brownie cookies for Valentine’s Day

Last night the tall hormonal kid decided that she needed something to give to the boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. Our family operates like that. If you need something, wait until the last possible moment to announce it. At least we had been warned that there is a boyfriend. The dad is still working on the shock of that.

These cookies are an easy shortcut and make a good impression when the girls have friends over for weekend sleepovers. They look and taste complicated, but they are simple and quick to make – even the tall kid can manage them. She did tell me that I should write the recipe down so that it’s easier to find next time. Next time might even have a little forewarning.

Brownie Mix Cookies

Printable Version

• 1 box of brownie mix (519 grams)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (or use a silpat on the baking sheet).

Combine brownie mix, flour,and chocolate chips in a bowl. Add in the oil, water and eggs (lightly beaten) and mix together. Drop by spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. I like to roll them into balls and flatten them slightly with a fork. The dough is sticky, so if you are rolling them into balls, you will have to stop and moisten your hands with water occasionally.

Bake in preheated oven until cookies are just set, about 9-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

our best chocolate chip cookie recipe

Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the kitchen baking a few sweet things to take to the island cottage with us this weekend. The girls have some friends coming to stay overnight tonight and we had thought that we’d take them with us to the island. We’ve  now decided against it – the dad saw that my walking and balance are sub-par right now and suggested we have a vacation at home instead. We have a fire pit in the backyard, a swimming site less than a mile away and a nearby creamery to take the girls to for ice cream. If we can find some, we might set off some fireworks after dark. It all seems like a reasonable substitution. The girls didn’t protest too much. They can take their friends riding, too – they love play the role of teacher when it comes to the horses.

Anyway, this is the recipe that I used, then made changes to suit my own preferences. As usual, I’m recording it here so that I can find it easily for future reference. I liked this recipe more than others that we’ve tried because the cookies stay uniform in shape and size, and they’re just the right thickness – not too cakey, and not flat and spread out. They’re rich and buttery, with crisp edges, and a soft but chewy inside. You might have to make cooking time adjustments depending on your oven – mine has a convection fan, so I’m not sure how that affects cooking time, but if you take the cookies out just as the edges are browning, they are done.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Version

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, and nuts. Add to the batter and mix well.

Drop by large spoonful’s onto ungreased pans (the cookies came out rounded and nice if I first rolled them in a small ball and flattened then slightly with a fork or spoon afterwards – either way works).

Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

an easy bannock recipe for a simple dinner bread

I’m currently taking some time off of work to ride out a MS relapse. Normally, my MS just operates in the background of my life and I am able to mostly ignore it and work around it. Every now and again something new will pop up to make life a bit less fun and that is when my attention focuses on it again for a while, like right now.

I’m experiencing muscle weakness, spasticity and numbness and the feeling of most of my body being encased in a large overinflated blood pressure cuff. My fingers want to curl into my hands, making my hand eye-coordination a little challenging. I managed to shove my toothbrush up my nose while trying to brush my teeth the other day (the resulting minty fresh nostril was very disconcerting). I also think I lost a band-aid off of my numb finger while washing my hair and I’m still waiting for it to make an appearance somewhere in the curls – the numb hands keep me from feeling around in there to find it. And typing is interesting (obviously not impossible, just slow). I was also having some difficulty with walking and balance, but a few days worth of steroid treatment have helped greatly.

However, life, lived simply, still manages to go on. My family is a great help – my mom has been helping by driving me to the hospital and doing laundry, the girls keep up their part of household chores and my husband fills in the other spaces. And I keep doing as much as possible to appear normal. Normal feels good, even when my body feels out of whack.

So, this is a very simple pan-fried bread that is great served hot with butter as an accompaniment to some soup, chili or even curry. As you can see, the kids can be made to mix it up and make it themselves (even when they come home tired from a full day of track and field). And they like it, they really like it. It’s also a great treat when made over the campfire and served hot with butter and jam.

This recipe makes just enough for 4 portions, but can easily be doubled for more.

Easy Bannock

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter
• 3/4 cup water

Measure dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Stir to mix.  Pour oil (or melted butter) and water and stir to make a ball.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, and knead gently about 10 times.  Cut the dough ball into 4 equal balls and pat into a flat circles ~ 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

Cook in a greased frying pan over medium heat, allowing about 5-10 minutes for each side. Best when served hot.

Linked to Wildcrafting Wednesday, Frugally Sustainable, GNOWFGLINS, A Pinch of Joy