Zucchini Bread

As much as I complain about the heat, summer is awesome because of all the yummy fresh fruits and vegetables that like to come out of hibernation (if you could call it that). One of my favorites is zucchini. My friend, Lisa's, mom used to make a mean zucchini casserole that, come to think of it, I need the recipe for! Since I didn't have the recipe for that (and, lets be serious, do I ever cook?!), I made zucchini bread from the yummy plethora of zucchini that popped up in my grocery store.

I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks. I highly recommend this site to everyone because it has SO many whole foods recipes in it, and the author does a great job of cooking seasonally, too! Anyways, this bread has lots of yummy stuff in it, which gives it a lot of dimension. One warning: If you don't like crystallized ginger (I think its delicious...but who am I to judge you?), I would leave it out because it is definitely prevalent in this recipe. The following is what I did.

Zucchini Bread
from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/3 cup poppy seeds
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini, skins on
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon curry powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 1 pound loaf pans and dust them with flour.

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, poppy seeds, lemon zest, ginger and chocolate chips.

In a mixer, beat the butter and then add the sugars and beat until mixture is no longer crumbly. Add the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and curry powder. Add this to the wet ingredients and stir.

Fold in the walnuts, poppy seed, lemon zest, crystallized ginger and chocolate chips. Save a bit of this mixture to top the loaves with.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the zucchini bread in pan for about ten minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling.

* I made this awhile ago and we ate one of the loaves immediately and I stuck the other in the freezer. I just now brought it out and it is still very moist and maybe a bit better than the first loaf =)

The Frozen Yogurt Epidemic

First there was the cupcake insanity that is still sweeping the country. The next big thing that has emerged in New York is Frozen Yogurt. The most popular ones that come to mind are Pinkberry, Red Mango and Tasti D-lite (not sure if Tasti D qualifies as Fro-Yo, but it's popular nonetheless). During the summer, I inwardly play a battle to not head to one of the aforementioned stores for dessert everyday. Usually I lose.

For my birthday this year, my parents got me an ice cream maker along with David Lebovitz's cookbook The Perfect Scoop (since every time I go home I devour every last inch of my Stepmom's homemade mint chocolate chip and greedily ask for more). The first time I tried it out, I attempted cake batter ice cream. That went a little too well and I got a stomach ache from eating too much. Needless to say, I kept the ice cream maker in the freezer for awhile after that =).

In came the blazing temperatures, this weekend, however, and out came the ice cream maker.

The goal: homemade Pinkberry!

I found a recipe in Lebovitz's book for Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and took a stab at it. I used Greek yogurt and added some mini chocolate chips. YUM! I am currently on day three of not shoving the entire container of it in my face!

This turned out VERY well. It tasted excellent just after churning. Unfortunately, it got really hard after I put it in the freezer. Still yummy, though, after I put it in the microwave for a couple seconds. I may try putting strawberries in this next time and see how it turns out!

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt/ Pinkberry Imitation
2 cups 0% Total Fage Greek Yogurt
1 cup 2% Total Fage Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the yogurt, sugar and vanilla together. Refrigerate for one hour. Then Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Summertime In NY

It's official. I think we skipped spring and it is now summer. This weekend is supposed to be about 80 degrees everyday. Perfect day for a run in the park!

Next on the agenda....Angel Food Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting. These little guys are delicious! The cupcakes have a very subtle lemon flavor that goes perfectly with the blackberry frosting. They are also very light...which is nice!

I found the recipe for angel food cupcakes on Baking Bites. I substituted lemon extract for the lemon zest, which was the only change I made. The blackberry frosting on creative loafing. I halved the recipe and used real blackberries instead of the preserves.

Bake on!

Angel Food Cupcakes
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup cake flour
5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (this recipe made 11 cupcakes for me).

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and the cake flour.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites and then add cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Mix in vanilla and lemon extracts. Fold flour mixture into egg whites.

Divide evenly into muffin tins. These dont rise much, so feel free to fill them pretty full. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Blackberry Frosting
1/2 cup butter
4 oz. cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 oz. blackberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix the blackberries in a blender and then add to the sugar mixture along with the vanilla.

Happy Birthday, Spice!

Spice was gone this weekend visiting her sister. So, I had the kitchen all to myself. And, with Spice's birthday looming, I made her a cheesecake!

I was a bit nervous about this endeavor and researched the heck out of it all last week. First, I couldn't make up my mind what kind of cheesecake to make and then was all nervous if it would turn out. I chose a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake recipe from the Food Network, that I changed to White Chocolate Blackberry. I also had to add some kind of chocolate in there, which I did for the crust and drizzle on top.

This cheesecake turned out great! The pictures don't do it justice. I liked the blackberry, but I think it would have been better with raspberries. Too bad blackberries were the only ones on sale!

White Chocolate Blackberry Cheesecake
1 cup chocolate teddy grahams, crushed into crumbs
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces fine-quality white chocolate (I used Green&Black)
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blackberries
Dark chocolate for drizzle

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grind teddy grahams in a food processor, add butter and blend until combined.
Press over the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan.
Bake in oven about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Filling:
Melt chocolate (I used the microwave, nuking for about 20 seconds at a time and then removing to stir). In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in sugar. Add whole eggs and yolks and beat well.

Beat in flour and vanilla until combined and then add the melted chocolate and beat until combined.

Arrange berries in 1 layer over the crust and pour filling over the top. Bake until cake is set 3 inches from the edge, about 45 to 55 minutes (mine was done at just about 45 minutes).

Run a thin knife around the edge of cake to loosen. Then cool completely. I stuck mine in the fridge to help it set.

Alton Brown: Marry Me

Dear Alton Brown,

Please marry me and make me chocolate chip cookies all the time.

Love,

Allison

Spice watches The Food Network whenever she can. I cannot even count the number of Alton Brown's Good Eats I have watched. I have never seen, however, his show on chocolate chip cookies. When I read about his recipe being one of the best chocolate chip cookie ones out there, I didn't doubt it, but I did want to try them out myself =).

Um. These cookies were amazing. I think my heart stopped when I took my first bite. Please walk to your kitchen now and make these cookies. Now.

The Chewy

Courtesy of Mr. Alton Brown

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose and they turned out perfectly)

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 semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini-chocolate chips because they were all I had)

Melt butter. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda.

Mix the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and milk. Then the vanilla. Add the dry mixture and mix well. Add the chocolate chips.

Chill dough! (I chilled it for about 24 hours)

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for about 14 minutes.

Tooley Chip Cookies!

Everyone has something they are known for, mine happens to be Chocolate Chip Cookies. In high school I think I made a batch a week, they are just so darn good! Back in the day my baking was always improv, my dad is a diabetic and I was always trying to make something that he would also be able to enjoy. That is how this cookie recipe evolved, I should also say that my rein as the Tooley Cookie Queen has ended and now belongs to my little sister who keeps this recipe alive.


1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup Splenda (seriously, it works!)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 whole egg
1 egg white
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 bag of Chocolate Chips


Cream together the butter, margarine, brown sugar, and Splenda. Add in the vanilla and egg.
In a separate bowl bring all the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the dry to the wet. Once everything is well incorporated. Bring the chocolate chips to the party! At this point cover the batter with some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour maybe two, if you want to go over night you can do that too.

Preheat over to 375

I like to use one of those nifty mini ice cream scoopers to make sure that all the cookies are the same size. If you don't have one of those a spoon is ok too. Drop cookies onto ungreased sheet.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges and top are light brown. The cookies will be a little mushy when they come out of the oven, but let them cool and set.

Delicious!

White Chicken Chili

I love leftovers. In fact I live for them, frequently Sugar will come home and find me cooking a meal made for 20, but really I just want to enjoy it all week long! This love of left overs bleeds into my love for Crock pots! Who is the genius that invented this lovely cooking tool? I would like to know and shake their hand. Any who... I had some left over BBQ chicken from Sugar's surprise BDay extravaganza and wanted to make something yummy. Chili is such a homey dish and perfect for the yucky rainy- ness that we have been having in NYC.

This recipe was modified from one of my favorite sites Eating, Etc., http://eatingetc.blogspot.com/2008/03/white-chicken-chili.html
It makes a slightly smaller portion and doesn't have as much heat. (I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy foods!)

As I said I used left over BBQ chicken in this chili, which not only deepened the color of the chili but added a yummy smokey flavor.


2 Tbsp of Oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, very finely chopped
2 cans White Beans
1/2 can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1.5 cups chopped BBQ Chicken
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp of oregano
Jack Cheese for garnish
chopped yellow pepper for garnish

In your crock pot heat the oil and sweat the onion and jalapeno until slightly soft. After that dump the remaining ingredients in (except for the cheese and yellow pepper), set that baby on low, stir a bit and walk away. Seriously just leave. In 3 t0 6 hours you will have a meal! How amazing is that?

Easter Dessert

Spice and I made Easter dinner on Sunday and invited several friends over to join in the yumminess! What was I in charge of? Yeah, you guessed it: Dessert! (Seriously, what else do I do?)

I wanted something somewhat light and definitely fruity, since, although it is still freezing here in New York, spring and summer are supposedly on the horizon. My Aunt usually makes me a delicious pound cake for my birthday every year, and I thought perhaps I could try to recreate its magical goodness and then top it with some berries.

I found a Cream Cheese Poundcake recipe on Smitten Kitchen that I decided to try, along with a Blueberry Sauce from Joy the Baker. The pound cake turned out well, although I think it could have used a little less time in the oven. I think it tasted better the second day, too. I also used two loaf pans instead of the tube pan (simply because I don't own one). But the blueberry sauce really made the dessert! I definitely will be trying this sauce on other things form now on!

Now if I could only get Spice to post the AMAZING Tangerine Ham she made...get excited!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 8-oz package cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two loaf pans.

Mix the butter and cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix followed by the vanilla and then the flour and salt together. Mix until blended completely.

Pour the batter into the pans. Bake until golden brown, about one hour. Remove the cake form the pan and let it cool completely.

Blueberry Sauce
1 bag frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

Let blueberries and sugar simmer about 10 minutes in a large saucepan over medium heat. While at a simmer, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until the mixture thickens a bit and remove from flame. Dress pound cake with sauce. Utter deliciousness.

Bread is Scary

I admit it. Making bread scares me. I need to work on that.

I decided I was up for a challenge today. Maybe it's the rain. A really like making my own bread and being able to put lots of yummy whole grain stuff in it. The last loaf I made was a bit dry and while it was good, it wasn't spectacular.

Today I used a recipe I found from Cooking Light. I added some stuff to it and it turned out really well. Spice and I split a slice right out of the oven and OMG! It was SO good! I will have to keep you posted as to how it is once cooled more. I am hoping it has a good consistency so I can use it for sandwiches. A lovely PB&J, perhaps?

Honey-Oatmeal Wheat Bread

2 cups warm water

3 tablespoons molasses

1 envelope active dry yeast

3 cups all purpose flour, divided

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup honey

3 tablepoons olive-oil

Combine first three ingredients in a 2-cup glass measuring cup; let yeast mixture stand five minutes.

Combine 2 cups all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ and salt.

Beat yeast mixture, 1 cup all purpose flour, honey and olive oil until well blended. Gradually add whole wheat flour mixture.

Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding additional all purpose flour as needed. Place dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about one hour.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll each half into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll up each rectangle jelly-roll fashion and pinch ends to seal. Place loaves, seam side down, into two loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until loaves are golden. Cool pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool on wire racks.

A Rainy Saturday in NY

What is there to do on a rainy Saturday? Duh! Bake!

I went to Trader Joe's a couple weekends ago. The only one here in the city is in Union Square. As you can imagine, it is always a nuthouse. The checkout line usually weaves around the entire store. I had a couple hours to kill one day and decided to brave it. I got some of these amazing baby peanut butter cups that are always well worth the mayhem of the store. I had every intention of making some bad-ass cookies with them and then just completely forgot.

Finding them this morning was utter bliss.

I ended up making Peanut Butter Cookies that I had found on Joy the Baker's Blog. I followed her recipe exactly except for using the baby peanut butter cups. These turned out very delicous and many have already disappeared thanks to the roomies. =)

Peanut Butter Cookies with Mini Peanut Butter Cups

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups Trader Joe's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth and then add the peanut butter. When creamy, add the sugars and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time. When mixed, comine the dry mixture with the wet mixture and mix well. Add the mini peanut butter cups.

Roll one tablespoon or so of dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Continue until sheet is full. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie in crisscross directions.

Bake for about 14 minutes, until golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Going Bananas

Ah, the age-old question: What to do when all the bananas you buy start to go before you can eat them?

I think for most people, banana bread is the first thing that comes to mind. I wanted to be a bit more creative today, however. Dun dun dun dun! Enter: Banana-Walnut Whole Wheat Pancakes!

I have been passing these on Joy the Baker's website recently, and thought this morning I would give 'em a whirl. Wow! Were these delicious or what! I definitely tweaked the recipe, which is below. Usually, I am not a huge pancake person. Sometimes, when I go home, I like to let my Dad make me pancakes, but otherwise, I feel like I have more important things to eat for the first meal of the day. These may have changed my mind about pancakes, though. Definitely a keeper!

Banana-Walnut Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing the skillet

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine the flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the yolks, vegetable oil, half and half and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix. Let rest 5 minutes.

Add the mashed bananas and walnuts and mix.

Whip the two egg whites with a whisk (if you must make things difficult for yourself) or a hand mixer until peaks start to form. Gently fold into the batter.

WARNING: Try not to taste the batter, because it is super delicious. I made this mistake and just about did a nose-dive into the bowl.

Spoon two or three tablespoons onto a hot, oiled saucepan and cook until done. (I think you know how to cook a pancake!)

Top with sliced bananas and real maple syrup!

Have No Fear

I know Sugar has slowly taken over the blog. But rest assured I will be posting soon this weekend shall be a delicious Easter Feast! So get ready, get pumped, 'cuz its coming!

Would you care for a muffin?

I'm stressed. So, in lieu of me being a tightly wound ball of craziness, would you care for a muffin?

I've been craving chocolate, cookies and large amounts of fat. So, I decided to go in the complete opposite direction and made really healthy muffins. Sometimes it is the process of baking that I enjoy even more than eating whatever I pull out of the oven.

I adapted these from 101 Cookbooks. I didn't add anything to them, but I think they would be delicious with banana in the batter and then pecans on top. Or, perhaps just some raisins or other dried fruits mixed in.

Bran Muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups Fage Total 2% Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
2 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the flour, wheat bran, salt, baking soda and sugar together.

In a separate bowl, beat together the yogurt, egg, honey and butter. Add the dry ingredients and mix together.

Grease a muffin tin with butter or spray with cooking spray. Fill each 3/4 full. Bake about 12 minutes until the muffins are golden on top.

I hope these relieve some of the stress in your life =)

Another Saturday Baking Bonanza

What did I do on Saturday? First, I baked. Then I baked some more. Then, I baked even more. Then I took time off from baking and maniacally cleaned the apartment. Then I went for a run, met a friend to go shopping and we headed home for a quiet evening on the couch.

Lo and behold, I walked into my apartment that night and almost peed my pants because a herd of people yelled "Happy Birthday" and scared the living daylights out of me =). Yup, thats right. My friends are awesome and threw me a surprise birthday party. One of the first things out of Spice's mouth was "So, thanks for cleaning and baking for your party!" Haha. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

Anyways, back to food (I just had to share that tidbit of my weekend with you). While I was in the middle of Saturday Baking Bonanza: Round 3, I realized that maybe I should start baking some healthier things, so I don't look like a water buffalo in ballet on Monday. So, I made some healthy Oatmeal Cookies based on a recipe I found on Whole Grain Gourmet.

These cookies are pretty awesome. Awesome in the fact that they have no butter or sugar in them and are made with whole wheat flour. And they taste pretty darn yummy as well!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine with honey, applesauce, olive oil, molasses, egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips.

Eat a large chunk of the dough (!).

Drop by Tablespoons on to a non-stick baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes (mine took a bit longer). Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy cookies that don't make you feel guilty! YIPPEE!

Granola

Wow...two posts in one day. I had last night off, sue me!

Granola is yummy. I tend to eat it sitting at my desk out of a plastic bag with a spoon. Wow. I'm cool.

I really don't enjoy store-bought granola usually because it is loaded with sugar and ingredients I don't care for. My Stepmom has been making her own granola for years and I tweaked the recipe on her website for my enjoyment =)

Her recipe can be found here: http://eatingetc.blogspot.com/2007/11/ive-been-making-my-own-homemade-granola.html

The following is what I did. I also used a 9 by 13 baking dish because I don't have any jellyroll pans. I just ended up stirring it more frequently.

Granola

5 cups rolled whole oats
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced almonds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (sometimes I will use honey instead of maple syrup)
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped prunes

Combine oats, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, salt and spices in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup (or honey), apple sauce, warm water and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir. Add all dried fruit and mix well (some prefer to add dried fruit after baking, but I like mine baked).

Spread onto aluminum foil covered jellyroll pans or baking dish. Bake at 250 degrees for 70-90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Chocolate Chip Cookies...my way

I want to find the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's not too difficult to please me with a chocolate chip cookie. While some people enjoy flat, crisp cookies; others enjoy soft, chewy ones. If you put a chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I will most likely gobble it up and love it no matter what.

I have my favorite recipes out there for different moods. I LOVE the original Nestle Tollhouse recipe. When I need a great cookie, I'll go to that one. Awhile back, however, my Stepmom started making chocolate chip cookies with coconut oil substituted for the butter. The flavor this brings to the cookie is unreal.

So, in my quest, I made my own recipe combining both the Nestle Tollhouse Recipe and my Stepmom's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (http://eatingetc.blogspot.com/2008/03/coconut-oil-chocolate-chunk-cookies.html) with coconut oil. They turned out very delicious, I must say. However, they came out of the oven flatter than I would have liked, so next time I will probably try to be more patient and let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator.

I also believe one of the keys to a chocolate chip cookie is the chocolate chips themselves. Call me a chocolate snob, but for a good cookie, the chocolate needs to be quality. I am fairly obsessed with dark chocolate and have found my way over to the Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips. I think you can find them at most grocery stores now.

Happy baking!

Allison's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Start by creaming the butter, coconut oil and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Add the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes on a non-stick or buttered baking sheet. Let cookies cool for several minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.