Thursday, July 14, 2011

From My Kitchen

Recently, with my dad's permission, I brought my mom's Kitchen Aide stand mixer home to live at my house. I've always wanted one, but always thought they were too expensive.  I wasn't sure if I would actually use it, or if it would become just another kitchen gadget that sits on the counter, dusty and ignored.  But thankfully, the opposite is true- I've been using that mixer at least twice a week if not more.  I found a killer pizza dough recipe which we've incorporated into our homemade pizza night, and I've made a few cakes as well.  But hands down the thing I've made the most of in my "new" mixer so far are chocolate chip cookies.  I have an awesome recipe which I've been using for a year now, but for some reason they just never turned out as good as they have been since I've started using my mixer.  Maybe it's because all the ingredients are more thoroughly mixed?  I'm not sure, but they are delicious. There is nothing more simple, yet scrumptious and comforting as a good chocolate chip cookie and a cold glass of milk.  Perfection.  So go ahead, break out your mixer, and give these a try.

Nikki's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix the following ingredients thoroughly:
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Next add:
2 1/4 cups flour (use whole wheat flour for a different texture/flavor; it's really good! but regular all-purpose flour is delish too.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bake at 375 for 11-15 minutes

I always bake them for eleven minutes because I prefer a soft, chewy cookie. But my husband likes crispy cookies, so sometimes I humor him and bake them for the full fifteen.  Either way, these have been my favorite recipe yet.  So put on your apron and get to baking!

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