Ashley's Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe comes to you courtesy of my sis-in-law Ashley. These cookies are very yummy and the recipe is super easy. The secret ingredient is instant pudding. It makes these cookies very moist and chewy, which is just what I like in a chocolate chipper. You can also use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla and have yourself some chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.
Also this recipe makes a reasonable 3 dozen cookies, unlike my mom's recipe which makes 6-7 dozen. This recipe will not take you all afternoon to whip up.
Thanks Ash!


Ashley's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 pkg. 3.4-oz. instant vanilla pudding2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour1 tsp. soda
2 c. chocolate chips
Cream butter, sugar, pudding. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and soda. Gradually add. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know there are a ton of chocolate chip cookies out there. I have made lots of different recipes but the recipe my mom made when we were kids continues to be my favorite. I could literally eat 2 dozen of these babies without even blinking. Maybe that is why I bake them, then immediately bag them up and throw them in the freezer. But that might also explain why I have such a fondness for frozen cookies. Hmmm. . .



Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 c. butter
2 c. white sugar
2 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
6 1/2 c. flour
1 bag chocolate chips


Cream shortening and butter together. Add sugars to butter mixture and combine well, scrapping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each. Add vanilla, salt, and soda. Combine well. Add flour, 2 cups at a time. Mix well between each addition. Add chocolate chips, and stir to combine. This time I added a bag a M&M's to make them Valentine festive.
Place rounded Tbs. of dough on greased cookie sheets. I like to roll the dough into balls so the cookies turn out very uniform looking. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. I bake mine for 9 minutes. I like my cookies very soft in the middle. If you like yours more crispy, bake them a couple minutes longer. Cool on a rack, but be sure to eat a couple hot.


This recipe make a ton of cookies, about 6-7 dozen. I always figured if you're going to make cookies, make cookies! But this recipe cam easily be halved. These cookies freeze very well, as noted above. Hope you enjoy! And happy Valentine's Day.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

I was in the mood to make cookies the other day. I asked Shawn what kind of cookies he would like. He started talking about a cookie his mom used to make that had carrots in it, and he remembers really liking them. I was dubious but went searching for a recipe. I found this one at allrecipes.com. I have to admit he converted me. These are tasty little gems. And maybe you can feel less guilty about eating them because they are so healthy, right? Right. Oh, and Shawn also said they are pretty darn close to what his mom used to make. Hope you enjoy!


Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

• 1 c. shortening
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 c. cooked, mashed carrots- Just a note here: you want them very soft for easy mashing, so boil the crap out of those carrots. I was also surprised at the number of carrots it took to make a cup, mashed. I would boil 2-3 cups raw carrots.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Beat shortening and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and carrots. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to carrot mixture. Mix well. Drop by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack. Glaze cookies while they are still warm. Store in an air-tight container. If you stack the cookies in the container, place waxed paper between the layers to keep the cookies from sticking together. Makes 2 dozen cookies.


Orange Glaze

• juice of 1/2 orange- about 3-4 Tbs.
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add orange juice and powdered sugar. Mix well. Add orange zest and mix well. Glaze cookies by placing a cookie sheet beneath cookie cooling rack. Pour warm glaze over cookies and let cool.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yay, a new post! I did not intentionally take the whole summer off. It just happened. We had a super busy summer. But now the girls are back in school and I will maybe have some time to devote to food blogging. I'm sure the two of you who read this blog are really excited.

Anyway moving onto cookies. I found this cookie recipe back in February and have made them over and over. But we eat them so fast that I have never gotten a picture before. So the three cookies in this picture were held hostage for a day until I got around to taking some pictures. They are now long gone.
I got this recipe off all recipes.com. I read the comments and lots of people modified it. So I did the same. I changed from all white sugar to 1/2 white and 1/2 brown. And I also split the butter content in 1/2 and used some shortening because I like how chewy shortening makes cookies. I had never messed with a recipe like this before and it was kind of scary, but also very liberating. I have always heard that with baking, you have to be precise and don't estimate. But you can! And I did! And it was fun! So here you go: This recipe is fantastic! The cookies are chewy and rich. I like to make mine with mint chocolate chips, but they would also be good with white chocolate chips or semi-sweet. Enjoy!



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
1 1/3 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips of your choice

Blend butter and shortening well, them add sugars. Blend. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then add chocolate chips and mix gently. Place rounded tablespoons of dough (I really did about 1/8 c. per cookie. I like them big) on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes at 350. Eat them hot with milk. Super yummy and gooey!

Lime-Glazed Cookies

Man, this is a busy time of year. Not much posting going on lately. I guess life takes priority and that is okay.



I love icing. I could take the icing and leave the cake sometimes. I love when brownies and cookies have icing. Here is a little cookie with a icing glaze. It is tart and sweet and zesty and most importantly, yummy!

Lime-Glazed Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest (about 2 limes)
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
Lime Glaze (recipe below)

Beat butter and both sugars in a electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add lime zest and juice, and salt; beat until combined. Add flour; beat until just combined.
Turn out dough onto a large piece of waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into an 8-inch log; flatten round log into a rectangle log about 1 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Flatten sides against work surface. Wrap and freeze or refrigerate until dough is firm- at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cook completely. When cool spread with about 1 teaspoon Lime Glaze. Cookies should be eaten same day they are glazed.

Lime Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely greated lime zest

In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together until spreadable. Mine was a little thin and I had to add more powdered sugar. Make it the consistency you like for glaze. I prefer not runny but still pourable.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We made these cookies on Halloween night. They were a big hit! Soft and chewy, and full of yummy flavor. I love the intense spice flavor. Along with the pumpkin and the chocolate, it is the perfect combination. We ate these cookies up instead of chewing on our nails while we watched Tremors.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 29-oz. can pumpkin
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
5 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a Kitchen-Aid mixer, combine pumpkin, sugars, oil, and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
After refrigerating and before you proceed, give the dough a good mixing. The chocolate chips have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the dough.
Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 13 minutes or until the center of the cookie is firm.
Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, the transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Eat with cold milk and enjoy!