{Secret Ingredient} Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Chelsea

Cook time:  12 mins

Total time:  12 mins

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons oat flour (oats that have been blended)
• 1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup M&M's

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and creamy.
3. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks into the sugar and butter mixture. Discard or save one of the egg whites for another recipe and place the remaining egg white in another bowl.
4. Add the cream of tartar in with the egg white and beat for several minutes.
5. Beat the vanilla extract and then the egg white mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar, and egg yolks.
6. In another bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, flour, and oat flour (Measure the oat flour AFTER grinding and not before). Stir until combined.
7. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the regular chocolate chips, and the miniature chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Using high quality chocolate chips makes these cookies the BEST! I recommend guittard or ghirardelli.
8. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out the dough onto a cookie sheet. Strategically place extra chocolate-chips and the M&M's on the tops of the cookies. (I don't mix the M&M's into the dough, but rather place them on the tops to get a pretty bakery-style appearance).
9. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the sides are lightly browned. Remove and allow to "cook" more on the cookie sheet for about 4-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
10. Under-baking your cookies is key to soft and chewy cookies. These cookies have a very soft and chewy center with crisp edges if baked appropriately.

Notes

*Often times cookies are messed up because people measure flour so differently. If you have a kitchen scale, the best results will come from measuring your flour - otherwise spoon and level or you will likely have way too much flour (by scooping into a flour bag it packs in more flour than is needed). **I have lots of trouble-shooting and helpful notes throughout this post. I highly recommend reading the tips before making these cookies for optimal results.

Recipe by Chelsea's Messy Apron at http://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/secret-ingredient-bakery-style-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Soft Pretzel Bites

These were really yummy! We did some with a little salt and some with cinnamon sugar. Such a fun treat! Not very good day two though.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/07/20/soft-pretzel-bites/

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups (300ml) warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)
1 packet Red Star Platinum instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon (8g) packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter, previously melted and not scorching hot
3.75 - 4.25 cups (470- 530g) all-purpose flour + more for the counter surface to knead
1/2 cup baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Kicked-Up Cheddar Cheese Sauce for serving
Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast may remain. Add salt, sugar, and melted butter; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attached to stand mixer) until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger - if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes and shape into a ball. Place in a large mixing bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm area for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (They stuck to the wax paper even though I sprayed it. I used nonstick aluminum foil sprayed for the second batch and it worked great) or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
3. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 6 sections. Roll the dough into six 20-inch long ropes. Cut the rope into 1.5 inch pieces to make bites.
4. Boil 9 cups of water with the baking soda. Make sure it is rapidly boiling. Drop 8-10 pretzel bites into water and let sit for 20 seconds. Remove with a spatula and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the bites aren't touching.
5. Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake batches for 15 minutes each, or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and serve with cheese sauce or honey mustard. Pretzel bites remain fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container, though they will lose some softness.

Make ahead/Freezing: For freezing, the prepared pretzel dough (or shaped dough) can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen in an airtight container for three months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated dough can be shaped into pretzels while still cold, but allow some extra time for the pretzels to puff up before the baking soda bath and baking. Baked pretzel bites freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven at 300°F (149°C) until warm.

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Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

This recipe is a composite a few recipes that I looked at and I kind of made it up :) It turned out really yummy! I just did a top crust which is why I called it a casserole.

For the crust:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup light mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
About 1/4 cup cold water

Mix flour, salt, and mayo together in medium mixing bowl.  Add water slowly, working dough with your hands until ball forms.  Don't overwork.  I chilled for about an hour but I don't know if this is necessary. Roll out to the size of your baking dish. Crust will be fairly thick depending on size of baking dish.

For the filling:

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cus chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
Salt
Pepper
You can use a can of cream of chicken soup or use the substitute that I used:

For substitute cream of chicken
1 can fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup flour (more if you want your sauce thicker)
2 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance dairy free)
Half can of light coconut milk (I had some so I used it, Not sure if necessary)
Salt
Pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour to form a roux.  Add chicken broth and simmer until thickens.  Add coconut milk and continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add carrots and celery.  Cover and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add cream of chicken soup or alternate that you have set aside.  Add frozen peas and chicken and allow to simmer for a few minutes.  Pour filling into baking dish and cover with crust. Cut slits in crust and cook at 350-375 degrees for 35 minutes (I started out at 350 for 20 minutes and then turned it up and cooked it for another 15 minutes) or until crust is light brown and filling bubbling.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

·         2 cups salsa verde (I didn't use even close to this!) 

·         2 cups shredded or cubed chicken, cooked

·         2 cooked sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

·         1 can yellow corn kernels, drained and rinsed. 

·         1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

·         ½ cup diced red onion

·         3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided

·         1 teaspoon chili powder

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         salt and pepper to taste

·         2 cups mexican blend cheese, divided

·         12 6-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas, warmed

·         1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

·         ½ cup diced tomatoes

·         2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degreesF

2.   Pour 1 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish; set aside.

3.   In a large bowl, combine cooked sweet potatoes, cooked chicken, black beans, corn, red onion, cilantro, spices, and salt and pepper, to taste.

4.   To assemble enchiladas, lay tortilla on a flat surface and spoon ¼ cup sweet potato mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish.

5.   Repeat with remaining tortillas

6.   Pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas and top with desired amount of cheese.

7.   Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

8.   Garnish with avocado, more tomato, cilantro, and sour cream if desired.

9.   Enjoy!

Applesauce Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP butter or coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In medium bowl stir together oatmeal, applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, butter, and sugar. Set aside. In large bowl whisk baking powder, baking soda, flour, cinnamon and salt (and optional ingredients) Make a well in the center and pour in applesauce mixture. Stir till just combined (don't overmix) Muffin batter will be wetter than most. Distribute among 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-20 min until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake. Freeze or eat :)

Corbin really loves these too!