A Classic: Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Tomorrow I am going to visit my friend in Philadelphia. As a way of thanking him and his family for letting me stay over, I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies (the simple Tollhouse recipe has yet to fail me). So I simultaneously made a nice gift for my friend, but I also satisfied my craving for raw cookie dough (let's face it, the cookie dough is almost better than the cookie). While cooking the first batch, the cookie sheet burned, and I started to worry I would burn down the apartment. Then, as I was removing the second batch from the oven, two cookies fell off of the cookie sheet and onto the floor. This was much to the excitement of my younger brother (who quickly recited the five-second rule and put the cookies onto a plate). Hopefully the rest of the cookies are as much of a success...


Recipe: 

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg
• 1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/original-nestle-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/detail.aspx

Rainbow Cake

Today I baked a rainbow cake (yum!). I made a huge mess with the frosting; there was confectioners sugar everywhere (but who can say no to homemade frosting?) I enlisted the help of my mother for super kitchen clean up. Then the cake sort of fell apart in the pan (I probably needed to bake it for a little longer), but my extremely sweet frosting saved the day as I was able to fill in all of the holes, and the cake looked somewhat presentable. All it is is a simple white cake with lots of food coloring and rainbow sprinkles, but my brother and family loved it (it's really fun to eat).

Cake Recipe:

DOUBLE THE RECIPE!!!!

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/simple-white-cake/detail.aspx)

To create the wonderful rainbow effect, you must separate the batter into six bowls (one for every color of the rainbow). Put two thirds of the first color in the pan and keep pouring the colors on top of each other (a little less with each one so that you create a bullseye, you should only use one third of the last color in the first pan). Repeat this with the opposite order (if you followed the rainbow and started with red in one pan, start with purple in the other).

Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2005/0743246616_4.html