Stella’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Chatty Kathy

Stella wanted a pure chocolate chip cookie bake up, and these fit the bill perfectly. Usually I can’t stop myself from adding nuts, oranberries, or oats …. you know what I mean! However, her request was clear …….. slightly crunchy edges, soft but chewy PURE chocolate chip cookies. These only take a few minutes to whip up, and the reward is huge. Win/Win.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted but not hot
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheetwith parchment paper or leave ungreased.
In a large bowl or the bowl of you mixer add the sugars and melted butter and mix well until creamy.
Add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt to the bowl and beat on low speed until well incorporated, for about 30 seconds.
Add the flour to the bowl and mix until crumbles form. Note that you could mix your flour with the salt and baking soda, but I don’t find that it makes a difference at all.
Add the chocolate chips to the bowl and use a spatula to mix them in to the dough.
You can use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out cookie balls or use your hands to roll out the dough into balls, up to you how big you want your cookies. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet. This recipe yields around 50 cookies, so if you can only bake one tray at a time, place the remaining cookie dough in the fridge until ready for the next batch. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until just barely golden around the edges of the cookies. DO NOT OVER BAKE.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, then transfer them to wire rack to finish cooling or enjoy eating them.

For perfect little balls use a mini scoop and then give them a little roll.

Figuring out how to take the perfect photo for the cookies of her dreams.

Yes, the kids are helping Nana style her food photos. Looks like I can turn that job over to someone more qualified! I will just keep cooking and baking.

The cookies in the foreground are baked for 10 minutes and resulted in a very soft cookie. If you want crispier bits around the edges bake for just 2 more minutes.

This recipe came from one of my favorite websites, Jo Cooks, out of Calgary. Her recipes are almost always a winner, and so easy to complete. Stella and I found that we preferred the cookies cooked a little longer just to get the crispy edges, but if you love your cookies softer stick to the cooking times listed above.

Snickerdoodles

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

The ultimate Snickerdoodle, courtesy of Heather, these ones made by her daughter Emily. Just thin enough to be tender and chewy.

Have you ever noticed how many recipes are out there for Snickerdoodles? They are everywhere, and I’ve tried a lot of them. Some get quite complicated with refrigeration time required, shaping instructions, and the list goes on. Ultimately, what I’m looking for just isn’t that complicated. This recipe is perfect, and make the best cookies, so quit looking for another snickerdoodle cookie recipe and get baking. You won’t be sorry.

Whisk together:

1/4 cup white sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk until well blended:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

(alternatively you could omit the cream of tartar & baking soda, just use 3 tsp of baking powder)

Beat in a large bowl:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar

When light and fluffy, beat in:

2 large eggs

Stir in the dry ingredients until cookies are well blended. Form cookies into balls (about 1 1/4 inch), roll in cinnamon & sugar mixture and place on parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 1/2 inches apart. Give them LOTS of space as they do spread.

Bake one sheet of cookies at a time.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, just until very lightly browned at the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing and placing on a cooling rack.

I put these ones too close together, and they kind of all ran into each other ….. I might fail shape class but they were still delicious.

Our friend Heather makes the most beautiful cookies, they are seriously works of art. Needless to say, when struggling with trying to find a recipe, I turned to her. She provided this one, with the news that it came from Joy of Cooking!

Heather’s daughter Emily will no doubt be as skilled with cookies as Heather is.

nts

Baking with my girls is the best – they are getting so good at measuring – love Stella’s attention to the scale to make sure all the cookies are the same size. (no, you don’t need to do that, but it sure kept her busy)

nts

Really, it doesn’t seem that long ago I was baking with these two little cuties. Now they have little cuties of their own, and I’m baking with the next generation too.

Buttermilk Ranch Dip or Dressing

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

Vegetables first! The kids absolutely love a big platter of fresh vegetables, but this ranch dressing really makes it a favourite. Ready for them to arrive from the ski hill today and this platter will disappear in minutes.

This is the best creamy dressing to have on hand for those hungry moments. .. … or when the kids are arriving home from school or the ski hill. In general, we prefer vinaigrette’s for salad dressing, but this is so comforting and delicious we love it too.

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk (you could use regular milk but I like the tang from buttermilk)
1 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano & parsley (in the summer of course fresh is best)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp lemon juice (according to your own taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Give the whole thing a good mix and allow to sit long enough for all the seasonings to fully wake up and join the party. This is perfect as a dip, for a salad dressing I would thin it out a bit with either a bit more buttermilk or even a touch of water.

Energy Balls

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Nailed it! These energy balls are perfect for a bite on the go, or if you just realized you forgot to eat today …… (Hello Hayley). This is the perfect recipe for a little creative flexibility. We don’t like raisins, so you won’t find any here but they could easily be used in place of cranberries or the dried cherries. The only thing that matters is that you use 2 cups of dried fruit – use any combination you like. With all the peanut allergies in schools and restrictions with it (Hello Liv), you can easily replace the peanut butter with any nut butter you like.

A big part of the success story is your ingredient source …. Rancho Vignola has amazing nuts, seeds, and baking products. Make sure you have great quality supplies. Nope, this isn’t a sponsored post, I just love their products!

1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 cup oats (I use a combination of quick cooking and large flake oats)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried cherries (chopped)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups toasted coconut flakes

Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.
In a separate small bowl stir peanut butter and honey together until smooth and well incorporated.
Stir into dry ingredients, and mix well. Again, I find your hands the best tools you’ve got. Make sure you mix well …. those pesky little sesame seeds like to hide in the bottom of the bowl.
Once you’ve got it all mixed, form balls and roll in the toasted coconut. I find it helps to put a little coconut in my hands too and that really helps it to adhere.

Store in the fridge for up to a week, or keep them in the freezer for a couple of months (if they last that long).

Creamiest Hummous

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

Drizzle the finished hummus with your best olive oil and a sprinkling of paprika. A few toasted sesame seeds would be a great addition also. (I just didn’t think of it until I looked at my photos!)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups (250 grams) cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
1/4 cup (60 ml) well-stirred tahini
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) ice water
Dash ground paprika, for serving

UPDATE: SINCE posting this originally, I’ve discovered a few more tricks.

If you don’t have free hands for peeling the chickpeas, boil with 1/2 tsp baking soda per can for 20 minutes. Drain well and rinse with cold water – ready to go.

If you soak your garlic in the lemon juice for 10 minutes, and process that with the tahini at the first blending stage your garlic will have a much more mellow, smooth taste.

DIRECTIONS

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.

Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.

I know, you are thinking “what goof peels chickpeas?” Me. Especially after Stella raved about the creamiest hummus she’d ever had. At 5 years old, this girl knows food. After that, how could I not peel my hummus. After all, even if it takes you 20 min to peel that can of chickpeas, haven’t you ever wasted 20 min on something less interesting??

Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until you reach the perfect consistency.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

We served the hummus today with fresh vegetables as well as lightly seasoned and toasted pita wedges.

I heard a rumour that hummus made at home could be creamy, dreamy & simple, but every time I tried it I was less than satisfied. Sure, it was tasty …. but dreamy? No. So I hit the blogs looking for a trick, and “inspired taste” provided it. Look up the blog – Adam and Joanne have some amazing photos and descriptions, plus tips for cooking your own chickpeas and many other great ideas. I’ve made this recipe a few times now, exactly as written (except that I am that weirdo that doesn’t mind a 10 minute mindless activity like skinning chickpeas).

A few days later, my grand daughters Sloan and Stella were here, asking for a snack …. when I produced the vegetables I got a look ….. “Well Nana ……..do you have any of that amazing peeled chickpea hummus left? Could we please have some of that too?” That, my friends, is how foodies are born.

Banana Apple Orange Loaf

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Chatty Kathy

You know how it goes when the fruit on your kitchen counter starts talking to you when you walk past ……. “Hey Kathy, whatcha gonna do with me”?? That happened this week with a couple bananas looking spotty and a few Mac apples. Add in a little fresh orange juice and you’ve got a fruit salad in a loaf.

Chunks of carmelized apple and a bit of orange juice make this the most moist loaf ever.

1 stick (+ 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature)
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 apples: peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 very ripe bananas, mashed to equal 1 cup
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
raw sugar

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter with the brown sugar. Add the apples and cook over moderately high heat stirring until tender and golden, about 4-6 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp vanilla and transfer apples to a plate to cool off.

Banana apple orange loaf 5

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. I also like to line it with parchment paper. In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg and the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Banana apple orange loaf 6

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the remaining stick of butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time and mix until smooth. Add mashed banana, orange juice and the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients, and beat on low speed just until combined. Gently fold in the apples.

banana apple orange loaf 4

banana apple orange loaf 2

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle raw sugar over the top. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (cover loosely with foil if the loaf starts to brown too quickly).

The raw sugar sprinkled over top creates this crunchy, crackly crust.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.

Peach Crumble Muffins

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Chatty Kathy

Delicately delicious with peach in every bite, peach season is made for these muffins.

Ingredients:

CRUMB TOPPING

1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour

MUFFINS

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
1/2 cup (120g) yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk (any kind)
1 and 1/2 cups chopped peaches

Directions:

First, make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine both sugars, the cinnamon, and melted butter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour. The crumb topping will be thick and crumbly. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Make the muffins: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and uniform in texture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, all-spice, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and slowly mix with a whisk. Add the milk, gently whisking until combined and little lumps remain. Fold in the peaches with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Gently wash the peaches before using, softly removing the fuzz. No need to remove the peel if you do this, keep all that goodness and add a bit of colour.

Spoon the muffin batter evenly between all 12 muffin tins. There may be enough to make a 13th muffin in a 2nd batch, depending if there were a few extra peach chunks thrown in. Fill the muffin tins until they are full all the way up to the top. Press a handful of the crumb topping into the top of each; crumble it with your hands to make some big chunks.

It’s peach season, and the workers are hard at it, so we made a double batch. I love these deeper silicone muffin trays, keeps a generous amount of crumble where it belongs – on top!

Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees, then keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees and bake for 15-19 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Oatmeal Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

I think these might be my new favourite cookie. I usually go for a crisper cookie, but these are soft and chewy and absolutely delicious.

Deliciously soft and chewy

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick rolled oats
1/2 cup fine coconut flakes
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate
(We really like a fine bit of chocolate throughout, so we grated it, but if you like it a bit chunkier, just roughly chop it)
1 cup pecans, chopped
large flake sea salt for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl … Flour, oats, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon and kosher salt. Stir well to combine.

In large mixing bowl cream butter with the 2 sugars. When this is light and fluffy add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla.

Add the dry mixture to the egg mixture until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate.

Roll into 2″ balls and place on cookie sheet, about 2″ apart. Gently press down slightly.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.

The minute they come out of the oven, quickly toss on a bit of sea salt for garnish.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Hot Layered Bean Dip

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

I know, we all have a layered bean dip recipe …. but this one is hot, creamy and delicious! Serve it with taco chips or toasted pita chips. Thanks to Lorellei for sharing this one – a brilliant addition to Sloan’s 5th birthday party.

Any time you have a crowd to please, go for this hot bean dip!

1 tin refried beans
2 avocadoes (soft and ripe)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 crushed garlic clove
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 cup grated cheddar
3/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Grease a 9 x 11 baking/serving dish.
Spread out beans on the bottom of dish
Mash avocado, lemon juice and hot sauce – spread on top of bean layer
Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic and spices – spread over avocado layer
Mix cheeses together and sprinkle over sour cream layer
Top with halved olives, then scatter with green onions and cilantro

Bake at 350 for around 25 minutes, until cheese is golden, bubbly and looking delicious.

This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready to heat.

Raspberry Coconut Oat Muffins

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Chatty Kathy

Be prepared for your house to smell fantastic when these are baking – pretty difficult to wait for them to cool enough to eat!

Delicious muffins – loaded with coconut and raspberry with just a hint of lemon to brighten them up.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups of white flour
1/2 cup oat flakes
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 overripe bananas
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut, divided
Fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners. (you can also use coconut spray)

In a small bowl, combine the flour, oat flakes, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, mix well. In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, sugar, banana, and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then continue beating until well combined, finishing with the lemon zest and juice.

When Sloan and I are cooking we taste and add ingredients by a smidge of this, a dab of that – but baking I tell her, must be precise!

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the 3/4 cup of coconut, 1 cup fresh raspberries, and gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Add one fresh raspberries to each muffin, pushing them in gently. Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut to the tops of each muffin.

Place into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a rack.

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