MTNMAMA

MTNMAMA
The original MTNMAMA

Saturday, May 3, 2014

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!!

Joy's Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans



Do you like salty and sweet like I do? Then this is the cookie for you. Made with brown butter it is nutty and gooey and salty and sweet. I love brown butter in anything....in a chocolate chip cookie it is sensational. REALLY...this cookie the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever made or eaten. Good warm and great cooled with a long, tall glass of milk. Goodness made perfect!!! I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. It is taken from Blogger/author Joy Wilson, Joy the Baker. It is perfect just the way it is...I didn't change a thing.

 

Joy's Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

Ingredients:

1 cup ( 16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tespoons vanilla

1 teaspoon molasses

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

coarse sea salt, to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Lightly grease or line baking sheets with silpat mats.

2. Place half the butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat.


It'll foam and froth as it cooks, and start to crackle and pop. Once the cracking stops, keep a close yey on the melted butter, continuing to swirl the pan at intervals.


The butter will become fragrant, and brown bits will form in the bottom. Once the bits are amber brown ( about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or so after the sizzling stops), remove the butter from the burner and pour it into a small bowl. Allow it to cool for 20 minutes.


3. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter with the brown sugar for 3 - 5 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth.



4. Beat in the vanilla and molasses.



5. Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl, along with the granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth, the mixture with lighten in color and become fluffy.




6. Add the egg and the egg yolk. Beat for one minute.



7 Add the flour, salt and baking soda beating on low speed just until everything is incorporated.



8. Use a spatula, to fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.




9. Scoop the dough onto a pieced of waxed paper or plastic wrap. flatten it slightly into a thick disk, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before you are ready to begin baking preheat your oven to 350 degrees with the racks in the center/upper third of the oven.




10. Scoop the dough in 2 tablespoon sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Each will weigh about 1 ounce. I used my medium scoop. Leave about 2 inches between the cookies. They will spread as they bake.




11. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, to taste----as much or as little as you like.




12. Bake the cookies for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving them.

 


13. Serve warm; or cool completely, and store airtight at room temperature for several days. For longer storage. wrap well and freeze.



Yield about 24 - 30 large cookies.


These cookies are sturdy when cool and would pack well in a lunch box or picnic basket!! The recipe below is easily copied and pasted into a blank page for your recipe box.

Joy's Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

Ingredients:

1 cup ( 16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tespoons vanilla

1 teaspoon molasses

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

coarse sea salt, to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Lightly grease or line baking sheets with silpat mats.

2. Place half the butter (8 tablespoons) in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat.

3. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter with the brown sugar for 3 - 5 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth.

4. Beat in the vanilla and molasses.

5. Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl, along with the granulated sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth, the mixture with lighten in color and become fluffy.

6. Add the egg and the egg yolk. Beat for one minute.

7 Add the flour, salt and baking soda beating on low speed just until everything is incorporated.

8. Use a spatula, to fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

9. Scoop the dough onto a pieced of waxed paper or plastic wrap. flatten it slightly into a thick disk, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. About 15 minutes before you are ready to begin baking preheat your oven to 350 degrees with the racks in the center/upper third of the oven.

10. Scoop the dough in 2 tablespoon sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Each will weigh about 1 ounce. I used my medium scoop. Leave about 2 inches between the cookies. They will spread as they bake.

11. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt, to taste----as much or as little as you like.

12. Bake the cookies for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving them.

13. Serve warm; or cool completely, and store airtight at room temperature for several days. For longer storage. wrap well and freeze.


Bake a batch and enjoy one (or more) with a tall glass of milk....take time to stop and enjoy a moment!!! We don't do that enough!!

Happy Trials,

Mtn Mama

 

Friday, May 2, 2014

Thin Mint Truffles

Thin Mint Truffles

This dessert was an absolute hit at the luncheon this week. Made from Girl Scout Thin MInt cookies....how could you go wrong? I found this recipe in the Six Sister's Stuff Recipe book and "tweaked" it a little as I made it. The results were fabulous.

Ingredients:

1 (9 ounce package Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies)

4 ounces lite cream cheese at room temperature (very important)

12 ounces Hershey's mint chips ( I had a bag left over from the holidays). If you can't find mint chips then use either white or dark...your choice.

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips for the drizzle


Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

In a food processor dump the Thin Mint Cookies into the bowl and then pulse several times until they are fine crumbs. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add the cream cheese and pulse until a ball forms around the blade.

Form the balls by either rolling by hand and placing in the sheet pan or I used my smallest Pampered Chef scoop to measure the balls. It made exactly 18.

Place the baking sheet into the fridg for at least 30 minutes.

Melt the mint chips in a large microwavable safe bowl. Heat the chips at 30 second intervals at 50 percent power, stirring between each increment. Repeat until the chips are all melted and smooth.

I dip each ball into the chocolate about 1/2 way up the sides and then put them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with all the truffles. Then refrigerate for 10 minutes. Remove the balls from the fridge and using the covered bottom as a handle proceed to dip the balls unside down into the melted chips. Then invert and sit back down on the baking sheet. Repeat till all the ball are covered.

Refrigerate for a few minutes till the balls are hard. Drizzle with the dark chocolate.

Makes 18 truffles.

Now you ask....what if I have eaten all my Thin Mint cookies???? Do I have to wait a whole year to make these wonderful treats??? The answer would be that you can use Keebler Grasshopper cookies in place of the Thin Mints. AHHHHHH..Now don't you feel better!!

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama