Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies are so good, I didn't think I'd ever try another chocolate chip recipe again.  But I was perusing Mel's Kitchen Cafe where she posts her "best of" recipes and I just had to try her favorite chocolate chip recipe.  It was super!  Now I'm not sure which recipe I'll use in the future.... they are both fabulous.  I am usually a semi-sweet chocolate chip kind of girl, but I used milk chocolate chips in these cookies and man did they taste good.  (BTW, I doubled this recipe...without doing so these only would have lasted a day.) 

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet or milk chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until well mixed. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Mix well until the batter has lightened slightly in color, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips at the same time. Mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Form dough into tablespoonful-sized balls and place on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and just lightly browned (keeping in mind that ovens can vary in temperature so use your best judgment). Don’t overbake or else the cookies will be tough and hard.

Beth's Flank Steak Marinade

Ben's mom bought steak for dinner on Sunday so I decided to try this marinade.  It was delicious!  I forgot to take a picture, however, so I borrowed this one from The Sisters Cafe.  I used a top sirloin and marinaded it in the fridge all day.  The recipe suggests marinating overnight but mine only had about 8-9 hours and was still very flavorful.  We grilled the steak on the barbecue and then cut it into strips. 

Beth's Flank Steak Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 garlic clove chopped

1 tsp ginger (I used dried.)

2 TB lemon juice (Fresh-squeezed is best.)

2 TB canola oil

1 TB onion chopped (I used dried because it called for such a small amount.)

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients together and allow steaks to soak in marinade in fridge all day or overnight.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

I needed a quick dessert for Sunday dinner and found this recipe on the back of a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips.  These were gobbled up in no time!  Ben even had seconds!  A definite success in my book.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-10 oz. package Reese's peanut butter chips
1/2 cup Hershey's syrup

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom of 9X13 pan.

2.  Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.

3.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of batter in prepared pan; spoon syrup over top. Carefully top with remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.

4.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.