Perfect Soft Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies!

This is the recipe! The perfect recipe for soft, but chewy Chocolate chip cookies. It works wonderful making huge cookies or if you are like me and making them just to satisfy the troublesome sweet tooth, just make them smaller. I also made these cookies tinier for rewards to give to my daughter when she has a successful day at potty training. Its gives a sweet treat without loading her up on tons of sugar.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
•  1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. ( I do it by hand to get the chips spread out evenly through the dough.)
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

TIPS

On humid days, you might have to go 17-18 minutes. But always check the cookies after 15 minutes.

Follow the ingredients list and measurements to a "T".  The reason for this, is something like the sugar. If you add more white sugar than brown sugar you will have crisper cookies. Unless you like more crisp then chew to your cookie, follow the directions. 

Always take a fork and fluff your flour before measuring out. Packed flour actually adds more flour to the batch and will make dry cookies. :(  

 Don't go cheap in chocolate. The better the chocolate the better they taste! :)

Blue Mason Jar Soap Dispencer

I see these all over Pinterest. With many people showing their own versions and methods of making this soap dispenser, I decided to become one of them and make my own. However, my method was making do with what I had. I had the soap bottle pump and the blue mason with the lid. The tools I used are what I had to work with. :) I also got my blue mason jar from Walmart for $2.50! The size was perfect, the price was right, I could not pass up. I am not sure if all Walmarts carry the blue mason jar, but any jar with fitting lid will work as well. The whole idea is the same. Cut a hole into the lid of the jar and attach a soap pump to it.

There are much safer ways to cut a hole in the metal lid, however, I only had kitchen sheers so that is what I used. You can use a drill or punch littler holes to make bigger hole. It is your choice whichever way you wish to make your hole is up to you and what tools you have. Whatever you do, don't go out and purchase a drill or fancy metal cutters to this project. You shouldn't have to spend tons of money to make yourself something cute for your home.

If you cut it the way I did you will have the sharp jagged edges.

I solved the problem by cutting the circle and into sections and bent them over with pliers to make a smoother edge and make my hole larger for the soap pump.

With a plastic soap pump cut off the little bottle top. The part that the pump screws onto. You will screw this through your metal lid and attach the pump to it.

It will look something like this. No worries about seeing the ugly cut plastic part. The pump willl cover the top of the hole edge and the rim of the lid the screws onto the jar will cover the unperty things. :)

The finished lid will look like this. Fill it with your favorite soap and enjoy the pretty blue mason jar soap dispencer.

Here is a link of someone doing it better than I did, but the idea is still the same. Cut a hole in the lid and attache the pump.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-turn-a-mason-jar-into-a-109086



Here are more links to people on Pinterest who make their own.

http://pinterest.com/pin/540150549027514159/

 http://pinterest.com/pin/1688918583490665/

 http://pinterest.com/pin/42995371415570647/

This one is really cute and funny! It is great for Halloween. I bet you can somehow make different holiday themed ones as well. :)

 http://pinterest.com/pin/250583166737835956/

Until another day :)

Toodles

Family Life Updates

Nothing much to start out the new month other than a few birthdays and a friend heading out to college.  We are just enjoying the sweet summer weather and lounging around. However, at the end of the month we will have more excitement as I and Baby Boy prepare to head up to Canada. :) I will be sure to post pictures. :)

One thing we did that was pretty cool was Baby Girl and I spent an entire day color in our pj's while Baby Boy watched. Here is our finished masterpiece. I think it is always a great idea for parents to just sit and color with their children. Coloring is the beginning of writing. Obviously, my two year old didn't draw the lily, but she did do the background and handed me the crayons in the order of colors she wanted. :)


And Baby Boy picked up the new hobby of couponing with me. I think he has a real talent for it:)