The recipe that sealed the deal: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is very dear to my heart and it's not only because it's EXACTLY how I like my cookies, but it also brought me a husband. For our second date, he invited me over for brunch, and I didn't want to show up empty handed. I'm not a wine kind of gal, but I was definitely a cookie kind of gal. I picked up a cookie jar and decided to make him a jar full of my favourite cookies..."Alexis Chewy Brown-sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies", courtesy of Martha Stewart. He took a bite of a cookie and the rest, as they say it, is history.

If you ask him now, he would say it's the sweet gesture that did it. If you ask me, I would say that after the first bite, he couldn't live without these cookies.

Servings: about 50 cookies

Preheat oven: 375 degrees F

I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this.....but before my mixer was part of my life, I used a regular hand-held mixer.

What you'll need:

• 1lbs of butter (4 sticks) at room temperature


• 3 cups of light brown-sugar


• 1 cup of sugar


• 4 Large eggs


• 2 tsp vanilla extract


• 3 1/2 cup of flour


• 1 1/2 tsp of salt


• 2 tsp of baking soda


• 1 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

1. With your mixer (paddle) cream butter until smooth and light in colour.

2. Add both sugars and mix until smooth.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix.

4. While you have your mixer going, sift together the dry ingredients: Flour, Salt, Baking Soda

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until the batter comes together and turns a light brown colour.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips.

7. Spoon the batter onto a lined cookie sheet. (depending how how big you want the cookies, you can spoon the batter into a small mound or a large monund)

8. Be sure to SPACE OUT the cookies...they will SPREAD. I usually just fit 6 cookies onto a sheet.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies turn golden in colour. Since these are a staple in our home, I don't even time it anymore...I pull them out when they look done.

10. Cool on a rack and enjoy.

A cook's tip: These cookies FREEZE especially well. I would usually make a full batch and spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet and pop them into the freezer. Once they have harden, you can place the frozen 'cookie pucks' into a tupper ware container, with parchment paper between each layer, and freeze until you need the cookies.

This cookie recipe brought me love and I hope it'll do the same for you!

Don't re-invent the wheel...create a short cut: Chocolate Crossiants

After thumbing through my current copy of the Real Simple Magazine, I came across this "Fake-It" Chocolate Crossiant Recipe...I had to try it.

After wandering through 3 local grocery stores, I was FINALLY able to find the Pilsbury Mini Cresent Rolls...all the other stores seem to just stock the Jumbo Cresents....With some Ghirardelli Semi-sweet chocolate from my pantry, I was ready to Roll...figuratively and literally!

Servings: 8 crossiants

Preheat Oven to: 375 Degrees F

What you'll need:

• 1 tube of mini cresent rolls (found in the egg/butter section)


• 80 chocolate chips (a little extra for melting, if you desire)

1. Pop open the cresent rolls and separate the pastry dough into 8 triangles.

2. With each triangle piece, place about 10 chocolate chips on the bottom (wider) part of the triangle and roll....to form the cresent. Repeat with all the remaining 7 pieces.

3. Place the formed cresents on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cresents are golden in colour. You will see them expand in the oven.

4. Cool and enjoy. It's best to eat them warm for the ooey gooey chocolate experience! For leftovers, you can just re-heat them in the toaster oven to bring back the flakey and ooey gooey sensation.

5. If desired: You can melt some chocolate chips with a touch of butter and drizzle it on top of each crossiants.

My husband and I headind to Europe at the end of next month, and this was the perfect way to put us in the "ooo...laa...." mood for Paris!

I'm sorry the picture didn't show any of the Ooey Gooey chocolate..but it really was Ooey Gooey!! I also found that the front ones resembled baked buns in appearance and the back ones had the 'wrinkley' crossiant look to them....weird!

Au Revior!

Moist Mint Cocoa Brownies

I'm a HUGE brownie lover and I'm a HUGE fan of mint. I took a classic cocoa brownie recipe, courtesy of Alton Brown, and added my own touch of mint to make it something different.



What you'll need:

• 4 large eggs


• 1 cup of sugar
  
• 1 cup of brown sugar


• 1 cup of melted butter (2 sticks)


• 1 1/4 cup of cocoa (sifted)


• 2 tsp of vanilla extract


• 2 tsp of mint/peppermint extract


• 1/2 cup of flour (sifted)


• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. I know the temp is low, but I think that's what contributes to the moist brownie.

In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), beat the eggs at medium speed until they are light yellow and fluffy...about 2-3 minutes. Add both sugars and mix. Then add the remaining ingredients (butter, cocoa, vanilla extract, mint extract, flour and salt). Mix to combine.

Cook's note: In case you didn't sift the cocoa powder and realize, at this point, that they are clumping together, don't worry.....the oven will melt it and it'll turn out fine.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch pan (if you want them thicker) or an 9x13 inch pan (if you want them thinner) or into mini muffin tins (you'll get about 48 of them).

For the pans you'll need to leave them in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. For the mini muffins cups, leave them info about 30 minutes. Of course, use the tried and true toothpick method to test for doneness (a toothpick inserted into the centre of the pan should come out clean).

Cook's note: If you plan to bake the brownies in a pan, create a parchement paper 'sling'. Have a piece of parchement paper that's slightly larger than the pan, line the paper horizontally on the pan and have it line the bottom of the pan and 2 of the sides. Pour the batter in. Once the baking is done, just tug on the 2 ends of the parchement paper that's sticking up and voila! the brownie should pop out easily.

Pop them up and let them cool off. After they have cooled, you can either ice them or leave them naked. If you have baked them in a pan, wait for them to cool before cutting. A pizza cutter makes a great 'brownie cutter'.