Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Because there just aren't enough desserts on this blog . . .

I think this may be my favorite picture
I have ever taken on my own camera . . . 

Georgia B. made this amazing dessert when she hosted book club.  When she said the words "cookie" and "pie" together, I admit I was taken aback.  It sounded like too much.  It sounded like it was missing the words "bacon-wrapped" and "deep-fried."

But then I had a bite.  Next, I inhaled my beautiful wedge o' heaven-sent cookie pie.  Finally, I plotted about how to get another piece (never mind the other twenty girls who were at this particular book club meeting . . . in fact, what do you guys think about a new book club rule?  Only people who read the book can  have refreshments?)

I used my flakiest pie crust recipe for the shell

I think it actually looks prettier before it's cooked

This kind of crust needs a pie shield, so that it doesn't get crispy and burnt before the rest of the crust cooks.  Actually, unless your crust is exactly level with your filling, every pie needs a pie shield.  You just take it off the pie about 10-15 minutes before it is baked all the way. 

I have two pie shields--one is a solid aluminum ring, and it fits a nine-inch crust. The other is a re-sizeable silicone pie shield that I can use on just about any size pie pan.

55 minutes later . . . it should be a nice caramely-brown 

My husband happened to show up at this book club to collect our baby, and another book club member (Tonia) said, "Here, Allen, you should take a piece of this."  He was sold on one bite also.  {And Tonia and I are still friends, despite the fact that she A) appeared to be a more thoughtful wife than I am and B) ruined my plan to ask to take a piece home to Allen . . . which I had no intention of giving him.  Okay, maybe she is a more thoughtful wife . . . }

Georgia did not hoard the deliciousness.  And neither will I.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

I think this is one of the recipes that people have requested from me the very most. It is so easy and delicious, especially your second time :). You don't have to use a rotisserie chicken, it just makes things faster. It says on the car that "I sometimes substitute coconut milk" for the heavy cream . . . but I ALWAYS do. 

I have added asparagus, mini sweet peppers, broccoli, carrots, even potatoes to this curry--it's a no fail!  And, as always, you can substitute kefir for the plain yogurt.

Mrs. Fields' Chocolate Chip Cookies (+ Chocolate)

Though I love my own CCC recipe, sometimes I crave that slight taste of oatmeal that only Mrs. Fields can deliver. This is a not-so-secret recipe that periodically makes the rounds of the Internet, but I like to add extra chocolate to mine. Growing up, these were my favorite chocolate chip cookies . . . and they're still as delightful as I remember.

This cookie dough makes seven dozen and DOES NOT refrigerate or freeze well--the oat flour makes it too dry and it crumbles apart.  So you have to make all seven dozen cookies soon after you make the dough.  Allen's Grandmother (check out her amazing chocolate cream pie recipe) gave me this giant Tupperware container--it's perfect for cookie storage.

I make these cookies when I am going to big family functions and they are gone in an evening.

*(Click the link to my CCC's to get all kinds of cookie-tips)

Bex Deluxe Triple C's (Chocolate Chip Cookies)

I've always disliked how inundated January is with weight-loss tips and must-have exercise equipment and fitness routines and recommended healthy snacks foods. I subscribe to mostly food/cooking magazines, and the hypocrisy of January's low-fat chickpea salads with lighter dressing is made all the more nefarious by the spate of December's best Christmas cookies EVER recipes, in close-up, full-color photos that essentially force me to don aprons daily and buy butter in bulk. Those marketeers have got my number.

But there's one cookie that I make year-round, never mind the delectable December duress. A cookie I have, in all the modesty I can muster, perfected. I've picked up a few tips here and there: Heather (who can go from zero to cookies in ten minutes) first introduced me to more-brown-than-white-sugar, Morgan and Carson shared an article with invaluable cookie-baking tips, and I picked up on Adriane and Tom's tendency to refer to this great American tradition as "CCC's." These things combined, with my own quest for the perfect see-see-see, have aided in the composition (and completion) of my masterpiece.

Here are the tips that make any CCC recipe even better:

• Double the recipe. If you're going to take the time for homemade, go ahead and make a lot, because chocolate chip cookie dough freezes beautifully, and it's great to have on hand for unexpected company or a last-minute dessert. (I freeze a dozen dough-cookies per quart-sized Ziploc and feel the security that only chocolate prepearedness can bring).
  
  

• Chill the dough--it keeps it from spreading too thin when it bakes, and is part of what makes the cookie crackle beautifully.
• Lower the temperature and lengthen the time in the oven, for a softer, more chewy-gooey cookie. A good rule of thumb is to add two minutes for every 25 degrees lower.
• Always use room temperature butter, and even room temperature eggs (if you remember to set them out in advance). They'll blend better and maximize the amount of air you can whip into the dough, which makes the cookie less dense and more moist.
• Bake on aluminum, or something shiny--dark pans almost always burn the bottom of your cookies.
• I change the sugar ratio (which is usually equal parts white and brown sugar) to one part white, two parts brown--makes it a little richer. Mmmmm.
• I always add whole wheat flour, which gives the cookie some texture and substance, using the ratio one part whole wheat to two parts white (in this recipe, the whole wheat flour is slightly greater than that). Plus, (hello!) healthy!
• Add more chocolate. Duh. To quote my chocolate-worshiping father-in-law, "I want a cookie with just enough dough to hold the chocolate together." Amen.

I was going to take a picture of myself eating a Bex Deluxe cookie, but candid eating photos never look good (I'm one step behind this Facebooking generation that has somehow mastered the art of photographing oneself flatteringly), so this low-light picture will have to suffice. I added the Lego R2-D2 as a point of reference. You're welcome.

Shout out to Shanna M. for this beautiful photo!!!

PS- If you are in the mood for my other favorite CCC, try Mrs Field's recipe.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

I just made these for the umpteenth time for Valentine's Day.  I took some plates around to my friends that I visit-teach, and made a huge batch for my kids' Valentine parties at school.  A double batch makes SEVEN DOZEN.  They go so quickly because I always forget how addictive they are: one bite and suddenly there's a pile of crumbs on my shirt and in my hair and a half dozen are missing . . .

Double batch: time to bring out the Bosch

Roll into balls just smaller than a golf ball--20 on each cookie sheet!

I think the pictures speak for themselves.  This is my go-to recipe when I need to take cookies to one of my kids' classes at school . . . or on holidays . . . or when I am craving something delectably sweet . . .

I got these pie/cupcake carriers at Wal-Mart and I LOVE them.
I use three blocks to hold up the second "tier" inside--perfect for
a second grader to carry into school.  Here is a similar product:
Cupcake / Pastry carrier

Sweet Mollie loves to help "clean up"

Sweet Calvin loves to help "clean up" . . . 

Naan Flatbread

This is definitely the best of the three naan recipes I have used over the years.  I also made it better, not to brag, by adding garlic to the melted butter.  Go big or go home.

My son Brigham asks for naan every week.  And gets it about once a month, which is a win for all of us.  I'll have to post my favorite Instant Pot curry recipe next, because naan is best enjoyed when you are sopping up some flavorful, spicy curry and chicken.

Put the dough in a greased bowl
and let it rise in a warm oven.

Until it doubles in size . . . 

Turn out on a floured surface

Cut into twelve equal pieces,
then shape into balls and roll out

I like to use my griddle so I can do three or four at a time

It smells even better than it looks . . .

There are never leftovers, y'all

Brown Sugar Muffins

You can go from zero to muffins in 25 minutes with this recipe. It's easy to whip up a batch of these before school, and my kids love them more than any other muffins I make. Every recipe I get from Cori is a keeper!

I love my muffin/cupcake stand . . . and Miss Mollie
loves brown sugar muffins the most.

My kids love it when I display muffins on the cupcake
stand--it makes breakfast seem special.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

This dessert is everything a brownie should be: moist, dense, rich, chocolatey . . . then multiply your dessert enjoyment by 10 when you add chunks of Reese's peanut butter cups.

This recipe card was one of the first ones I ever made, and what was I thinking with that font?  

Old card--do not use this one.
Scroll down to bottom for new card.

I found the recipe for Peanut Butter cup brownies in Wondertime magazine about five or six years ago (alas, Wondertime is no more).  They looked so good . . . but the first time I made them, they were far too sweet.  So, I reduced the sugar by half a cup, and eventually by 3/4 cup.  Then I added two more peanut butter cups to the recipe.  And a bit more salt.

Now they are perfect.

I actually only had 8 cups this time, but it's better
with ten.  Or even twelve.  Is there any kitchen
chore more delightful than shucking PB cups?

Cut each cup into fourths.  (A few times I have used a package of
bite-size Reese's instead and the brownies have been delightful)

Use real butter to grease the pan---no substitutions.

This is how it looks before you put it in the oven . . . 

This is how it looks before you put it in YOUR MOUTH

Mmmmmmm . . . brownies.  With Reese's . . . 

Strawberry Shortcake

This recipe has been in my cards-to-do list for a long time.  It is a Martha Stewart recipe and so scrumptious.  I made shortcake last weekend (in a fit of defying the two feet of snow in my yard) and remembered why I love it so much--the cake is crumbly and biscuit-like, and complemented perfectly by the sweet strawberries and soft cream.

It takes a more time to make individual shortcakes, but I think it's a little more special.

  This photo above I made one big shortcake in my deep-dish pizza stone, which is 10" in diameter.  I baked it for about 30 minutes and it turned out perfectly.

You might also like my heritage shortcake recipe from my husband's maternal grandmother.