Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay.  Before we begin, I have something to say.  I am of the opinion that everyone loves chocolate chip cookies because they are a comfort food.  You know, something your mom made for you when you were a kid so you could have a snack when you came home from school.  In our house growing up we had them every Sunday while we played games together as a family.  

That said, I believe that the version you love will also be dependent upon the experience you had growing up.  Since our family made them at least weekly, we've become connoisseurs (of sorts) of different varieties for different occasions, and since being married my husband has never complained about sampling the different kinds.  

One thing most regular cookie bakers swear by is butter.  REAL butter.  And when it comes to cookies, usually salted.  The reason is this:  most people seem to prefer that crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, perfectly fudgey taste of salty-sweet heaven in every bite created by real butter.  

Let me tell you a secret.  You don't have to use butter.  (shhh! don't tell!)  And I'll only tell you the secret ingredient if you promise not to stop asking me for recipes when you like what I bring to the neighborhood potluck.

Shortening.  Crisco.  Call it what you want, but it's not butter, and it's not margarine.  

Trust me on this one.  If you like those crispy/chewy/fudgey/salty/sweet/perfect cookies but you don't feel like spending $4 just for the fat content in your dessert--try it.  But follow this recipe, so it doesn't throw things off and make you disappointed.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly adapted from Crisco

1 1/2 cups Crisco
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 T vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream shortening and sugar.  Add milk, eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Combine flour, salt and baking soda in separate bowl and add to wet ingredients, mixing only until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and perfect.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Apple Streusel Muffins

A couple years ago I tried a new recipe for a cinnamon apple coffee cake.  A brave maneuver on my part, considering it was meant to be the main feature on the breakfast menu at a baby shower.  However, all the stars aligned and it came out delicious.  Everyone wanted the recipe.  

The funny part was, among my friends I have a small reputation for dabbling in homemade everything--but that coffee cake was a doctored-up yellow cake mix!  That news actually came as a relief for many of the curious recipe seekers, and obviously I wasn't left out of that group on that particular weekend!  

However, since I do my best to find the "from scratch" version of most everything my family and I love to eat, I went on the hunt.  There were a couple flops.  But I think this is the winner.  

Since I didn't know this would be "the one," I don't have step-by-step photos.  But I promise it's easy.  This recipe makes a lot, (we got 24 mini muffins and 18 regular sized) but you can cut it in half and get the same result.  Or dump the whole thing in a bundt pan like I did for the baby shower, putting half of the streusel topping on the bottom of the pan, filling with half the batter, sprinkling remaining streusel and finishing with batter.  That will probably bake for 45-60 minutes.  Add a glaze if you're feeling fancy.

Apple Streusel Muffins

4 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups water (or milk if you want to omit milk powder)

2 cups chopped baking apples, peeled if desired

for the streusel:

1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

6 T cold butter 

Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in large glass measuring cup.  Combine dry and wet ingredients, mixing only until moistened.  Do not over mix.  Gently fold in apples.  In a separate small bowl, combine dry ingredients for streusel and then cut in butter using two knives or a pastry blender.  Grease muffin tins or line with muffin papers and fill cups 3/4 full with batter.  (1/4 cup for regular sized muffins, 1 T for mini muffins) Cover tops with streusel topping.  (1 T for regular muffins, 1 tsp for mini muffins)  Bake at 350; 18-22 minutes for regular muffins, 10-15 minutes for mini muffins, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks before serving.

Baked Lemon Chicken

Three things that I always have in my house are lemon pepper, lemon juice, and frozen chicken breasts.  This is the easiest dinner I make, and even though it is delicious, my husband will tell you that it gets old after a couple weeks of the same thing every night ;)  Seriously though, we probably have this at least every other week if not every week.

3 ingredients.  Lemon pepper, lemon juice, frozen chicken breasts.

Place the frozen chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Pour the lemon juice over the frozen chicken until it is coated.  The lemon juice freezes to the chicken.  Kinds cool eh?

Sprinkle generously with lemon pepper.

Cover with tin foil (this keeps the chicken moist) and bake for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees.  This baking time depends on the size of the chicken breasts, of course.

When the buzzer rings, take it out of the oven and you have baked lemon chicken.  And you spent what, 3 minutes making it?  Awesome.

Baked Lemon Chicken

From: My Brain

• Frozen chicken breasts
• Lemon Pepper
• Lemon Juice

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place the frozen chicken breasts in a baking dish.

Pour the lemon juice over them until they have a nice frozen coat.

Sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste.

Cover with tin foil.

Pop it in the oven for about 50 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken breasts).

Remove from the oven and serve.