{The End To My Quest...?}

Fortunately, it only took me a few months to find this recipe (well, I do look at new recipes from different food blogs almost everyday...). When I first made chocolate chip cookies, I used theNestle Toll House Recipe. I thought that the cookies were already delectable, but when I saw Alton Brown's recipe, I was instantly intrigued. There were so many different instructions and ingredients from this recipe that had to see if the cookies would turn out better than the ones I made using the Toll House recipe.

In Alton Brown's recipe, you need to have one egg and one egg yolk, and you have to melt the butter instead of using it when it is room-temperature. Also, you have to use a lot of brown sugar and less white sugar. A lot of bloggers have said that this is their favorite recipe, and that the brown sugar makes the cookies very chewy. The cookies turned out just how I liked them. When I first bit into one of the cookies, I immediately knew that it was the best cookie that I had ever made. I am very picky when it comes to cookies, and I do not really enjoy cookies that are too dry, crunchy, or cakey. These cookies were perfect - chewy and moist, with a lot of flavor. I will definitely be using this recipe from now on whenever I want to bake cookies!

Adapted from Alton Brown's The Chewy Recipe

Note: I did not have bread flour. I just used all-purpose flour, but the cookies still ended up really chewy. Also, the recipe does not indicate how long you should refrigerate the dough, so I refrigerated it for one hour.

I was baking during the afternoon, and there was a rainbow on the cookie tray because of the sunlight that hit the windows (I just had to take pictures of this!).

This is one of the best things that I have ever baked, and I really hope that you try to make these for yourselves! If you like them as much as I did, you can not eat just one!

{5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake}

This is by far one of the easiest but surprisingly delicious treats that I have ever made. This is a five minute cake because it takes five minutes to prepare it and then cook it. At first, I was a bit skeptical, because I expected to turn out horribly - tough, rubbery, and with a stomach-churning taste too. I remember looking at the ingredients and thinking, " I would never want to make this cake." I did not realize how popular this recipe would be, because a lot of new posts from other food blogs claimed that this recipe really worked. I saw picture after picture of the cake, and I suddenly became eager to know if they really were what a lot of people claimed they were. When I looked at those images, I imagined the scent and taste of the wonderful creation.

Is it possible to cook a cake in 1 minute? Well, I was utterly shocked when I first tasted the cake. While it was in the microwave, I was thinking about how it would probably be inedible. When I took it out of the microwave, I became elated and astonished. The cake smelled just like one fresh from the oven, but I really wanted to know how it tasted. I could really taste chocolate - it was not too dry, and the melted dark chocolate chips gave it an immense boost in flavor. It is best shared between two people, and although it does not look and taste as tasty as a real cake, it certainly will do for a quick snack.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

2 tablespoons milk

A dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. Stir all the ingredients together.

2. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Pour the batter into a microwave safe mug.

4. Cook in a microwave for one minute.

5. Eat it warm with ice cream or a chocolate syrup (if you can handle even more chocolate!).

Note: It might turn out too dry or rubbery if you cook it for too long. I have been looking for different recipes for this cake, and a lot of them contained eggs. I was worried about the possibility of salmonella, so I am glad that this recipe does not have any eggs in it (but it still tastes good!).

I shared this cake with my brother and sister, and they really enjoyed it too!

{Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies}

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (try saying that five times fast)

Adapted from Hershey's

As I have mentioned before, I really love chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes, I bake far too many of these cookies and end up looking for a different recipe to try out. I was intrigued by a lot of recipes for chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips on other food blogs, and wondered when I would be able to try to make them. Fortunately, the supermarket had a new stock of peanut butter chips, and I finally found the time to make these cookies.

The cookies were definitely a change from the usual cookie I normally eat. I could really taste the chocolate, and the peanut butter helped to add even more flavor. I really enjoyed making these cookies, but I will continue to find other cookie recipes (after all, who knows how any delicious new cookie recipes that I have not tried to make before are out there?).

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

1 2/3 cups Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups of sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. Set this mixture aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until they are combined thoroughly.

4. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract, and beat them until they are fully mixed.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat well.

6. Add the peanut butter chips.

7. Drop the dough on cookie sheets (you can use an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, depending on the size of cookies that you like).

8. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.

Note: Try not to overbake these cookies, because they will become very hard. Remember that they will puff while baking, but flatten while they are cooling.)

{Brownies}

Recipe adapted from Hershey's

I bought some Hershey's Cocoa Powder the other day, and normally I use it to make hot chocolate on a chilly night. After searching the Hershey's website, I found a brownie recipe using the Hershey's Cocoa Powder. You can add more ingredients to this recipe, like chocolate chips and/or nuts. The recipe says that you can frost the brownies if you want, but I decided not to since the frosting would make the brownies too sweet.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa

4 eggs

1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together. Add the eggs and cocoa. Beat all of the ingredient until they are fully combined. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix. Put this batter into the pan.

3. Bake the batter for 30 to 35 minutes. After they have cooled completely, cut into desired sizes.

Remember not to bake it for too long, or you will get a very dry brownie. You might even get a very crunchy outer crust, so be careful!

{A Different Kind of Chocolate Chips}

The cookies that I bake usually consist of semisweet chocolate chips. While I was in the grocery the other day, I decided to try using dark chocolate chips instead of my regular semisweet chocolate chips (I have been wanting to try using dark chocolate chips for a while).




To see the recipe that I used, click here. Just substitute the semisweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips.

The first thing I noticed when I bit into one of these cookies was that they were not as sweet as the cookies that I make with semisweet chocolate chips. For me, dark chocolate is always delicious, whether it is eaten by itself or with other food and desserts, like chopped up with bananas or drizzled on cake.




Usually we try to limit the amount of chocolate that we eat all the time, but here's some good news: dark chocolate can actually be healthy for you (sorry, but milk chocolate and white chocolate do not apply to this). It has health benefits such as lowering high blood pressure, and containing numerous antioxidants (even more than some fruit). Keep in mind that although dark chocolate is healthier than other kinds of chocolate, we should not eat more chocolate than the recommended amount.

If you would like to try a cookie that is not as sweet as your regular chocolate chip cookie, try using dark chocolate chips!

{Mmmmini Choco Chip Muffins}

Recipe Adapted from Bakerella

This morning I woke up and felt like baking something for breakfast. I have made pancakes and crepes in the past (I will post something about how I make my crepes soon), but I have a soft spot for these mini muffins because they are so minuscule and adorable and I could not help myself to just one.You can even bring them with you whenever you go somewhere so that you always have a little snack on hand (I can just pop them in my mouth).


Some of you may find them sweet, and I can see you crinkling your noses when you imagine adding even more sugary goodness to these mini muffins - maple syrup. It is so sweet, but I always find myself reaching for it whenever I devour breakfast food like pancakes, waffles, or crepes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (and more if you want to drizzle it on top of your mini muffins after they are finished baking)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (these can be the miniature kind if you prefer)


*After a few minutes of searching online, I quickly found out that you can make a buttermilk substitute if you do not have any buttermilk. The ways to make the substitutes sound interesting, but I have never tried making a buttermilk substitute. If you like using these methods, you do not have to run to the grocery store just to buy buttermilk!

If you want to try and make a buttermilk substitute, all you need are milk (slightly less than one cup) and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice

1. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk.

2. Let this stand for five minutes.

(Yes, that's it! It is that easy)

Also, you use plain yogurt or sour cream instead of buttermilk.

If buttermilk is not available at your supermarket, you can try and search for powdered buttermilk. All you need to do is to add water to it.

1. Set oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius).
2. Mix the first five ingredients together (the dry ingredients) in a bowl. Set aside.

Make sure you have greased mini muffin pans nearby.


3. Mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and butter, and then pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.





4. Mix until they are well incorporated.



5. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into your mini muffin pans.




6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

A lot of them looked plain on the outside, but it was okay since you can taste all the chocolate chips that were hidden inside.

I hope these give a fantastic start to your day!

{Happy Father's Day Scones}

Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from Hershey's

A few days before Father's Day, I asked my dad what his favorite treats were. After a bit of questioning, I asked him an extremely baffling one (but it might be hard just for me, in my opinion): Do you prefer cupcakes or cookies? He opted for the latter, because he said that he did not enjoy sweet things (if you ask me, I probably would have declared that I couldn't choose just one of them!) He never wondered why I was asking him all of these questions, which gave me great relief, because I knew that he would not assume that I planned on making a special treat for him for his Father's Day present. I have made cookies before, and I wanted to try something different. After looking through different recipes on the Internet, I found a great one about chocolate chip scones from Hershey's.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 cups cold whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of melted butter
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*

*Note: The Hershey's recipe requires dark chocolate chips. You can use dark chocolate chips if you like, but all I had were semisweet chocolate chips (although the scones tasted good with them too).


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the chocolate chips.
3. Pour in the whipping cream and keep on stirring until the mixture becomes moist.

4. Add flour on top of a board or a flat surface like a counter.

5. Put the mixture on the board or flat surface and knead until you make a soft dough. This will take about two minutes of kneading.

6. With this dough, you can make three equal sized balls that will become seven inch circles after you flatten them with your hands.

7. Cut the dough into eight pieces.

8. Place the pieces on cookie sheets (about two inches apart).

9. Melt some butter and brush it on top of the scones.

10. Add some sugar on top.

11. Bake this in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

These scones taste good with many different things, like milk, ice cream, and tea (but not all of them at the same time!).

What mattered to me the most was what my dad thought of the scones. I knew he really liked them, because he said that they were really good. He was going to eat them for breakfast the next day, and bring them with him to work also! I think that this was my best Father's Day gift for him so far.

(Chocolate Chip) Cookie Monster

From cinnamon coated snicker doodles to exotic - tasting coconut macaroons, there is at least one cookie which compels one's eyes to go wide in exhilaration at the thought of biting into it. On dull, dreary days, nothing cheers me up as much as a cookie. What kind of cookie makes my heart pump a mile a minute, and makes my adrenaline race? Is it a dainty thumbprint cookie, with a an exquisite jam topping? How about a light and fluffy meringue, that would melt in your mouth at the first bite? If I could eat just one type of cookie for the rest of my life, it would have to be chocolate chip cookies. They are not as elaborate as an adorned sugar cookie, but when it comes to cookies, I gravitate towards the simpler ones. Once you bite into one, your head will spin with all the flavors. Sweet and buttery, with a slight hint of vanilla. Chewy, with gooey chocolate at every bite.

Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter* room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs

The cookies that I made became really ginormous, and we only had about 18. I am sure that you will have even more cookies if you make them smaller (I am going to try to make smaller cookies next time).


1. Set oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius).
2. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Set this mixture aside.
3. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until they are combined thoroughly.

4. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract, and beat them until they are fully mixed.

5. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt mixture.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: I used an ice cream scoop to put the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. You can also just use a normal spoon to drop the cookies. You can choose what size you want the cookies to be, and it is best to make them 2 or more inches away from each other.

My sister, caught in the act! You can see her hand trying to take some of the chocolate chips. She has a really big sweet tooth!

Some of the cookies were too big, so they stuck to each other a bit. Next time, I am going to put fewer cookies on the tray, and add more space in between them. I might have gotten a bit carried away with the size of the cookies…

If this happens to you, don’t worry! I have a simple little solution – use cookie cutters! Your cookies will end up looking cute, and everyone will want to sneak in one…or two… alright, I admit that I usually take more than three!

These cookies are really easy to make, and my sister wanted to use the heart-shaped cookie cutters.

I learned one more thing – your butter should be room temperature. I forgot to take the butter out of the fridge, and I ended up having to put it in the microwave! I do not recommend doing this, because some of the cookies had little butter bits in them! I love butter (who doesn’t?), but sometimes it is better to eat something without really tasting the butter in them. Before you start baking, make sure the butter is at room temperature! I don’t think I will forget that anytime soon…

A zoom in on my first cookie attempt!

Thirsty? A cold glass of milk has your name on it!