Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The weather outside was a bit chilly today, so I decided to stay in and bake. While flipping through my collection of recipes I came across one of my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies. You could basically classify it as a double chocolate chunk cookie rather than your standard chocolate chip cookie. More chocolate the better, am I right ladies.. and gents?!

Without further ado, here is how I made them!

Ingredients: 

2 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 large egg

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

Chocolate chunks

First you'll need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Before

After

In a medium size bowl add your butter and sugar. With a wooden spoon, or mixer, whichever you prefer (I like using a wooden spoon), mix the two ingredients together until it becomes smooth. I found that it is best to mix using a folding technique or mashing the butter to the side of the bowl. . . if that makes sense. If you are using a mixer, just set it to a low speed and let it do all of the work. 

Next you'll want to add in a large egg. None of that small egg business.. go big or go home right? Try and have some fun by attempting to crack the egg with one hand! Did you do it?! If you did yay congrats! If not, I apologize for making you do that.. Anyways, mix the egg in with your butter/sugar. It should look like this:

Before

After

Now it's time to add in the dry ingredients. I added in the flour first but I don't think the order matters. I added half a cup at a time so that it is easier to mix - especially if you are mixing this by hand.

Then add in your cocoa powder. 

And finally add in your chocolate of choice. I went for two types of chocolate: white chocolate chips by Ghirardelli and a package of milk chocolate Cadbury squares. I used 3/4 of a bag of the white chocolate chips because the milk chocolate squares were already a lot. If you were just to use the Cadbury squares I recommend that you use two packages, but since I also used the white chocolate chips I prompted for one bar.  It really is all about personal preference when deciding on the amount of chocolate you want in your cookies.

Now for the actual baking part where your house smells of cookie goodness! Spray your pan so that your cookies wont stick to it, or you can use parchment paper. Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a ball. I like my cookies bigger so I do two spoonfuls making them about the size of golf balls. Again, it is all personal preference. I can usually fit about 6-8 balls of dough on one cookie sheet, but it all depends on the size of your pan and how big you made your balls of dough. Pop them into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

After the 10-12 minutes is done, pull out your cookies and let them cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Once your cookies are completely cooled you can leave them on a cute little tray or put them in a box; if they even last the night.  I decided to place them into these fun little bags I got from target, because I am taking them to my brothers house for him and his friends to enjoy! (how nice of me right?) I like to enjoy my cookies freshly out of the oven paired with a glass of cold milk, or even with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

I hope you enjoyed this easy recipe and the cookies!
What is your favorite type of cookie? 

Taste of Madison

Over Labor Day weekend I ventured to Capital Square for 'Taste of Madison'. Taste Of Madison is an event that shuts down roads around the Capital, where local restaurants set up booths to serve their food. It's a great way for businesses to advertise and become known but more importantly, a way for people to get a sample of their food. They also had three different bands playing at each corner of the square; I didn't really stick around to watch, but they did sound wonderful, playing songs that ranged from country to rock. The best way that I would describe this event is basically like your typical State fair, just without the rides or animals. The smell, the atmosphere, the people; all very exciting!

 This event took place on Saturday and also Sunday from dusk until dawn. Any type of food that you could imagine was basically served there. They had anything from pizza to popcorn, BBQ to gyros, and anything in-between... Not forgetting the endless supply of beer (which I did not sample). Upon arriving I soon realized that I wished the size of my wallet was as big as my stomach!  (Silly me only grabbed $8)

There were SO many people at this event, it was a tight squeeze trying to get a glimpse at each station. And it didn't help that it was super hot and sticky. With the humidity and standing in the scorching sun, I figured it was over 100 degrees fahrenheit. Because of the weather, and my mistake of only bringing less than $10, I didn't stay long; especially since I walked to the event (which was a good half hour hike). But before I left I did get the chance to grab a couple of goodies. First, I enjoyed some deep fried cookie dough; I'll give you a minute to clean up the drool escaping your mouth. And of course, I wouldn't be a true Wisconsinite if I didn't grab a tray of greasy cheese curds. 

Although the weather made it extremely uncomfortable to walk through the thick crowds of hungry folks, it was really cool to see what my new city has to offer.

All I know is next year I am bringing more money and an emptier stomach.