milk's bff

Brownies are a personal favourite of Marilyn and I. They're really one of the most homey treats you can have that always calls to mind mom's best baking. Sometimes, the store-bought ones just don't suffice, so we decided to make our own! We found this recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/. It's got amazing reviews, so try it out!


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar (we like our brownies a bit less sweet so we used 3/4 cup instead)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

**yields 16 brownies

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

2) In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3) Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 mins. Don't overcook and remove from the oven immediately!

And I can't imagine a better way to enjoy these than with a glass of milk :)

A Staple in Your Pantry: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade chocolate chip cookies are a staple in every pantry ... or at least in my house. We got this recipe off of marthastewart.com - these cookies were easy to make and one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had (and I've ate a lot in my life time). They were soft, chewy and every bite was full of chocolate chips.
Here's the recipe pulled from the Martha Swetart website:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 3 dozen

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Tip: This is a step Christine and I added into the recipe. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap and place the cookie dough on it. Form the dough into a 'brick shape' and put it in the fridge for at least an hour. The cookies will bake better this way.
   
3. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week