Cookies

Homemade cookies takes minutes to mix, bake, and to eat. The difficult part is finding a good recipe that creates a cookie that is appealing to your taste buds. Some people like flat cookies, some people like perfect store bought looking cookies, and others want cookies just for the holidays. I've taken the time to develop a basic chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. I'll also include a basic oatmeal cookie recipe too.

First let me discuss about an ingredient that causes confusion to many people which is the decision to use margarine or butter. Margarine is a mixture of solid fats. When using it in a recipe, I found that cookies stay in a solid clump and do not spread while baking. On the flip side, cookie recipes that use only butter will have cookies that spread to a thin layer. So I figured out that I wanted my cookies to have a balance of both. For example if the recipe calls for 1 cup of margarine or butter, my rule of thumb is to split the following way: 3/4 cup margarine and 1/4 cup butter. This allows the cookie to spread just enough. The bottom line is if you want a tight cookie use less butter and more margarine.

Another question on some minds is "What type of pan should I use?" It may seem like a silly question but it does make a difference. Using the right cooking utensil or vessel is just as important as using the right ingredients. A recipe is a guide to get from starting point A to Z but in order to get the same results as another person is use the right cookie sheet. My best cookie result is to use a pan labeled an AirBake. It is designed with two-layers sandwiching a layer of air in order to provide consistent cooking results.

Incorporating general cooking principles of using certain ingredients and using the best cooking utensil or vessel will help in cooking ideal cookies.

Jubilee's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Recipe
Created: December 2001

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix until well blended the following ingredients in a large bowl or mixer:

1/4 cup of butter
3/4 cup of margarine

3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar

The above mixture should be creamed together. This is the base of the cookies. It will not hurt the texture if this is over blended.

Next add in the following to ingredients:

1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 egg

Mix well.

Next add in the following items:

2 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Only stir in the dry ingredients until it is no longer visible. Do not over mix this part.

Last ingredient is to fold in a 1/2 bag of miniature chocolate chips.

Grab a flat cookie sheet and line with parchment paper for an easy clean-up.

Place scoops of dough onto the sheet evenly spaced apart. They will spread a little.

(**Storing or Freezing Cookie Leftover Dough**
If you do not want to bake all the cookie dough at this time there are a few options with the leftover dough:
- Storing in the Refrigerator-
Place leftover dough to use within the week in a tupperware container or ziploc bag.

-Storing in the Freezer-
Place the leftover cookie dough on a sheet of wax paper lengthwise. Roll-up carefully like a tootsie roll. Try to have the cookie dough evenly spread across to have a cylindrical shape of dough. The reason is to create cookie circles once it is removed from the freezer just like store bought cookie dough. I like to wrap my dough in a layer of saran wrap and finish it off with aluminum foil. )

Place in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes. Check the cookies to see if they brown around the edges and top of the cookie is solidifying. They might need another 2 minutes depending on your oven. Once the top and edges are brown, remove from oven and let it sit for 1 minute. Then remove from the cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.

Let cool or eat immediately with a refreshing liquid- typically milk but why not with a cup of coffee or tea.


Basic Oatmeal Cookie Dough Recipe
This recipe can have raisins or craisins added to it. Depends how you like your oatmeal cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the following ingredients until well blended:

1/4 cup of butter
3/4 cup of margarine

1 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of granulated sugar

Beat in the following ingredients:

2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs

Combine in a separate bowl:

1 1/4 cups of flour
2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of old-fashioned oats

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well blended.

At this point raisins, craisins, nuts, or chocolate chips can be added to the mixture to create the ones you like.

Scoop onto the cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.