ultimate chocolate chip cookies

There are probably as many chocolate chip cookie recipes out there as there are people who claim that their recipe is the best. But, guess what folks? I can definitively and without reserve say that THIS ONE is, in fact, the best one. How do I know, you ask? Don't ask questions. Just accept this recipe as your new go-to cookie recipe and thank me later when you have become influential, rich, and popular due to the fact that you make fantastic chocolate chip cookies.

You're welcome, in advance.

But, here's the secret: you MUST follow the directions exactly. No cutting corners here, folks. The recipe calls for cake flour and bread flour. Just have all-purpose? No go. Go get you some fancy flour and then think about making this recipe.

The recipe says to chill the dough for 24 hours, MINIMUM. Think that you can skip that step? Think again, heathen. Just bide your time. Good things come to those who wait.

Room temperature butter and eggs. No excuses. Just set them out for a few hours. Again, good things, waiting, you know the drill.

Size matters. Read below: cookies should be approximately 1/3 cup. Don't shortchange yourself. There's nothing worse than a puny little cookie that gets too crispy and hard in the oven. Nothing! Make them cookies fat! And, on the same note, don't over bake these bad boys. A soft, chewy cookies is where it's at, y'all. They might look a wee bit underdone when you take them out. But, let them set a minute or two on the baking sheet. Magic happens in those few minutes. Trust.

Finally, the salt for the top. Just do it. It matters. My brother, who is a cookie connoisseur, said that the salt on top MADE these cookies. The man practically inhales cookies. Yet, in the millisecond that cookie touched his tastebuds, he noticed that salt on top. Thus, it must be important.

Okay, go forth and make cookies, my children. Please don't forget about me when you are influential, rich, and popular.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. (8 ½ oz.) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 ½ oz.) bread flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably about 60% cacao, such as Ghirardelli
Sea salt or kosher salt for garnishing

Directions:
Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. (Unless you have a plastic guard that sits around the rim of the bowl, this will make a big mess at first, with flour flying everywhere. I found that carefully holding a dish towel around the top of the bowl helped a lot.) Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop, or a 1/3 cup measure, scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: About 24 cookies

Source: For Me, For You, originally from Jacques Torres

macaroni and cheese casserole

Yesterday was my first full day back in the Baby State. The most notable change from the Midwest? It barely hit 80 degrees and by nightfall it had dropped to the low 70's. True fact. After six solid weeks of 100+ weather and absolute constant sweating, Rhode Island feels like heaven to me. It's nice to put on an outfit and not have pit stains and back sweat within 60 seconds flat. In fact, I even got to bust out a fleece pullover last night. Yeah, be jealous.

Also, I apologize for just discussing back sweat with you. I'm embarrassed.

Another perk of this weather? I don't feel like a total freak for craving cold weather comfort food. One of my childhood favorites? Cheesy, gooey macaroni and cheese with a crunchy cracker topping. It's hard to beat a good baked mac and cheese with a Ritz cracker topping. That's how Momma K always did it and, I have to say, the woman was on to something. As a child I hated that crunchy top part. What a fool I was. Now I hoard the top layer. I've learned a thang or two in my old age.

For those of you in the Midwest, tuck this recipe away for later days. Maybe by October it'll be cool enough for mac and cheese. Sorry 'bout 'cha. I'll be enjoying cold weather food like this starting...now!

Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. elbow pasta
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper, to taste
5 cups milk (whole or 2%)
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:
15 Ritz crackers, crushed
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, then add the onion powder, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and the mixture begins to boil. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat the pasta.

Pour the mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix together the crushed Ritz crackers and the melted butter until all of the crumbs are moistened, and then sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Source: Brown Eyed Baker

nutella-filled banana muffins

So I'm officially back on the East Coast, y'all. It's weird. After being back home in Kansas for the past six weeks it's gonna take me a while to get back in the East Coast groove. East Coast time vs Central Standard time. New England surliness vs Midwestern hospitality. Rhode Island beaches vs Kansas heat.

It was a long Monday of traveling. Two flights, one layover, lots of unpacking, and one car mini-crisis. All is well in the baby state, but this girl is ready for some downtime after the constant craziness of my Kansas vacay. Maybe I'll kick off my last month of summer with a little baking?

I made these bad boys for the family a couple weeks ago. However, they were almost the "muffins that weren't." You'd think that making a simple batch of muffins wouldn't be a big deal. Think again, my friend. First obstacle: bananas. It's rare that bananas stick around long enough to go brown at our house so it took weeks of careful waiting and watching to finally come across two ripe bananas. As soon as I saw a couple looking a wee bit spotty, I pounced.

Second obstacle: Nutella. I had bought a jar of Nutella in preparation for these very muffins. But before I could find the perfect bananas, my Nutella vanished without a trace. Trust me when I say you do not want to cross paths with me when my Nutella has done been stolen. It ain't pretty. Nevertheless, replacement Nutella was purchased and these muffins came into being. And I could not be happier.

Seriously, guys. Go hide your Nutella and your ripe bananas right now. These muffins are ridiculous in all the best ways.

Nutella-Filled Banana Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup Nutella

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 regular size muffin tins with liners and lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg, mashed banana, and milk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

With a silicone spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Divide the batter into the 12 muffins tins. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Place on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from the tin to cool completely.

Meanwhile, spoon the Nutella into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Once the muffins are cooled, poke the tip into the center of each muffin. Fill until you see the muffin expand a bit and, while squeezing, pull the tip up and out of the muffin.

Yield: 12 muffins

Source: Bake at 350

chair revival

As you read this, I am flying back to Rhode Island. After spending the last six weeks or so in Kansas, I have to admit that I'm ready to return to my cool Rhode Island weather. However, I'm already missing my family and friends. Can't wait to see you all this fall!

My last weekend back home was a whirlwind. I attended the Frontier Western Celebration in my hometown complete with Mutton Bustin' and Hog Waller. Yes, that's right, Hog Waller. :) My dad took Grand Champion in a local BBQ competition (his second Grand Champion this summer!). My baby sister came home from Dallas and we had two full days of sister bonding. And my friend Renee and I finally finished our reupholstery project. Whew!

So, today I bring you our before and after. Because who doesn't love a good before and after? I posted the before picture a few weeks ago when we first started this project. Really take in the beauty of that olive green crushed velvet. Look at the gorgeous tufting. And that rich mahogany on the legs and other decorative wood accents. She's a real diamond in the rough, eh?

And...the after:

I love the shape of this chair. But it was a beast to take apart, as usual. Once we got it torn down to the padding, the first order of business was to prime and paint the legs, which were horribly scuffed up. I love the white we ended up going with. It's perfect with such a bright fabric.

Speaking of fabric, this chair is destined for Renee's second-grade classroom so she went with a bright, fun chevron fabric. Bonus: it was only $9/yard! We found this fabric online at fabric.com and it was the perfect choice.

We also decided to get rid of the original tufting and tucks. The fabric we chose is so bright and busy that tufting would have been a bit much. I think we are both really happy with the way this chair turned out. However, I've said it before and I'll say it again...I wouldn't want to tackle another reupholstery project for a LOOOONG time.

As I've noted before, reupholstery is one of those things that you just have to feel your way through. Every piece is different. The important thing is to take tons of pictures as you go and keep the original fabric pieces so that you can refer to those as you put the puzzle back together. Renee and I would have  been lost had we not done this. More than once, we had to pull out an original piece of that nasty green fabric or bring up a photo of the original upholstery to reference.

Other than that advice, just feel your way through it and work slowly. Believe me when I say that upholstery is never a fast process.

Okay, I'll be back with more recipes tomorrow, posting from The Baby State once again. Happy Monday everyone!

beauty 101

Flawless Face Foundation Routine

Happy Thursday, y'all! Are you all still plugged into the Olympics? I can NOT stop watching. Gymnastics, synchronized diving, weight lifting, fencing, whatever. I'm all over it. Whether or not I understand what I'm watching. Doesn't matter. 'Merica!

Aside from the Olympics, I also have another new obsession. The CarliBel55 YouTube channel. I recently found this girl's YouTube channel on Pinterest and I've been obsessing over her make-up and hair tutorials ever since. This girl has already inspired me to make several late night Walgreen's make-up runs and I have even begun using liquid eyeliner! It's a small victory, I know, but I've always had an irrational fear of liquid eyeliner so this is rather huge for me.

I've embedded a few of my favorite videos here but I would definitely suggest you hop on over to the original YouTube channel and scope out the rest of her videos. There are like 70 total. Be warned, you may get sucked in!

Real talk: This girl knows her stuff. Just don't be turned off by the cheesy intro music and quotes. Power through. The tutorials are worth it. Trust.

Easy Fishtail Braid for Summer

New Year's Eve Glitter Makeup Tutorial 2012

marshmallow chocolate cups

It's rare that I buy a cookbook. Mostly, I just get my recipes online or in old family cookbooks. As it is, I have more recipes tucked away than a girl can ever make in a lifetime. However, I recently stumbled upon Baked Explorations at a half-price book store and made an impulse purchase. I've been hearing so much about this cookbook lately and when I saw it at half price? Well, who doesn't love a bargain? I guess now I have enough recipes for two lifetimes.

The first recipe I made from this cookbook? Well, some Marshmallow Chocolate Cups, of course! You can call me Wonka 'cause I'm making candy all up in this hizzy. I'm sorry, that was weird. I take it back. But I did make candy. That part is true.

My brother made dinner for the fam the other day. This recipe to be exact...it was delish. Anyway, in exchange for his culinary skills, he requested these candies. And who am I to turn down a perfectly good opportunity to make candy?

These were surprisingly easy and didn't really require any special equipment. If you can find a candy thermometer and small cupcake liners, you're good to go. The key to this recipe is just patience. Patience to add the chocolate to all those liners and let it set. Patience to make the marshmallow filling. Patience to carefully top the candies with more chocolate. Patience to wait for these candies to set up before you smash one into your face. Lots o' patience. If you can manage that, you won't be sorry! Enjoy!

Marshmallow Chocolate Cups

For the Chocolate Candy Cups:
16 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (such as Valrhona or Callebaut), coarsely chopped

For the Marshmallow Filling:
1 envelope (about 2½ teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

Make the Chocolate Candy Cups:
Arrange 30 miniature candy cups (approximately 1 inch in diameter) on a baking sheet. For stability’s sake, I suggest using a double layer of cups for each candy (so you will need to buy a total of 60 cups to make 30 candies). This helps your chocolate cup to maintain its shape.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolates. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir with a rubber spatula until the two chocolates have completely melted together and the mixture is smooth.

Remove the bowl from the simmering water and stir for about 15 seconds to release excess heat. Use either a small spoon or a pastry bag fitted with one of the smallest tips to fill the candy cups just under a quarter full with chocolate. Using a pastry brush, brush the chocolate from the bottom of each cup up the sides to completely cover the inside of the cup with chocolate. Place the cups in the refrigerator while you make the marshmallow filling. Set the remaining chocolate aside.

Prepare the Marshmallow Filling:
Attach a small plain tube tip to a clean pastry bag and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently stir together the sugar and ¼ cup water. Stop stirring and put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, still without stirring, until it reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.

Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stream it into the gelatin. Whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds to release excess heat, then place the bowl on the standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes longer. You do not want to whisk the marshmallow to soft peaks; it should be slightly looser than that. Working quickly, pour the marshmallow filling into the prepared pastry bag.

Assemble the Marshmallow Chocolate Candy Cups:
Pipe the marshmallow directly into the chocolate cups, filling each one a bit more than three-quarters of the way full. Gently knock the pan to level the filling.

If the reserved chocolate has hardened, set it over simmering water to remelt it. Spoon a top layer of the chocolate onto the marshmallow filling to cover it, gently knock the pan again, and place the cups back in the refrigerator to completely set.

The candy cups will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Generally speaking, they can be enjoyed directly from the refrigerator or after a few minutes at room temperature, but they will begin to melt or bloom if left unchilled for too long.

Yield: 30 candy cups

Source: Baked Explorations

summer tomato gratin with garlic parmesan topping

We have a bounty of tomatoes here at the homestead. Like, a serious amount. A bushel. A gross. A windfall. And...I'm loving it! We have an entire table absolutely covered in tomatoes. At least six varieties ranging from your traditional Beef Stead to the more exotic Cherokee Purple. You just can't beat homegrown tomatoes. Needless to say, I'm in hog heaven. Or tomato heaven to be more exact.

I decided to put this tomato goldmine to good use and make a Tomato Gratin. This bad boy will use up at least six or seven large tomatoes. So if you have tomatoes coming out your ears, you might give this one a try. Or, if you just really love side dishes with crispy panko topping. Because, seriously? I could just eat that topping alone. For serious. We had it with BBQ chicken and it was the perfect summer meal. Enjoy!

Summer Tomato Gratin with Garlic Parmesan Topping

Ingredients:
3 lbs fresh tomatoes, pref. heirloom
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 medium sweet onion, Hawaiian or Vidalia
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Slice tomatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices, removing the stems of the tomatoes as you slice them. Combine salt and sugar in a small bowl. Layer tomato slices into a colander, sprinkling each layer with some of the salt and sugar mixture as you work. Allow colander to stand over a bowl (or the sink) for 30 minutes to drain excess moisture from the tomatoes. Toss gently after 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Put 2 tbsp olive oil on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Thinly slice onion and arrange in a single layer at the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange drained tomatoes on top of the sliced onion. Bake tomatoes and onion for 20 minutes, uncovered.

While the tomatoes bake, in a large bowl, combine fresh bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder and the salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add in remaining olive oil and stir until crumbs are well-coated. Add parmesean and mix until well incorporated.

Take tomatoes out of the oven and spread crumb mixture evenly over the top of the tomato layer. Return pan to oven and bake for additional 10-15 minutes, until topping is golden brown.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Yield: 4-6 servings as a main dish, 8-10 as a side

Source: Baking Bites