Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Again with the chocolate. I know. I have a problem. But it is such a delicious problem. It's double chocolate. Chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips... oh my! I'll take chocolate in nearly every concoction conceivable. I search for chocolate recipes to try. This one here though, I didn't have to search for. This recipe I bought and brought right into my home. Years ago, this recipe used to be on the back of Nestle's white chocolate chips, but then they replaced it. It was so good that I searched for it so that I could make them again. Here's Nestle's recipe: White Chip Chocolate Cookies. These cookies are amazing. They are so soft and the texture is almost like a brownie, but the white chocolate add a wonderful flavor. The only improvement I made to the original recipe is some instant espresso to intensify the chocolate flavor.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2-1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12-oz. pkg. white chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, espresso, and salt.



Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy.



Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well.



Gradually beat in flour mixture.



Stir in morsels.



Use a 1-inch or 1.5-inch cookie scoop to portion cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.



Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are just set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. These cookies will be very soft for a while, but they set more as the cool, so do not overcook them.

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's not much that evokes memories of childhood and can make you salivate at the same time... but chocolate chip cookies fit the bill. I grew up making chocolate chip cookies with my daddy, and it's one of my fondest memories. I found a recipe several years ago that I tweaked a little that became my Triple Chocolate Cranberry Cookies - and I get a lot of compliments on that cookie. So, I decided to tweak it some more this past Christmas for my chocolate chip cookies that I make every holiday season, and I was hooked! They came out amazing. Dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, pecans, and a little espresso in intensify the chocolate, and oh my goodness!

1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps cornstarch
1 tsp salt

1 tsp instant espresso
9-10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
9-10 ounces dark chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt and espresso.

In a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar.

Add the eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips (and nuts if using them; I prefer pecans in chocolate chip cookies) and stir until evenly distributed. Here's the tip with the chocolate chips - you can use a whole bag of both semi-sweet and dark chocolate, and they are still pretty good. However, there just didn't seem to be enough "cookie" around the chips, so I cut it back to about 3/4 of each bag, and I loved it. Add to your taste.

Use a 1.5-inch cookie scoop to portion cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

I use my index and middle finger to very lightly flatten the tops of the cookies. That helps them bake more evenly and creates a flatter, less rounded top.

Bake cookies 8-10 minutes until just starting to brown at the edges. The tops will likely still look doughy (as shown below).  This is not a bad thing. This will give you beautifully soft pillowy chocolate chip cookies.

Remove cookies from the oven and allow to rest on the cookie sheet about 5 minutes until the cookies set (they will still be warm though). Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy a warm, soft, pillowy, super melted chocolatey, amazingly delicious cookie! Store in an air-tight container.

Roasted Cauliflower

If you want to entice your children to eat their veggies, then you can't find much of a better option than caramelized roasted cauliflower. My daughter could eat most of a head of cauliflower all by herself. It is that good. And you're going to want to try this. There is so much flavor in this cauliflower, and the caramelization just puts it over the top.

Cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprkia
Garlic Powder
Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees if cooking the cauliflower by itself. You can also use whatever temperature the rest of your dishes use and adjust the cook time accordingly. Cut off the green and stalk of the cauliflower, and then cut the cauliflower into florets.

Lightly coat the cauliflower with olive oil.

Evenly sprinkle the spices over the cauliflower, and then use your hands to toss it and ensure the spices are covering each piece.

Place the cauliflower in a foil-lined dish, and bake until caramelized until your liking. I prefer much darker caramelized pieces; my husband likes his much lighter. Start checking it about 30 minutes and pull it to your taste.