Cookies!!!

Yesterday afternoon, we made chocolate chip cookies. These aren't just ANY chocolate chip cookies, though. They are AMAZING chocolate chip cookies (at least we think so). Here are my helpers, Jo and Beth:

[Prior to making the cookies:

Beth (picking up the bag of chocolate chips): I LOVE these. (pauses) Ooooh, mom, mom.

Me: What?

Beth: USUALLY, when people make chocolate chip cookies, they taste the chocolate chips before making the cookies.]

Now, initially, a dozen of these cookies was supposed to accompany each of the prizes that I finally, just this morning, sent out to moo, Saly and Alice. But then I got to thinking:

Real butter + Chocolate chips + 2 to 3 days travel time + Summer heat = Possible food poisoning.

Possible food poisoning did not seem like a good prize, so I ditched the idea of including cookies. HOWEVER, I thought I'd provide you all with the recipe, as the cookies are to die for. It's really very simple. You use the Toll-House cookie recipe on the back of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips with the following changes:

Change the first: Either double the recipe except for the amount of chips, or use half the amount of chocolate chips the recipe calls for. This is because my modified recipe for the cookies makes them so rich that also using the amount of chocolate chips the recipe calls for could quite possibly kill you. I even half the chocolate chips when I DON'T add the secret ingredient that makes them so rich because it really is just too many chips. I suggest doubling the recipe, so you can put plenty in the freezer for later and still have plenty for NOW.

Change the second: Where it says butter or margarine, you use half the amount of REAL BUTTER and half the amount of Crisco shortening.

Change the third: Add the SECRET INGREDIENT:



Vanilla pudding mix. Mix this in with the dry ingredients before adding the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Play around with how much. One box per recipe (two boxes if you double) is what I usually use, but I have made a double recipe with only one box and the cookies were still awesome. Also, I don't think it matters if you use the cooked or instant variety, but I generally use the cooked. And the back story behind this secret ingredient was that a guy I knew in college told me about it. A GUY. In COLLEGE. What college guys do you know of who know how to bake awesome cookies? I probably should have knocked off his girlfriend and married him. But... you know... she was nice and I liked her and I would've felt guilty. Not to mention the jail time.

That's it. Other than that you just follow the recipe they give you. Afterwards you can eat THESE:



I really need a new counter-top...