This Tuesday’s prompt is “Best Recipes.” Well, okay, then.

A not-so-secret dream of mine is to start/run/own my own bakery. I want a fun place where you can go and get great bread (and probably soup), a normal size cupcake, and some simple, delicious cookies. I’m sure you can think of several places where I can already do any of those, but I have not found a place that does all of that well. I agree that the huge $5 cupcakes are beautiful, but to me, most of them are not that delicious. And I don’t always want a fancy cookie the size of my face.

Any hoo… back on track.

Today, I am going to share some of my favorite cookie recipes.

I’ve been baking with my grandmas, mom, and aunts for longer than I can remember. I DO know there is somewhere a somewhat embarrassing photo of me with crazy hair (most likely nap created bed-head), in a diaper, standing on a chair rolling out sugar cookies with my Grandma Ruby. But, that’s for another post.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. butter or shortening (I usually do half and half)

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. water

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more, if you like your cookies REALLY chocolaty)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream together the butter/shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, and water. Mix thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating after each. Add one cup of flour and mix well. Add remaining flour and thoroughly mix. Stir in chocolate chips by hand (to not ruin/hurt your mixer). Drop by the spoonful (your choice on size) onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkles

If you’ve never had or made these, I HIGHLY recommend you try. They taste just like an amazingly chewy brownie dusted with powdered sugar. And they are SO easy.

Ingredients

1/2 c. vegetable oil

4 squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 c. granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

powdered sugar for rolling dough in

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Stir together oil, melted chocolate, and granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Stir in vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add in flour slowly to not make a mess. Chill for several hours ~ 4 hours in the refrigerator. Roll dough into balls with a diameter roughly the size of a quarter. Roll those balls in powdered sugar and place on baking sheet. No need to flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies will flatten and look “cracked/crinkled” as they bake.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These are probably my all-time favorite cookies. AND they have oatmeal in them, so breakfast! (I am so kidding, but I DO eat them for breakfast if they are around.)

Ingredients

1 c. shortening*

1 c. brown sugar**

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

pinch of baking powder

1 1/2 c. (heaping) all-purpose flour

3 c. old-fashioned, rolled oats

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips ***

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Cream together shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in beaten eggs, dissolved baking soda and water, and vanilla. Mix well. Add salt, baking powder, and flour and thoroughly mix. Add in oats until completely incorporated. By hand mix in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

* It DOES need to be shortening (Crisco-like) this time. If you use butter, the cookies will not set up and will bake completely flat.

** You can halve both sugars and still get a delicious cookie with less sugar content.

*** Some people might prefer their oatmeal cookies with raisins. You do you, but I can’t support this thought. 🙂 Some people might also like to add 1 cup of walnuts, pecans, or the like as well. Again, I can’t support this line of thinking, but who am I to judge your cookie preferences. 😀

Happy cookie making!!