Classic Cookie Time or....How I Discovered the Secret to Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Even Trying

I decided to bake some cookies today to give to a few people. I didn't feel like combing through my many cookbooks and cooking sites for new recipes, and instead went with two old, trusted recipes. Also known as back-of-the-box recipes. After all, the reason some recipes stay on the back of the box, or under the lid, is because they are great. Today's choices: Quaker Oatmeal's Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies (found under the lid), and Nestle's Tollhouse Cookies. Along with whipping up 2 batches of cookies, I also happened to discover the secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies. That is, perfect if you like gooey, soft, oozing-chocolate kind of cookies. That's right. You heard it here first. Or maybe second. Third? I don't know. Here it is: Take the cookies out of the oven when they are starting to brown on the bottom and still look undercooked on the top--even a bit pasty on the top. Then let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooking rack. They will be golden brown, melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Trust me. I also used a Silpat baking mat and a medium scooper,both of which making baking so easy. The cookie scoop ensures that your cookies will be uniform in size and the mat makes removal of the cookies from the baking sheet as well as clean-up easy.

QUAKER OATMEAL'S VANISHING OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened (I use butter for baking--let sit out on counter to soften)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins (I use a mix of dark and golden raisins and Craisins)
(Optional add-ins include 1 C chopped nuts and/or 1 C chocolate chips--can substitute for 1 C of the raisins if you like)


Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. This is where your KitchenAid comes in handy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Use cookie scoop or tablespoon to place dough onto Silpat ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Check after 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

NOTE: I whipped up a pretty little glaze for the top--powdered sugar, a bit of vanilla, and milk. Whisk and add more sugar or milk til desired consistency. I used a squeeze bottle to apply. Consistency should not be runny. Glaze is not necessary--I just wanted to use the squeeze bottle!


TOLLHOUSE COOKIES

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. (I just realized I cooked them at 350 because I had baked the oatmeal cookies first. Note to self: Always read your directions completely before starting. Maybe the 350 temp is another secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies.....)

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven when cookies are just starting to brown on bottom and look not quite done on top. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Bear Weather Chili

Football is very important in our house. Some of us are heavily into fantasy football and SOME of us, cough-cough, are heavily into real football. As you may know, I am into football purely for the social aspects of it. I'm not ashamed to admit it. It is also an excuse to create a nice little football spread, and what says "football" on a 75-degree LA day better than chili? As with all chili this recipe is better if made a day or two before it is served. That gives all the flavors a chance to meld.














BEAR WEATHER CHILI

2 T olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 C chopped onions
1-2 carrots, peeled and diced small
1-2 stalks celery, diced small
2 to 3 lg. garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 lbs ground chuck ( I used ground turkey and ground chuck--probably a total of about 3 1/2 lbs)
5 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth (I use the lower-sodium kind)
1 12-oz bottle beer
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 15-16-oz can chili beans
2-3 cans beans, drained (kidney, black, cannellini, etc.)
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
chopped fresh cilanto (optional)
Your favorite chili toppings for serving--sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, chopped onions, etc

Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Saute until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic. Add ground meat and saute until brown, breaking up meat with spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain off oil. Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano and thyme. Stir for 2 minutes. Mix in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, beer and tomato paste. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Mix in beans; simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm over low heat before serving. Serves 8 to 10 football, cooking, and shopping fans.

NOTE: Cooking is an art, baking is a science. What this means is that in baking you need to follow the recipe pretty much as written. In most cooking recipes, however, you have a little more wiggle room. For this recipe what it means is, if you don't have celery, don't worry about it. If you don't have onions or carrots, go to the store, however! If you want to use half beef and half turkey, that's OK. If you want to use 4 lbs of meat and 1 can of beans go ahead. If you want to add an extra can of diced tomatoes or a little bit of crushed red or cayenne pepper for more heat, that's fine too. Enjoy!

First Day of School Sour Cream Coffeecake

When I was in college my friend Linda shared her mother's coffeecake recipe with me. Actually, Linda always called it "Jewish Sour Cream Coffeecake" because her mother's friend, who had given her the recipe, was Jewish! I made this at about 11:30 the night before the first day of school this year. I had volunteered to bring something to the first day coffee, and this is always a hit. I cut the cake into nice little squares and put the squares into white muffin cups. I put them on a disposable tray because I didn't want to wait around at the coffee to retrieve one of my nicer serving platters. I took the tray into the cafeteria and went out in the hall to schmooze with some moms I knew. Five minutes later I poked my head back into the cafeteria to see how the coffeecake was going over and all I saw was....my empty tray. Not even an empty muffin cup remained! I grabbed the tray and went home. This is a great brunch item, too.

CATHOLIC LINDA'S JEWISH SOUR CREAM COFFEECAKE

BATTER:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (I use butter and if I am baking in the morning I take the butter out the night before and let it soften in a dish on the counter)
2 C sugar
1 pint sour cream (I usually use light)
2 t baking soda
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
3 C flour
2 t baking powder

TOPPING:

1 C sugar
2 t cinnamon
1 C chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. If you have a KitchenAid or other mixer, this is the time to drag it out. Add sour cream and baking soda. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, flour, and baking powder. Mix together. In a separate bowl mix together topping ingredients until well blended. Use a 9 x 13 pan (I usually use Pyrex). Pour 1/2 the batter in and smooth. Sprinkle 1/2 the topping over the batter. Using a knife, swirl the topping into the batter. Then pour on the rest of the batter and smooth. Sprinkle the rest of the topping over the batter. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Check after 50 minutes by sticking a toothpick into the cake. If the toothpick comes out dry it is done. I usually find that about 55-60 minutes is perfect. This cake also freezes nicely. I made 2 for a brunch about a week ahead of time and froze in the Pyrex dishes.