Time for Cookies!!! Super Yummy Maple Chocolate Chunk

The kids have been asking me for a couple of weeks, "Can we bake cookies??" Last week I was in a super anxious and frusterated mood and I decided to whip through our Lazy Susan to see what ingredients we had. Why I choose to bake with two very small children when I am not in the greatest of moods is beyond me, however, I will admit that about half way through I started to cheer up and feel calm again. (Thanks, kiddos, for putting up with your mama!) 

I went to my Pinterest 'Sweets' board and found a recipe I had never made before: Ooey-Gooey Chewy Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies. I've never used maple syrup in cookies (have you??) but it is a genius idea! Most of the sweetness came from the syrup, as only 1/4 cup is required of granulated and brown sugar. 

If you're in the mood for a very SOFT cookie filled with chocolate chunk goodness, this is the cookie you should make. Here's what you need, my only adaption is that I didn't use the maple extract because we didn't have any:

• 6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons maple extract or maple flavor
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate, cut into large chunks

I followed Broma Bakery's instructions exactly, and I don't recommend swaying from them! She was spot ON about the ten minutes of bake time. Yes, they DO look way underdone, but after sitting on the baking sheets for ten more minutes after they're out, they are literally perfect. 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
2. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
3. Add in egg, maple extract, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat for an additional minute. Pour in flour and turn the mixer to its lowest speed, working in the flour only until it incorporates.
4. Remove from mixer and fold in chocolate chunks. Use a 2 ounce cookie scoop to scoop cookies onto prepared cookie sheets.
5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to sit on the baking sheet, untouched, for 10 minutes. They will continue to cook and crisp up around the edges during this time.
6. Once the cookies have sat for 10 minutes, you can remove them from the cookie sheet and serve!

Christmas Cookies: Mini M & M Style

Long, long ago, I used to talk about how much I loved to bake and the peace and serenity that it once brought to me. What happened to that Ashley?! On dark and cloudy days I was known to bust out a baking pan, scrounge for whatever ingredients I could find, and whip something up just to have the aroma fill our home. Banana bread used to be the most common because our kids can NEVER go through a bundle of bananas and one or two were bound to turn black and be too soft. Even just last Christmas I was much more in the mood to bake than I currently am; maybe that's because I knew that Christmas break 2016 was the start of my 'Stay at Home Adventure,' and well, that season too has passed. 

I just realized that I sound like THE most depressed mother and woman ever as I type--sorry about that! The whole point of this post is to say, "HURRAY! I busted out the baking tools again!!" and I have a really yummy holiday cookie recipe JUST for you! So bear with me, I'm getting to the good stuff now. 

Through the multiple baking books that I have, and holiday magazines full of dessert recipes, it was trusty old Google who showed up for me last weekend. "Holiday cookie recipes" is what I searched, and I was brought to delish.com , where there were 80+ photos to look through. What caught my eye was MOSTLY that the recipe included mini M & M's. 

My kids hurried to my side, Pierson grabbing a chair and Reese climbing ON the counter. And there were incessant little voices saying, "Can I help?! Is it my turn?! I want to do it!" through this entire process. Somewhere in the middle of their cries I sappily told myself, "Ashley, you'll miss this," so needless to say, I allowed them to help as much as I could :)

These were called 'Christmas Drops' on this website and here are the ingredients you'll need: 

• 2½ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsalted butter
• ¾ c. granulated sugar
• ¾ c. packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. white chocolate chips
• 1 c. semisweet or milk chocolate chips
• ½ c. red and green mini baking bits (M&M's mini baking bits)
  **PS: Totally forgot to include the brown sugar in the ingredient shot above, WOOPS. I promise I used it IN the actual recipe**

Baking Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and baking bits.
3. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 3 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are browned at edges and no longer wet-looking in centers. Let stand on sheets for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

**Just an FYI, I had to soften my butter in the microwave, because I am terrible at planning ahead. And I baked two batches for 10 minutes. They were incredibly soft, golden around the edges, and SO SO SO SO SO delicious.**

The SOFTEST Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leave it to Instagram to come up with a TOLL option in their stories feature, and y'all know me, I HAD to try it. Needless to say 96% of my viewers said YES to wanting the recipe [I want to know who the 4% no's were!!!] But it was a fun toll regardless and a new way to incorporate feedback into what I do.

These were by far, the best pumpkin cookies I've ever had to date. Come fall, I will NEVER turn down pumpkin [except maybe really weird stuff, like, did you know pumpkin flavored Doritos are/were a thing?!?! WHY!?!] My husband actually baked these so I can take ZERO credit other than photographing them, writing this, and eating almost all of them.... (He found the original recipe here, on Averie Cooks blog.) 

I have always loved oats in cookies, and while I don't love oatmeal RAISIN, I DO love a good oatmeal chocolate chip. We decided to give these a whirl on a Sunday afternoon and guys, you have to find time asap to try these for yourself.  This cookie is oozing in nothing but fall flavors, because you can never go wrong with molasses and pumpkin pie spice. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 TBS mild or medium-flavored molasses (not blackstrap, too intense)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl
2. Add the pumpkin puree, sugars, molasses, vanilla, pumpkin pie extract and whisk thoroughly to combine until smooth
3. Add oats, pumpkin pie spice, flour, and salt. Stir until combined. 
4. Add the chocolate chips and stir. 
5. Use a large cookie scoop and form 13 equal sized mounds of dough and flatten just slightly. 
6. Add the mounds on a large tray, cover with plastic wrap and cool in fridge for at least three hours [this was the hard part because I am guilty of just wanting to eat the dough!!!!!!!!!!]
7. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or spray w/ cooking spray
8. Place mounds of dough 2 inches apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops are set (even if they look slightly undercooked or pale--do NOT over bake!] 
9. Cookies will firm up as they cool, so allow them to cool for about ten minutes before serving. 

Fall is just beginning, guys, so seriously, if your pantry is lacking in these ingredients, I suggest you fix that immediately. This is the first of many desserts I plan on making [normally I AM the one who bakes], but I won't complain one bit if my husband wants to continue whipping bad boys like these up. These oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are chewy, soft, and perfectly delicious! Great...now I'm going to get another [which will be my third today............] :)