Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy free!)

I've been making and freezing cookies this week to bring to campus next week for exam week. The latest, Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, are delicious! I know there are some students with dairy allergies, so I thought I'd cater to them a little!

These are crispy around the edges, and slightly chewy in the middle! The perfect cookie!

I used BetterBody coconut oil (found at Wal-mart, here in WI) and dairy free chocolate chips (from a friend that works at the local chocolate factory). Enjoy Life makes a brand of dairy free chocolate chips, and I've read that some other "normal" brands are also dairy free.

This recipe was adapted from here.

I suggest making sure the coconut oil is quite soft. Mine was barely soft enough to smash into the measuring cup, and I ended up with some lumps, even after mixing quite well. Want to see what lumps of coconut oil look like in baking cookies?

Not pretty. But, it still tasted yummy!! I just had to eat all those ones, of course.

Also, my dough was so crumbly, I thought I'd failed, but, after scooping and pressing into balls, they actually baked nicely!!

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup very, very soft coconut oil
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbs vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips (or more, it never hurts!)

Preheat oven to 350. 

In medium bowl, mix together softened coconut oil, egg, vanilla and both sugars with electric mixer (or stand mixer)for around 2 minutes on medium speed.

In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients & then slowly incorporate into the wet mixture.

Mix in chocolate chips by hand.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Use a cookie scoop to make balls, then rolls between hands and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the outside of the cookies have browned a just a bit. 

Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, them remove to wire racks.

Best eaten when warm from oven, of course!!

These can also be frozen after they are completely cooled in an airtight container!

Makes about 3 dozen

N is always at the oven, watching, tapping, and licking the glass. 

Enjoy!!!!!!

Spritz Cookies

If you've never made Spritz Cookies, quick, go out and buy a cookie press and make them! I have this cookie press that I got for Christmas last year.

It's so much nicer than the old metal one that I had, where the disk kept popping off. That one is long gone, now! This one comes with a little booklet in it with a few recipes. We followed the Vanilla Spritz recipe, with a few minor changes. I'll post the recipe below, in case you already have a cookie press! I had two good helpers this morning.

N was going to help, 

Then decided to play instead. 

He did sit and watch J stir up the dough, though!

I have the cutest redheads. Seriously.

Isn't it gorgeous?!

Oh, just laying on the countertop watching.

Anyways, the recipe:

1 cup salted butter, room temperature.

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• Preheat oven to 375. 
• Mix butter and sugar together in large bowl until fluffy.
• Add in egg and vanilla. Mix well.
• Stir flour in by hand. Dough will seem a bit crumbly.
• Roll a section of dough into a log and insert into cookie press, fit with desired disk.
• Press the dough out onto a non-greased cookie sheet. I found it helps a little if you freeze the sheet before pressing cookies onto it.
• Decorate with colored sugar if you want.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until very lightly browned around the edges. 
• Don't let cookies cool on sheets at all, remove while still warm to wire racks to cool.
• Store in an airtight container for 4 days or freeze and eat later! 
• Makes about 7 dozen cookies.

Here it goes again...

I've started a blog so many times, then never make any other posts on it. This time, I will... hopefully!! I'm going to try and post couponing deals, my favorite recipes, giveaways, and more! Maybe I'll even get some followers! So, here it goes!!!