookies organic (I had everything in my cupboard already) however everything you need to make them is easy to find in an organic brand.

To make these little bits of yum you will need:
7oz bittersweet chocolate (chop into small pieces)
7tbls unsalted butter
1/2c sugar
3 eggs
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup coco powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt

1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Take a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add in the butter and the chocolate. Melt these together on low until nice and smooth. Make sure to stir them frequently so you don't burn the bottom. Once melted remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until its dissolved. Then add your eggs one at a time stirring well after each one. Add in the vanilla and set aside.
Sift together your flour, coco, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. If you don't have a sifter mix the blend together well with a fork to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Add in the chocolate mixture a little at a time. You will have a soft dough when you are done. Then add in your peanut butter chips and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until the dough is firm.

Preheat your oven to 325. Take the confectioners sugar and place in a small bowl. Scoop dough into small balls and roll around in your hands to make a good shape. Drop into the sugar to coat the dough then knock off any extra sugar. Then place on your baking sheet!

Bake your cookies for 10-15 minutes. You know the cookies are done when they feel slightly firm on top. Let sit for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then place on a cooling rack.

My dough was a little dry so they didn't quite have the look I wanted but they still tasted pretty yummy! You will want something to drink when eating these I can assure you!
One tip, if you are using a regular cookie sheet be sure to grease it just a bit. I prefer an air bake sheet which keeps the cookies from sticking and also keeps them from burning!

Enjoy!

Good Noms bakes

I've been craving chocolatey minty cookies ever since Tu and I finished our Thin Mints. My search for recipes proved difficult, as there are practically zero recipes not involving Andes mints or not being a regular cookie with mint chips.
So I present to you - Chocolate Mint Snow-top cookies.
I found this recipe online and thought I'd give it a try
it calls for:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 package (10 oz) mint flavored chocolate morsels. They didn't have these at any of the stores I normally shop, so I used Nestle dark chocolate and mint morsels. Set 1 cup of these aside from the rest.
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• I also added 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (not pictured). The chips didn't smell/taste that minty, and I wanted to feel the coolness. Keep in mind though that the extract is pretty strong, so don't overdo it.
• Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Combine the dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar. Melt 1 cup of chocolate pieces. The best way to do this is over a double boiler, or whatever it's called when you put a smaller pot into a pot of boiling water. This minimizes your chances of burning. If you are feeling ballsy (or are thinking to yourself that you'll just take your chances since these are going to be baked into a cookie anyway), pile them into a microwave safe container and after the initial 30 seconds, microwave at 10-15 second intervals, testing after each one. Once I made the mistake of thinking that since the pieces were still keeping shape they weren't melted enough. I want you to know that through the pure magical power of deliciousness chocolate and candy will keep shape even if it's all liquid inside. So poke it before to make sure, or else you'll burn it.
Now you'll want to break out your Kitchenaid (remember me singing its praise a few posts ago?) Beat in melted chocolate, vanilla, peppermint, eggs, flour mixture (in increments). Or you can do it by hand. I did this time (my mixer is indisposed). Stir in the remaining chocolate chips.
Cover and pop in the freezer for the duration of time it takes to watch an episode of cheesy anime on Hulu. Preheat the oven to 350. Then roll your dough into 1 inch balls. The recipe says to then roll them in powdered sugar. I did this for the first batch (I only own one cookie sheet, shameful, I know). I found that it did absolutely nothing, because by the time the cookies are done baking, the sugar (assuming you got a nice, even coat) will completely dissolve and become invisible.I got sort of a clumpy coat' so you can see some sugar on them, but I skipped the sugar bath for the two subsequent batches. The cookies bake for about 12 minutes, or until cracks appear in the top. I undercooked the second batch a little, they are flatter and darker than the first batch.Yes, I have eaten nothing but cookies today, and yes I did get sugar on my lens taking this last photo. I like these cookies a lot, they have an excellent minty flavor, nice round shape (if you bake them long enough) and a delicious crispy yet soft on the inside texture.