Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft, Chewy, and Not-Too-Gooey!

I'm not a big fan of the Toll-House Chocolate Chip cookies, partly because of burnout.
These are a great alternative.

Levain Bakery (New York) is famous for their chocolate chip cookies, and this is a copycat recipe, which I found on Michelle's blog, "Brown Eyed Baker." I left out the walnuts and used milk chocolate chips rather than dark chocolate chips. 


Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies
www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yield: 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size)

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
¾ cup plus 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, cold, lightly beaten in a separate bowl

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Do not preheat oven until after dough has refrigerated for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute...will be one big ball.

Add both sugars and mix for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing on medium speed for 1 minute; batter will be lumpy.
Scrape sides of bowl and stir gently.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add flour mixture until just a little bit of flour still remains.

Add chocolate chips to remaining flour and stir to coat...add chips to dough and stir thorougly to combine.

Drop 2 Tablespoons of dough (for each cookie) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; do not smooth the dough.

Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until very light golden brown. Remove immediately from cookie sheet and let cool.

Store cookies in airtight container.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

Very moist and chocolatey cake topped with creamy frosting.



Chocolate Cupcakes
Paula Deen
(Yield: approximately 30 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
3 large eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

Brew one cup of strong coffee and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

Add oil, cooled coffee, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Spoon the batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 15 to 19 minutes.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, and then remove cupcakes from the pans and cool completely.


Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened & 1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar (not Powdered Sugar)

Directions:
In a small or medium saucepan, add milk and whisk in flour over medium-low heat. Whisk continually until mixture is very thick...almost as thick as brownie batter; It must be thick, or the frosting will not set up properly. 

Remove pan from heat. Set aside to cool completely on counter; I place on cool, wet dishtowel. 
Place plastic wrap directly ON top of mixture while cooling. For the next step, the milk/flour mixture must not be warm AT ALL, but if you cool mixture in refrigerator, then bring back to room temperature before proceeding. Once mixture has cooled, add in vanilla extract.

In large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and granulated sugar on low for 2 minutes, then on medium-high speed for 6 minutes.  Add in the cooled milk/flour mixture and continue beating on medium-high for 8 minutes until resembles whipped cream. Frost cake/cupcakes and store in refrigerator (for firmer texture) or at room temperature (for softer texture).

Recipe Review - Mocha Scones

My Baking Addiction

Today's recipe is from Jamie at My Baking Addiction. This is the first of her recipes I've tried, and these are the first scones I've made. I picked a great first recipe...with a luscious mocha glaze too.



Here's what you'll need (for the scones):
Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Kosher Salt, Butter, Chocolate Chips, Sour Cream, Coffee, & Egg

Here's what you'll need (for the glaze):
Powdered Sugar, Coffee, & Unsweetened Chocolate

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture and mix together with your hands. I chose to grate the butter onto wax paper, then add to the flour mixture. The small chunks of butter you see here I chose to cut rather than grate, because I love my knuckles.

Stir in chocolate chips.

In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and coffee until smooth.

 Stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. 

Using your hands, mix together in bowl until dough forms into a ball. Do not over-mix.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and shape (using your hands) into circle or square approximately 3/4 inch thick...may need to flour your hands slightly. Also, I did not incorporate all of the flour you see pictured here...it was just to keep my dough from sticking.

Cut dough into triangles (8)...or if dough is in a square, cut into smaller squares (10), being careful not to scratch your counter top.

Place cut scones onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake until golden in color. 

Melt chocolate in microwave, and prepare glaze by whisking together the melted chocolate, powdered sugar, and coffee until smooth.

 
Drizzle chocolate glaze over scones and let sit until glaze is set (or until you can't wait any longer)!

Easy to make with great texture and taste! I can't wait to try some of her other scone recipes...she has 8 in all! Thank you, Jamie!

*Next day: A few seconds in the microwave warms the scone and softens the chocolate as if it were straight out of the oven. 
My only changes to her recipe:
1) used milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chips
2) made glaze a little thicker by adding a small amount of additional powdered sugar

RECIPE: Mocha Scones

Recipe Review - Frozen Banana PB Chocolate Chip Milkshake

the Kitchn

This recipe is from "the Kitchn."  
Makes a very rich shake.

√ Peanut Butter

√ Chocolate Chips

√ Frozen Banana

√ Milk

No need for ice cream!  


RECIPE: Frozen Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shake

Recipe Review - Red Velvet Cake (Vegan)

Vegan Red Velvet Cake Recipe - Zoe Bakes
Buttercream Frosting/Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Whispers of Thyme

Zoe at Zoe Bakes did a review of this cake recipe from Eileen Goudge's cookbook, "Something Warm from the Oven: Baking Memories, Making Memories." This is my review of the same recipe. This cake contains no eggs, no milk, and no butter, but is still amazingly moist and dense. The frosting, on the other hand, is Not vegan.



Here is what you'll need for the cake:
All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (NOT dutch process), Baking Soda, Salt, Oil, Vanilla Extract, Red Food Coloring, Water, and Lemon Juice.

The original recipe calls for a food processor to mix the ingredients, but I used a whisk and electric mixer instead. 



Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. 

Whisk together.

Add in cocoa, and continue whisking until blended.

Place the combined dry mixture in mixer bowl...or better yet, just start the recipe in a mixer bowl!



In a separate bowl, whisk together cold water, oil, vanilla, food coloring, and lemon juice.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Pour batter into pans.  

Bake and cool cake in pans on rack before removing from pan.

Continue to cool cakes on racks.




While cakes are cooking or cooling, prepare frosting (NOT vegan).
Here is what you'll need:
Powdered Sugar, Shortening, Butter, Vanilla Extract, Butter Flavoring, Meringue Powder (optional), and Milk or Cream (and Hershey's Chocolate Bars, if making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting).

Cream together butter, shortening, and salt. Add in vanilla extract and butter flavoring (not pictured).

Mix in meringue powder, if using, along with additional powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.

Melt chocolate bars in microwave and stir, then let cool.

Add melted and cooled chocolate to frosting and mix well.

Add in milk or cream until desired consistency. (not pictured).

Frost cooled cake.

My decorating skills need some work, no?

Good thing for me, the taste was unaffected!



Dig in! 

Although the cake and icing together are tasty, this cake might be better with a lighter frosting, such as whipped topping.  

But, please check out Zoe's beautiful basket weave design on her frosting...simply gorgeous!


RECIPE: Red Velvet Cake (Vegan) - Zoe Bakes

Buttercream Frosting or *Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yield: enough to frost a layer cake)

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup Crisco Shortening

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

1 1/2 teaspoons meringue powder (optional)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 to 2 Tablespoons milk or cream, for desired consistency

Instructions:

Mix the butter, shortening, and salt on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and butter flavoring, then continue to mix until thoroughly blended. Stop mixer and add meringue powder, if using, along with 1 cup powdered sugar. Start mixer on the lowest speed and add the remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until the sugar is thoroughly blended. Add milk or cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if needed for desired consistency. Turn mixer to medium speed and continue to beat for an additional 5 minutes.

*Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

www.whispersofthyme.blogspot.com
(yield: enough to frost a layer cake)

Ingredients:

Prepared Buttercream Frosting (see above).

Four (4) Hershey Chocolate Bars (1.55 ounces each)

Directions:

Prepare Buttercream Frosting recipe as specified above. Microwave four (4) Hershey chocolate bars on medium power until melted. Stir and then set aside to cool. Once cooled, add the melted chocolate to the Buttercream Frosting and blend with mixer until fully incorporated and smooth.