Chocolate; what is there not to love about it?? There are a few times of the year that I must admit, I get chocolate on the brain, and Valentine's day is one of those. Personally, I know of no better way to a woman's heart than Chocolate or shoes! Since I'm not a shoe maker, cooking will have to do. Want a nice simple cookie that you can make, wrap and give that special someone that really shows them you care? Well, these are those cookies!
I can't tell you for how long I've been baking cookies, and these are some of my favorite. I don't remember how I got the original recipe, but I've tweaked it through the years. these have always been my daughters favorites.
I recommend to always use a good quality chocolate. You food will only be as good as the ingredients you put in. I primarily use Ghirardelli...consistently good and many varieties to choose from. For these, I HIGHLY recommend 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, Milk Chocolate Chips,Sweet ground Chocolate and cocoa and the 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Baking Bar for shaving. Those varieties of chocolate will give you several taste notes and really make for a delightful cookie.
I hope you enjoy these, as they are one of my personal favorites!
*A few notes: I find the texture of all of my cookies are so much better when I use a vegetable shortening, like Crisco instead of just butter. you can substitute all butter or shortening in this recipe. Vanilla...I am very picky. After taking a class with Norman Love he stressed the importance of a good, quality vanilla and steered us away from ever using an extract. He suggested either good quality beans, or a good paste. Nielsen-Massey Vanillas makes the finest paste I have been able to find.
Ken's Almost Famous Cookies
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup of Crisco shortening
- 1 cups sugar
- 1 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- 6 oz. Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
- 1 tsp. Soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tbs of Ghirardelli Sweet ground Chocolate and Cocoa Powder
- 2-4 oz. Ghirardelli 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Baking Bar, shaved
- 2 ½ cups blended oatmeal (Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a medium-fine flour)
Cream butter, shortening and both sugars in a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Add eggs and vanilla. After creamed together, use spatula to scape sides of bowls, and change attachment to blade. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, Chocolate and Cocoa Powder, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips and shaved Chocolate. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes at 375. Let cool on wire baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to wire rack.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wow - they look really good!! Good tip about the vanilla paste. I've never used that before. :)
ReplyDeleteKen,, Thats Alot of Chocolate! Now theres a Chocoholic's Dream! Have to make them! Thanks for sharing your fav cookie recipe!
ReplyDeleteYes...there is alot of Chocolate in these! Hard to tell from picks, but If I was to break open a cookie you would see how chocolaty they are!
ReplyDeleteThe Ground oatmeal adds a nice chewiness to them...make sure not to over bake...you want these chewy, not hard and crunchy. I'm not a fan of hard cookie...
Vanilla paste...a MUST add to these..(well for me...to anything I use Vanilla for!!)
Wow these cookies look awesome! Helpful tips too!
ReplyDeleteThese cookies sound like they should be famous, nice recipe. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I can find Madagascar vanilla here in Greece but I will make these cookies with whatever I have handy, because they look delicious!
ReplyDeleteHi there Ken!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Steve Walters and I recently started blogging at http://www.eatingbangkok.com, which is currently being updated with recipes, but in the next few months will be my vehicle for covering the food and restaurant scene in Bangkok Thailand.
I am now in the process of meeting as many food bloggers as I can and I found your site http://topcheffan.blogspot.com recently and was pretty impressed. I've added your site to my Foodie Blogs list here: http://www.eatingbangkok.com/foodie-blogs/ and would also like to add you to my blogroll.
If you could add my site to your blogroll and write back to let me know it has been added (foodie [at] eatingbangkok.com) I will add you to mine as well and the exchange would be greatly appreciated!
As you might imagine I am very excited to get moved to Bangkok and get started on covering the food scene there as I feel it is an area that isn't well covered by English speaking bloggers. I plan on adding loads of great reviews, pictures and even video and will be holding contests as well. It should be fun, entertaining and informative for everyone that visits.
Thank you so much in advance for adding me to your blogroll and I look forward to reading your posts (I've subscribed!) and maybe even featuring some of your own posts as I do plan on a weekly roundup of Thai themed recipes and posts from other food bloggers.
Warm regards,
Steve
P.S. If you are on Twitter I would love to have you as a follower and I follow back:
http://www.twitter.com/eatingbangkok
I love Chocolate chip cookies!I came across your site from the foodieblogroll and I'd love to guide Foodista readers to your site. I hope you could add this chocolate chip cookie widget at the end of this post so we could add you in our list of food bloggers who blogged about recipes for chocolate chip cookies,Thanks!
ReplyDeletewow they look yummy
ReplyDelete