(Did I write an entire post about chocolate chip cookies? Yes, I did. No shame. Read on.)
In the past few months, I’ve been determined to perfect my Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. Here’s my gripe: Don’t you feel like you follow the recipe, but get different results every time? Sometimes the cookies puff up and taste too floury, and other times, they go completely flat, which I consider embarrassing. (I won’t even give away a batch of lifeless cookies—THE HORROR. I would rather throw them away, eat the cost, and try again.)
Well Internet, I’m proud to say I have finally found the secret! The last three—count ‘em, THREE—times I’ve made cookies, I’ve nailed the recipe. The cookies are just the right amount of fluff, combined with the right amount of gooeyness and crisp brown around the edge. They are everything Nestle Tollhouse ever intended the recipe create. Just look at these bad boys…
Now I will tell you my secret: It’s the butter. The recipe has EVERYTHING to do with the butter. None of the margarine/crisco/butter cream crap. You need the real deal. And, it has to be UNSALTED. No joke, salt will ruin your cookies.
If you have room temperature butter, great. Consider yourself one step ahead. If you’re like me and you don’t think ahead, put the butter sticks into the microwave with the seams up (weird, I know) for 15-17 seconds. No more. If the butter starts to melt in any way (as opposed to the intended softening), get new sticks of butter and start over. I swear that’s critical!
Also, when the recipe says cream the butter, sugar and vanilla, you should really cream them. No half-ass stirring—if you have a KitchenAid mixer (we’re lucky enough to have one, thanks to the Floms!), use that to its full extent. I find you should add the eggs one at a time, creaming well after each one. I never pre-mix the flour, baking soda and salt. I add the salt and baking soda first, and then add the flour one cup at a time.
Lastly, if you’re baking at high altitude, make sure to follow the high altitude steps… sugars decrease to 2/3 cup, and flour increases to 2.5 cups. It says add a tsp. of water, but I don’t do that.
By the time you finish with the batter and stir in the chocolate chips, the dough should barely stick to the sides. If you put the batter on the cookie sheet with your hands, it should just barely stick to your fingers. (Can you tell I make a lot of cookies?) Also, experiment with your cookie sheets. I find that I have one set of cookie sheets (the Wilton cookie sheets from Bed Bath & Beyond) that works GREAT for cookies, and the other ones we have don’t yield the same results. It’s crazy. After you’ve preheated the oven to 375 degrees, leave them in there for 9.5 minutes—that’s how long it takes my oven. I recommend setting the timer for 9 minutes, checking them after that, and letting them go however long they need until they’re done to your liking.
Follow these steps, and I’m pretty positive you’ll have the best batch of cookies ever. And couldn’t we all use a cookie every now and then?
OK, I know I’m a few days off on this mom-themed post, but I think that’s a testament to my character; it shows I don’t limit my love for my mom to just one day of the year. HA! Glass half full…
From what I’ve heard, it’s not easy being a mom. It’s certainly rewarding, heart-warming, and purpose-fulfilling, but the process is both and emotional and physical roller coaster… and not just while the bun is cooking in the oven, but for a lifetime afterward. This is pure speculation, but I presume that becoming a mom both humbles us and changes us from the inside out, am I right? Life takes on a new focal point, that consumes every bit of energy we have (and sometimes more). I am so thankful to have the mom I do, and I hope everyone out there feels as fortunate for their mom, or any motherly figure in their life. Between my grandma, my mom, Sean’s mom, Sean’s two grandmas, and Sean’s sister—I am surrounded by strong, accomplished, outgoing women. I feel so fortunate to have those influences in my life. Someday, I hope to become a mom, and I hope that my kids honor me in the same way I honor my mother—not just on mother’s day, but often. Because lets be honest: Moms, you deserve it.
I was fortunate enough to spend part of Sunday with my mom. We enjoyed Chai Lattes from Cronies in Waupaca and she was able to start and finish the book I bought for her called “Dear Daughter,” by Heather Armstrong on her flight to Florida that afternoon. According to Mom, Armstrong’s book is cute, a quick read, and at times, a tear-jerker. The letters that Armstrong wrote to her daughter, Leta, inspire the reader to extrapolate experiences in her own life. The stories brought my mom back to happy times with me, and my brother. Armstrong’s latest book makes an excellent gift for moms, and it’s an adorable little coffee-table-topper, too.
Love you, Mom. XOXO.
(And if you’re not already reading Armstrong’s wildly popular blog, Dooce.com, you should be. She has been one of my biggest inspirations as a blogger, and I follow her religiously. Her tenacity and wit never cease to amaze me.)
Instad of typical, mundane traffic jams with cars (ugh, how boring!), Utah has a different sort of traffic stopper. It’s a jam of a different nature featuring one of the most fruitful agricultural investments in Sanpete County: Sheep. And lambs… and lots of them.
You think you have real cowboys? Check out this sheep wrangler…
It was a sea of sheep… say that five times fast. Look at the little baby in the front—so adorable!
These guys were so close to my car I could have reached out and petted them. But I didn’t.
This past weekend, my little brother graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and I couldn’t be more proud. He is becoming a grown-up and I can’t wait to see where life takes him. It’s crazy to think he’s finally made it to this point, but I that just means I’m getting older. Not OLD. Just old-er.
Proud sister…
To commemorate this momentous occasion, my mom couldn’t resist making Matt a scrapbooked chronicle of his life (like mother, like daughter). She asked family members to write a little something to Matt that she could include toward the end, and of course, I wrote a short novel.
I know we’re not all graduating from college, but I think these bits of advice I included in his letter can apply to everyone at some point or another. Happy Tuesday!
Always remember to ask for help. If you don’t ask, you could miss an opportunity for greatness. But the thing about that? You’re destined for greatness, so just accept that and GO WITH YOUR GUT (or rock hard abs, whichever ones you happen to have… me the former, you probably the latter).
***
Don’t let friends, teachers, or future bosses distort your view of reality: You are incredible. You have capacity to be flexible and to learn from people in your life, good and bad. If people think otherwise about you, give them respect by allowing them their opinions, and then prove them wrong. There are so many people who will doubt your abilities, hold prejudices against you for some reason, and to be honest: They will make your life a living hell… if you let them. Don’t allow their negative energy to affect you, and just do your best.
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Like they told me at the wedding, make sure to cherish these last few days of “freedom” before the real world sets in. Take mental snapshots so you’ll always remember this time in your life. Tell your friends how much they mean to you, and don’t lose touch. This is the end of an era, and the beginning of a new chapter in your life. You don’t get an eraser—only a ballpoint pen with which to write your future. No regrets, and yet—it never hurts to have little smudges here and there.
I was honored to be featured on Elizabeth Snouffer’s blog, Diabetes 24-7 yesterday. I don’t know if I’ve ever written the story of how Sean and I met in such detail, so it was a first. Answering her questions brought back both sad and happy memories… made me think of Jesse, as I often do in my day-to-day life. Lately, I’ve been feeling change afoot in Sean and my world, and I wonder how much pull Jesse has in that. Surely he keeps tabs on what we’re up to, and where we’re going. I like to think he keeps us on track with the Riding On Insulin master plan, while Sean and I put the pieces into action with our own little twists.
Speaking of twists, have you seen our new Riding On Insulin mascot, Slin? (Like inSuLIN… get it?) As Sean and I were narrowing down ideas with our designer, Bethany, we definitely had Jesse in mind… what would Jesse like? What would Jesse want Slin to wear? Now, Slin feels like that a little bit of Jesse, watching over our programs… with a snaggletooth—ha! Click here to view the original Slin gear, available for order on ridingoninsulin.org. It will start shipping out on Monday!
Whatever his role, here’s you you, Jesse… we miss you.
Click here to read the article on Elizabeth’s blog.
