Secret Keepers

I've never been the best at keeping surprises secret... I just get so excited and have to blurt it out!
But when Whitney & Keri wanted to surprise their mom with family pictures for her birthday, I knew I had better keep my mouth shut!
So, Mrs. Pam, if it seemed like I was avoiding you the past two weeks.... Well, now you know why;)
Here are a few of my favorite shots from the surprise shoot:
















Worth Sharing

I was flipping through one of the cookbooks I got from the library, and came across this very ordinary looking recipe.
It calls for all the "normal" ingredients that would make up a regular chocolate chip cookie.
Since I wasn't in one of my fancy smancy baking moods, I decided to make it.
Let me tell you, there is nothing ordinary about this cookie!
Wellll unless you consider delicious, crisp edged, gooey centered, chocolatey perfection ordinary.
As soon as I tasted the dough, I knew it was worth sharing on the blog!
So here you go!!
Tender, Buttery Chocolate Chunk Cookies:




You want to know how to get this dough, huh??

Well keep scrolling;)



Ready for it?
Here are your ingredients:

1 cup (2sticks) unsalted butter, softened                           2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar                              3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup white sugar                                                         1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract                                           3 cups chocolate chips
2 large eggs                                                                      

Now, here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 350'. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and both sugars until very smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs and blend well. Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well, about 2-3 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips.
I find that if I stick my bowl of dough in the fridge for a few minutes before baking, they are less likely to come out as flat cookies.
For each cookie, scoop 2-3 tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake 10-13 minutes for smaller cookies or 14-18 for large ones. Cookies are done when they are just browned around the edge, are beginning to color on top, and seem dry to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets.
To create cross-hatching, score the cookies in one direction with several little cuts using the side of a metal spatula, and then cut across them, making a grid on the cookie surface, which exposes the melting chocolate. {and makes them look out of the norm;)}
You should most definitely try this simple, extra-ordinary cookie!
Eat one for me =)