My children think that I make perfect chocolate chip
cookies. Do I? Maybe, maybe not but they think that I do and
that is all that I care about. I will
say, however, that many others will tell me the same and ask me how I do it?
They are appear nearly all perfectly round. They appear to be perfectly browned, and they
are light and fluffy, not flattened or crunchy.
The picture to the right is of some chocolate chip cookies that I just
freshly baked yesterday.
There is no big secret or special ingredient that makes the
cookies seem so perfect, but, I do have a few things that I do consistently
when baking, especially my seemingly perfect chocolate chip cookies.
I believe elevation and humidity can play a large part in
how any baking may turn out. It can
affect the temperature that you should use on your oven and it can affect how
long you may need to bake your tasty treats.
However, for me, the brand of ingredients can make a huge difference.
I have found that all granulated sugars differ in the amount
of moisture they contain as well as the size of the grain. It can be real fine, or heavier. These
differences have been found to make a difference in how my baked goods turn
out.
Since I can’t control the humidity, I try to be consistent
with the brand. When I make these
so-called perfect chocolate chip cookies, I use Domino sugar, and Robin Hood
flour.
So that they give the nearly perfectly round appearance, I
roll the dough in 1” balls, rather than dropping by teaspoons on the ungreased
cookie sheet. When they bake out, they
have no choice but to stay round.
Typically when you bake cookies, especially those calling
for baking soda as one of the ingredients (much like the recipe I use does),
the cookies will puff up through the baking process. When they are in the last minutes of baking
they will tend to flatten out.
Therefore, I remove them from the oven in advance of the “flattening”
process, just before the cookies is completely baked.
One last little tip that I have for making these seemingly
perfect chocolate chip cookies, is that although the recipe calls for the use
of butter, I opt to use shortening instead. Additionally, I’m particular about the type of
shortening. Do I think there is a
different in shortening? Not really, my
sister makes the best pies and she says there is no difference I guess I’m just a particular in this
department. Butter will make the cookies
tastes more rich, and creamy, but shortening will make them more light and
fluffy.
Below is the recipe that I use:
¾ Cups of Domino Granulated
Sugar
¾ Cups of Domino Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream these items together and
then add:
2 ¼ Cups of Robin Hood Flour
Mix well and then fold in
semi-sweet chocolate chips by hand.
Roll the dough in 1” balls and
place on an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake at
350 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned, but not
yet flattened. Remove from the oven, and
let the cookies sit on the tray for about 30 seconds before removing to a paper
towel to cool. Store in a seal-tight
container, so that moisture stays with the cookie and doesn’t dry out.
Tip: Do not leave on the
cookies on the baking tray too long because the cookies will continue to bake
on the heated cookie tray.
JLMarkerKitchens.com
RICE KRISPIE PUMPKIN TREATS
Do you enjoy foods that are pumpkin based. I enjoy this time of year when we start to feel the cooler breeze in the evening, the color of the leaves are changing and the fall smells are in the air. It's bonfire time, time for hayrides, Trick or Treating and pumpkin pie. It's the time of year when I start looking for different pumpkin dessert recipes and experiment a little. I came across quite a few delicious options. Enjoy these yummy pumpkin dessert this fall season. They are quick and easy. Give it a try. Click here to watch this video for three great pumpkin desserts. 
Cream shortening, sugar, salt and
eggs. 
Watermelon ArtMaybe you want to try to be even more creative. There are many videos and books out there to help you be the master at carving a watermelon and giving your guests a lot to talk about. Carving a watermelon can be as easy or hard as you want it to be. Check out the
Here is a yummy
treat that can be a bit habit-forming to eat.
It’s the Red Raspberry Jelly Crescent Cookies. “I bet you can’t eat just one” of these. When made properly, they are small and bite
size. They are like little “poppers”
that you can pick up and pop right in your mouth. 
Mix the
cream cheese, butter and flour. Blend the
ingredients well. Separate the dough
into five (5) dough balls. Wrap the
dough balls separately in plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. 
I enjoy a hard-boiled egg.
Do you? I make about one dozen
hard boil eggs nearly every week. I have
at least one for lunch 4-5 days a week.
My grandchildren come over often and enjoy them, too. To not have hard boil eggs in my house is
taboo!
The problem we often have is cracking and peeling the
shell. Ouch! The sharp shell can poke your fingers. The sticky shell can adhere to the egg and
you end up peeling part of the egg with it.
Once in a great while you will get one that shells perfectly. But there is another way. Hard boil you eggs and create them to be
without the shell. 
Eggies can potentially be the best way to make hard boil
eggs. Do you have this set? These are great because they are hard boiled
and already shelled and ready to egg.
You have the best of both worlds by getting hard boiled eggs, already
without the shell and without the pain of remove the shell. 
