The Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies That Almost Didn't Happen!

My good friend Carly recently had pretty major surgery. So major that it has put her out of commission for a little while. She is a super lucky gal that her sister dropped everything and flew in to stay with her to help out with Carly's two little girls and fix suppers for her family.

Since dinners were covered by her sister, I asked what could I bring?? Carly said that she loved a good Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie...so, of course, that's what I'm bringing over!

I  have never made chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. I always make my Aunt Mable's recipe of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Thinking at first that I could just add walnuts until Carly announced that she did not like oatmeal cookies. Hmmmm.

On my hunt for some yummy walnut chocolate chip cookies, I came across this recipe from Brunch Time Baker. I followed pretty closely to this recipe, making a few tweaks of my own along the way.

 

Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

~makes 1.5 dozen~

(adapted from Brunch Time Baker)

 

3/4 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp corn starch

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp milk*

1/4 cup instant oatmeal

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugars for one minute, add egg and vanilla. Beat for another minute.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add your dry ingredients into your wet, about 1/4 of a cup at a time. Mix until combined and add milk. Mix again until milk is fully combined.

Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and walnuts.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes.**

Allow to cool on a rack.

 

These can be stored for up to three months in the freezer!

* I added Silk Vanilla Soy milk

**I used my small cookie scoop for these and it worked beautifully!

 

 

 

The funny part about the cookies is that the night before I was going to see Carly, I had planned to make these cookies - that morning I was totally in the mood for baking and was going to make the cookies.

By that evening - I was completely spent. No energy to make cookies. 

Or do anything else but go to bed at 9pm. 

 

I had a decision to make - either text her with some lame excuse of why I couldn't come over....

like...

 

The kids have the flu

I think I have small pox

Bad hair day

 

But instead I decided to just go empty handed. Sure enough...I had to hear about how the only reason she got out of bed was because she thought I was bringing cookies. Even our friend Jessica who was over there said "I thought you were bringing cookies?"

 

Alright. Alright.

 

That was earlier today - so tonight I made the cookies and will make the special trip out to her house tomorrow just to drop off the dang cookies. But at least she'll be happy and it'll be a good excuse to see her again!!

 

And these little cookies will be perfect - a little crisp on the outside but nice and chewy in the middle.
Just perfect.

 

 

 

Do you have a go-to cookie for sick friends? Please share your comments and links below!!

 

Have a beautiful day!

-Sam

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin-Top Cookies

My boys and I were in doing a little bit of grocery shopping today and - as always - they wanted to go back by the bakery department for a free cookie.

(Why don't they give moms free cookies too??)

They usually are giving out sugar cookies...which are completely fine and very tasty. But today they were handing out Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

What?!

My kid love everything pumpkin. My youngest goes so far that instead of having a birthday cake, he wants a pumpkin pie! Needless to say, the kids gobbled up those cookies in no time.

I got one VERY SMALL taste and that was it. No sharing with mom today.

I decided that I would make a batch of them myself. I found on Pinterest, some cookies that looked soft and muffin-toppy looking like the ones at the store. They were from Cha-Ching on a Shoestring. I changed it up just a little to adjust to the way my family eats...they are beautiful and delicious and you should definitely try them!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Adapted from Cha-Ching on a Shoestring)

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour (I use a 50/50 mix of white and whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk (I use vanilla almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla (or almond)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, egg, applesauce, sugar, vanilla and milk together. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda together. Combine your dry ingredients into your wet. Stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips.

Drop from tablespoon onto greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

Makes 24-30 small cookies. I like mine monster-sized and it gave me 12 of them. Enjoy these. They won't last long.

Notes:

* You can add walnuts if that's what your family likes - about a half cup (but you might want to decrease the amount of chocolate by a half cup too - but I always say "The More the Merrier!")
* You could make this a great vegan recipe just by swapping out your egg for either a flax egg or one banana. (And, of course, using vegan chocolate chips.)
* Don't skimp and not grease your cookie sheet, since these cookies have no butter they will stick.
* These cookies freeze really well. Just make sure and let them cool completely first.

Linking up to: A Life in Balance, Daisy Cottage Designs, Dwelling Happiness, Elizabeth Joan Designs, Keeping It Simple, Uncommon Designs, I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Makin' Cookies at (almost) Midnight + a $10 Paypal Cash Giveaway

I could be completely not hungry.

Not hungry at all.

Then I start watching Food Network or reading through some of my favorite food blogs.

And all of a sudden I'm starving.

Last night, I wanted cookies! 

But it was 10:45 pm

I really did not feel like whipping out flour and butter....then take 45 minutes to make cookies.

That is...until I remembered that I have have my moms peanut butter cookie recipe! 

So easy, three ingredients. 

So I threw the peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the mixer really quick and made some cookies!

The kids are long asleep by now...and my hubby works overnights.

So it was just me.

All by myself.

The beauty of that...is that I don't have to fight anyone who who gets to lick the peanut butter spoon.

(Finally! It's all mine!)

I did not try to make pretty cookies.

At 10:45 pm...no one cares about pretty cookies. 

And if you give me cookies.....

you know I'll need...

a glass of chocolate milk.

The Craft of Making the Perfect Chocolate Milk

Step One: Pour

Step Two: Squeeze until you can't squeeze no more.

Step Three: Stir

(no spoons needed here...a fork works best)

By the way....like my glass?

Nope, not a real "Red Solo Cup"

I bought it at Target off the dollar bins.

Love them! 

Chocolate Milk. Done.

Step Four: Drink

Now, we sit and wait for the cookies to be done. 

(You can follow me on Instagram too!)

Cookies are done!

Now it's time to go drink chocolate milk and eat cookies in bed while watching a Lifetime Movie!

Hello!?

Perfect Sunday night!

What's your perfect night alone? Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Come back on Wednesday for more!

Have a great week.

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Piggy in Polka Dots          Frugal Foodie Mama Call Me PMC        Alderberry Hill  

 

    

  

Football Cookies - The Lazy Cookie Decorator

I love decorated cookies.

One of my favorite blogs is The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle. That woman has got some talent.

Several years ago, my hubby signed me up for a Wilton decorating class for my birthday. Loved it. Learned skills on how to make frosting, fill a bag, which tips to use, and some other basic decorating skills.

The problem?

Even if you know how to use the tips and have those skills....you still have to have some sort of artistic ability.

That's where I fall short. 

I see these fabulous cookies in my head and they never turn out the way I saw them. 

So, I've come to the understanding that my cookies are not going to be mini works of art, and I'm alright with that., for the most part.  

This past Saturday was the first Husker football game and we were invited to our first football party of the year. And, of course, I wanted to bring football cookies. 

So I made the dough, rolled it out, cut the cookies, baked them, let them cool and then started on my mini pieces of art.

Err....maybe not.

Again. What I saw in my head was something like this....

(source)

And this is what I actually did....

I determined that I just don't have the patience for pretty cookies. 

When I took them to our friends house, everyone "Ooo'ed" and "Aww'ed" at them and said how pretty and fancy they were, but I still felt bad of what could have been. 

Oh-well...there are plenty of football games coming up for me to practice! Right?

Any tips for a Lazy Cookie Decorator like me? Would love to hear them!

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