Super Fantastic Amazing Cookie Dough

I love cookie dough.  And brownie batter.  My super duper calorific treats of choice.

I have been using the Toll House recipe and wasn't liking the way they cooked flat and the dough would crunch when I bit into it.  I really don't like crunching on the sugar.  I like smooth soft dough and fluffier cookies.

So I Googled; "How to make your cookies fluffier" - I love that you can type anything and it yields results and 98% of the time I find what I'm looking for.

I came to one of those Yahoo question and answer pages and someone had the same question.  Maybe a little more eloquently worded.  Someone answered with a big long answer on how to make cookies three different ways: fluffy/puffy, soft/chewy and flat/thin.  I went for a bit of a mixture between fluffy and chewy, because I don't want my cookies too cake-like.

Except this time, with this recipe the dough is so unbelievably good and exactly what I have been dreaming for I'm not even making the cookies.  I'm just going to eat the dough.  And half of it is already gone.

So, if you love dough more than the actual cookie - here is the recipe (I changed the amount of flour from the original.  I also used regular flour instead of bread flour):

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.


Here is the question and answer page.

Five Guys and Why I'm Famous

Here is the conversation

Me: Sometime when we are down here (Utah) we should stop and eat at this one place, I got a burger from there when I was here last - it was really good.

Jaren: okay, where?

Me: Five guys or something

Jaren: Five guys! Yeah! We sell potatoes to them.

Me: YOU DO?!!?!

Jaren: Yeah, have for years

Me: I didn't get any! We HAVE to go! This is so cool...

Jaren: Yeah, pay to grow them then pay to eat them......

Me: But I'm going to tell them the fries are YOURS!

Jaren: You will not.

Me: YES, I will.

It's true. Yours truly(meaning Jaren - I just stand and cheer on the sidelines) grows the amazing fries from Five Guys.

They claim "We use only Idaho Potatoes" and it's true!

They should say:

"We use Mr and Mrs Potatohead Idaho Potatoes - they are especially yummy because they are grown with love"

This is the most exciting day of my life. I feel famous. I am famous! You are all so welcome to know me.

Will You Be There?

Aren't in this picture?

Weren't there last time?

You missed out, my friend.

Never fear, I'm coming again and hoping some of my new friends will want to dine with me for either a second or first time.

You may have noticed the poll on my sidebar that's been there for a few weeks asking if you would like to have dinner again.

Since there are 41 votes and I voted twice(I think) that makes 39 voters.

I'm pretty surprised only 4 people thought I was weird. I wonder what these people's version of "normal" is? It's really a good thing I don't blog about every mood swing I have.. that number would go right on up.

14 people say, Yes! I would LOVE to have dinner with you! But only 7 of those say they can make it the weekend of the 21st, which is the weekend I will be down. Since I'm two of those votes, that makes 5 people. The more the merrier!

6 people said they weren't there last time, but they want to be this time. Did those same 6 people vote for the weekend? Man. I should have only made it possible to click one bubble.

Please leave a comment letting me know if your coming or not. Or if you think you can come. I had so much fun last time. I think when I come down I'll set aside a night/day/morning for food and those who can make it can come.

For those who live in Antarctica, you stink! You should live closer to the nexus of the universe.

For those of you who need a ride; I'll only go as far as San Diego to pick you up, so sorry Antarctica... you lose again!

For those of you who can't afford the gas, you MUST have voted when the poll first opened and now gas has gone way down. Want to change your vote?

For those of you not willing to make the trip for me (1 person), you must either
a. live in Antarctica
b. only visited my blog once, and that was to sabotage my voting thinger
c. not read my post about self esteem issues and paranoia at night when I'm by myself
d. were one of the 4 (or all 4??) who said I was weird
e. all of the above

We have 3 people who want Dennys (their booths are huge) and 5 who say a nice (meaning more than 8 bucks a plate) restaurant. I'm thinking it might be better if I just pick a place... maybe no poll. But I will take thoughts and discussions and I'm up for suggestions. I'm thinking Sampans in the South Town Mall; they take reservations and Kristina says they are pretty good. Dinner would probably be a little later 7 or 8. I do have to drive 3 1/2 hours. So, let me know what you think!

And for that one anonymous (Mary) person who had yucky chicken at Carinos. I'm sorry, better luck next time. Maybe this time you wont order a nasty mushroom brown saucy monster. :)

One other thing. Wendyburd is having a sweet giveaway for her 100th post. Check it out, it's pretty fantabulous.

Black Bean Brownie Results!

Believe it or not the brownies actually looked like brownies in the morning.

They smelt like them, but the consistency was a little different.

They were a little more sticky and a lot more smooth (is that the correct way to say that?)


I held true and didn't try any until my class did.

Everyone seemed a bit reluctant but tried them anyway.

I got a few different reactions:

"I can taste the beans!"

"Mmm, these taste good."

"There's a funky aftertaste"

"I just can't do it!"

I tried them and I was pleasantly surprised. They didn't taste so bad! Mind you, they aren't the yummy sugary, fatty, oily, chocolate chipy infested yummy brownies we all know and love. But for the main ingredient being black beans they were really good. I personally could only taste the black beans if I thought about it and tried to taste them. And I have really good taste buds. :)

Jaren tried them and liked them. I think the rest will get eaten. Maybe I'll make them someday. I kind of wish I didn't let them know the recipe before they tried it. I would love to see someone try them thinking they were normal brownies.

So. I leave you with this: Here is the recipe. Make it if you wish. BUT, please feed them to someone and don't tell them what they are made out of and see if they can tell the difference. Then let me know!

Black-Bean Brownies

Makes 21 servings (each serving is three 1" squares)

Ingredients
1 can black beans (13–15 ounces), rinsed well
4 eggs
1 cup sugar substitute
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
Chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions
Spray an 8" x 8" brownie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Blend all ingredients (except nuts) in a blender until smooth. Transfer the batter into a mixing bowl and fold in nuts (if desired). Then, pour the batter into the prepared brownie pan. Bake at 350°F for approx 30 minutes, until set in middle. Enjoy!

Nutritional information
52 calories
3 g total fat (1 g sat)
40 mg cholesterol
2 g protein
1 g fiber
110 mg sodium

He's the One They Call Dr. Feel Good

He's the one that makes me feel all right.

He's gona be my..... brownie batter... Mmmmmm.....

Every once in a while I NEED brownie batter like I need oxygen.

Today was one of those days. I'm on my heating pad, eating brownie yummyness, watching TV and blogging.

One more week of school is done - the test I was freaking out about in the post below is finished and I'm pretty sure I passed :) AND. This week marked the end of the first half of the semester. I'M HALF WAY DONE!

Tonight is a good night. I get to got to bed whenever I want. Sleep in tomorrow, make Jaren breakfast, clean my HORRENDOUS house and maybe nap? Also study for ANOTHER test next week and plan a training program that I have to complete in a few weeks.

Yeah... Life is Good.

I Can't Get Enough!

I can't get enough. I want I want I want. What do I want do you ask? Well, normally it would be clothes or shoes but right now it's food. I'm full, I just ate but I still want Bajio's, which is the knock off of Cafe Rio for Idaho. Or at least Rexburg. I usually like to order different stuff whenever we go out to eat to, you know, try it. I love trying new things which is why if I ever come across Kristina's Chacon, I'll eat it. But this.... is special. I don't like those big huge stuffed burritos with EVERYTHING in those little plastic bins in it. I don't like their salads because they put EVERYTHING in those little plastic bins on it. So I tried and tried to find something good so that when friends wanted to eat there I wouldn't throw up right there on their shoes. (Because then they might not be my friends anymore... and I like friends)

I like seafood.. I love love love shrimp. Hey a shrimp taco? Can't be too bad, right? I'm just tryin everything tryin to find something yummy.

"What would you like?"

"Two Shrimp tacos"

"DOSE CAMERON!!!"

They dump out a pre-measured bit of shrimp and some sort of sauce into a pan. Wearily.. I move forward along the counter. Then I pick out my rice (Mexican, of course) and beans (Black!). So then they put the gooey shrimp concoction into the pretty little flower tortilla and ask,

"cheese?"

"Yes, please (cause I'm polite)"

"Mango?"

What? Mango? I LOVE mango!! On shrimp? Is that good? Well...again I'm a trier.

"Yes"

So I pay. I eat. Mmmm these taco's are great! But the rice and beans.... I dunno so much. I usually like rice and beans but these just didn't taste so yummy. Maybe it was because it was next to the most amazing shrimp mango taco.

So every time I go, that's what I would get. But one day I decided i didn't want the rice and beans. So I told the lady that and she said,

"Well, do you want a side salad?"

A side salad??? You can do that? Here? At Bajio? Of course I want one! I am(was), after all not exercising so what I ate actually mattered. If I wanted to not have to go out and spend a whole bunch of money on new clothes. Which I didn't, cause I like my clothes very much. So, salad. Romain lettuce, and that spicy ranch dressing and pico de geyo(spelling?). Which, by the way, why is a bunch of cut up tomatoes called that?

Oh, the perfect combination. The side salad, the taco. All of it so good. I had to have more. So I've had it 3 times in the last 2 weeks. And I am not done. I'm full right now with dinner that I so lovingly cooked from a bag from my freezer. But I am still longingly wanting the shrimp mango taco and side salad.........

P.S. - I couldn't find a picture of the yummyness, so your gonna have to order it to see what it looks like. And while your looking, go ahead and take a bite. And then you'll be hooked! Just like me.