Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

So, Rebekkah and I threw a Christmas cookie swap.

And it was awesome.

There were 5 other lovely ladies there who made fantastic cookies, and yes, they did "follow the rules" and make Christmas-themed cookies. I, on the other hand, am rebellious and pushed the limits.
Is there anything Christmas-y about my cookies? No. But man, were they good.

My apologies-I'm bragging. Let's just get on with it. This is so easy. It's easier than any other cookie recipe I've ever tried (literally). It's just a few basic ingredients, and they'll be a huge hit.

Here we go.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Throw the block of softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
• Add the stick of butter. Doesn't this have the makings of a healthy, nutritious dessert?)
• Mix it up. A friend of mine at work made these cookies after I brought her some to taste, and she tried to mix it by hand. BIG mistake. Do yourself a favor and use an electric mixer.

 Unless you want guns like this. Ow ow.

• Add an egg
• Add the vanilla 
• Mix it up.
• Add the chocolate cake mix and mix it up. It should come out as a very thick, rich texture. Go ahead and eat a few spoonfuls. I won't tell.
• You'll need to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes; preferably an hour or two. When it's chilled, it's easier to roll into balls. 
• Once it's been refrigerated, roll them into little balls.
• Pour some powdered sugar into a separate bowl.
• Cover each ball completely
• Put them on a non-stick pan about an inch apart.
• Bake them at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. They are supposed to be gooey, so if they're still soft when you pull them out of the oven, that's a good thing. And the cracked look is how it's supposed to be.

And that's that, folks! Make these...they're insanely good.

Love,

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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Show me a man (or woman) who does not love chocolate chip cookies, and I will show you a man (or a woman) with severe emotional issues. Either that, or they're dieting. Neither one of those are acceptable. We will fix the emotional wound of time and sabotage the diet with this classic.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (now, the bag will say to use softened butter, but I wouldn't suggest it. I've found that when I use the butter cold, it tastes SIGNIFICANTLY better. I've read that melting the butter can kill some of the taste. Yes, it's annoying, but either buy a mixer or look at it like a great workout.)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. 
• 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. Drop rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 
• Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, depending on your oven. I always under cook mine and let them sit before serving them. When you cook them until they're "golden brown" like the bag says, they're great right away, but get hard and crusty within the hour. If you're looking for "long term" cookies (cookies you pack in lunches or serve a day or two later), under cook them. They'll stay soft and yummy.

Nothing is better than chocolate chip cookies. Period. And I've tried every recipe in the book. This is the best.


Love and a glass of milk,

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