C is for Cookie.

We had a Back To School Youth Rally at our church.  The kids are starting school this week, so weird.  I'm used to the kids starting school in September.  So…..  I decided to bake cookies for the event.  So many cookies, so, so many cookies.  I always think that something is a great idea and then I think "Why did I volunteer to do that?". I picked out a few recipes and went to it.  My favorite were the chocolates ones, so that is the recipe that I will share.  They taste like round flat brownies, a piece of heaven.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2½ sticks or 1 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°

In a medium sized bowl whisk the the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt  together, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, roughly 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined, then reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.  (To avoid a HUGE flour cloud in your kitchen.. try draping your mixer with a large hand towel, to cover the side of the bowl with just enough room for the flour mixture bowl to sit at the front and slowly add the flour in.  – hope that makes sense, it makes a huge difference!  Just be careful when removing the towel it will have flour on it!) 

At this point you can form the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour until firm.

Scoop cookies out onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes then remove from the cookie sheet and cool completely.

I had to sift the flour and cocoa with my trusty three layer sifter.  That cocoa was giving me a time,  as you can see it was clumpy and who wants clumpy cocoa cookies.

I love my KitchenAid.

This is actually the next day.  I refrigerated the dough and then baked it.  I skipped a few steps but the end result is the most important thing here  (I was tired and it was late, step by step instructions were out the window at that point).

I made chocolate chip, chocolate chip with pecans, oatmeal, chewy chocolate, and peanut butter 

cookies.

A boat load of cookies.

I said that after this I wouldn't be making cookies for a while.  My children guilted me into making more last night, I officially hate cookies.

Hope that you enjoy them!!!!!

From South Africa With Love,