Best chocolate-y Chocolate Chip Cookies - Food Easy Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cups semisweet chunks (preferably imported).

Procedure: 

1. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream at high speed until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 4

minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until completely mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture at low speed until just combined and add vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl down, until blended. Do not overmix.

3. Add chocolate chunks and mix till thoroughly combined. Refrigerate batter until cold, preferably overnight.

4. Preheat a conventional oven to 350 degrees or a convection oven to 300 degrees, and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets and bake, turning tray once, until golden brown around edges and soft (but not bubbly), about 9 minutes in a convection oven or 12 in a conventional one. Cool on a wire rack.

Gingerbread Man Cookie Recipe - Food Easy Recipe

Every Christmas season, I bake “Gingerbread Men Cookies” for my children. Even if they are much older now, the memories and the aroma of molasses, cinnamon and other spices give them a warm cozy feeling. It’s one reason that I’ve continued this tradition year after year. I will share this recipe with you if you want to bake it too.

This recipe is modified for a tropical climate. The original recipe requires immediate rolling after the dough has been made but our tropical heat just makes it gooey to handle.

Ingredients:

5 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup margarine (butter compound)

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark molasses (use our locally made molasses)

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 egg

Materials Needed to decorate Gingerbread Man:

Cherries for the lips

Raisins for the eyes

Chocolate candies (M & M’s)

Gingerbread Man shaped Cookie Cutter

Procedure:

1. Place margarine and sugar in large bowl.

2. In saucepan, heat molasses to boiling. Pour over margarine and sugar, add vinegar.

3. Stir on speed number 2 until well blended.

4. Set aside to cool.

5. Sift dry ingredients together.

6. Add egg to molasses mixture and beat on speed no. 4 to blend.

7. Add dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture on speed no. 4 until well blended- about one and half minutes.

8. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for an hour.

9. Get a small portion of the chilled dough and roll on well floured board to 1/4 inch thickness. ( Tip:I roll directly on the cookie sheet for easy handling of cut dough)

10. Cut with floured Gingerbread man shaped cookie cutter about one inch apart.

11. To decorate the Gingerbread man before baking

12. Place cherries for lips and raisins for the eyes.

13. Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes.

14. Cool on brown paper for towelling.

Decorating the Gingerbread Man:

Icing for the buttons

3 Egg Whites (1/3 cup)

3 to 4 cups Confectioners Sugar

(this yields around 4 cups of icing which you can use for Christmas cookie decorating)

Procedure:

1. Beat egg whites until stiff.

2. add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3. Add confectioner sugar until well blended

For decorating tips:

1. Stick chocolate candies with the icing to form buttons

2. Ice the head for hat

3. Ice the feet for shoes.

After all the Gingerbread Men Cookies have been iced, I wrap them individually in ice-bag plastic and string them to our Christmas garlands that adorn our rooms in the house.