As Seen on the Internet: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry this took me all day, but literally it took from 830 am to 2 pm for the new Blogger editor to load my 20 pictures. *whew* Okay...

WELCOME! to this week's edition of As Seen on the Internet, where I find something I like somewhere else on line and try to replicate it, often to some half-disastrous consequences. Today I am making "Chocolate Chip Cookies, Any Day of the Week" by Dana from MADE.

I am relatively certain that Dana can do just about anything, and probably spends her spare time (how does she have any of that?) leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Just because she can.

Anyway, as Mrs. Haigler, my middle school home ec teacher, would tell you, assemble all your ingredients and tools before beginning ANYTHING. (She'd also tell you clean up as you go along, but she didn't have a dishwasher.)

Notice that the recipe calls for brown sugar and I am using white sugar and molasses. 

I am cheap like that.

Not gonna lie - in this house, Crisco serves one purpose: to season the cast iron skillet once I am done cooking with it (oooh, "Care and feeding of your cast iron" would be a good post. Note to self...). Anyhow, I think I am going to keep more Crisco on hand just for this recipe...

Shortening + butter = love

Shortening + butter + sugar = true love

Look at that baby go! Can't think of many things in the kitchen I love more than my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Aaaaand, that's what "creamed" looks like (if you have little chunks of yellow, your butter started out too cold. That used to happened to me all the time before I wised up. You will, too, I promise.)

I should probably tell you now that I made 1/3 of what Dana's recipe calls for. One, because I can't be trusted with that much cookie dough, and two, because I was low on ingredients. But according to the Almighty Alton, 1 cup of flour is 4 ounces.

Alton would tell you to sift your dry ingredients by putting them in the food processor, but he has people to clean his food processor. I don't, so out comes the sifter. Plus, it's a good workout for your hands and forearms.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it up!

Mmmm...

 

Then add chocolate chips or nuts or whatever you're into - I used mini chips because it was all I had on hand, but in hindsight they were the perfect size!

Don't forget to pay the help. He keeps his prices low - just a few chocolate chips and a good scrub afterwards.

Nom. Nom. Nom.

Into the chill chest (see the Kitchen Aid bowl? Conveniently located next to the milk...) for about 15 minutes or however long you can stand it. I recommend a time because you probably will need something to remind you that no, it hasn't been long enough. 

I just realized by looking at that picture that we have a lot of different kinds of cheese...

While you are waiting, might as well prep the cookie sheet - I love these Silpat non-stick mats. Way better than wasting using tin foil. Also, love this new Wilton jumbo cookie sheet. Thank you, Target.

My husband has the scoop for making Swedish Meatballs, but I use it for just about everything (remember the cake pops?) The cookie dough doesn't scoop as well warm, which is why the fridge step is *mandatory*.

Onto the pan and into the oven!

After scooping out that dozen to bake, this is what I had left over. I scooped them onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and put them into the freezer - this way I have single-serving cookies whenever I want them! All I have to do is let them thaw to room temperature and bake at 350. I can even make one or two in the toaster oven!

Oh. My. Goodness.

This is not an accurate representation of how many I actually ate when I made them - they were honestly the best cookies I have ever made! Dana, THANK YOU!!!!!