Cookie Mad: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chocolate White Choc Chip)

our new blog can be found here.

So you might have guessed that lately I've been on a bit of a cookie kick.

Be it The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie, Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies or even Soft Sugar Cookies.

They're portable, adaptable, easy to make andddd I have a family of cookie fiends.

I had a request for Double Chocolate Cookies (inspired by Subway's Double Choc Chip Cookies) 

so I got to work in the kitchen. 

But that's where the trouble started. 

The recipe I had was all sorts of wrong.

As I looked down the ingredients list, I realised that it just wasn't going to work.

No eggs. No wet ingredients. No raising agents.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

So what did I do? Improvise!

I figured in the last couple of months I've made enough cookies to at least try to bake completely on instinct.

So I crossed my fingers and went to work. 

Once the cookies were in the oven I spent the next fifteen minutes looking from my computer screen to the oven - hoping and praying they didn't turn into a tray of cookie lava or be a complete fail.

Thankfully they didn't do either - I had soft and chewy Double Chocolate Chip cookies that smelt amazing. 

Yes, I most definitely was proud of my baking skills - fluke or no fluke :P

Being the smart cookie I am (heh)
I also wrote down what I did so I could share the recipe with you if it was a success! 

These cookies have soft centres with chewy edges and are probably the love child of a cookie and a brownie. 

If you love the chocolatey flavour of brownies but just can't go past the old faithful cookie - these are for you. 

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies  Pin It

(Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies) 

recipe by ksayerphotography 

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

125g Butter

1/2C White Sugar

1/2C Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt

1 1/4C Flour 

1 tsp Baking Powder 

1 tsp Baking Soda

2/3C Cocoa Powder

1/3C Milk

1 1/2C White Chocolate Chips (or as much as you prefer)

Preheat oven to 165*C/330*F 

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add flour, raising agents, cocoa and salt and mix until combined.

Slowly add in milk (while mixing) until a soft dough forms.

Mix in chocolate chips until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

Cover bowl and leave to chill in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes - or until firm and workable.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place on lined cookie sheets 2-3" apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are cooked. 

Leave to cool completely on trays.

Tips!
- If you want a really chocolatey cookie, switch the white chocolate chips for milk or dark. 

- For a crispier, crunchier cookie, bake for 20-25 minutes.

- The cookies will firm up once they cool, so don't worry if the middles seem soft. 

- Try adding dried fruit/nuts/more chocolate chips to make your ultimate cookie. 

- Don't try working with the dough before you chill it, you'll end up with a huge mess.

- The dough freezes extremely well, so why not make extras and pop them in the freezer for when the cookie monster hits! 


our new blog can be found here.

So tell me, 

Are you a chocolate or a vanilla kind of person?! 

I love chocolate straight up, on it's own.

If you offered me a cake or a piece of chocolate - I'd choose chocolate :P

Or anything sweet or a piece of chocolate, really.

Pin It

Love this recipe? Be sure to check out my new blog - Southern In-Law!

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

I think it's safe to say I'll take any excuse that comes my way to bake.

What, someone's coming over? Oh hold on - let me whip up a cake!

Dinner party? Oh what flavour cupcakes do you want?

New job? Let's celebrate!

What? You've never had red velvet cake? Let me change that!

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Cravings? Give me 20 minutes!

These cookies were made specifically with my Mum in mind!

She's always been a fan of the chocolate/nut combination - so why not turn it into a cookie?

These cookies are the ultimate cookie for a peanut fiend.

Peanut butter cookie filled with chunks of peanutty snickers? Why of course!

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies Pin It

recipe by ksayerphotography

makes 24 large cookies

125g Butter, chopped

1C Peanut Butter  

(smooth or crunchy works - it's up to you!)

3/4C Granulated Sugar

1/2C Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 tbsp Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/4C Plain Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt
(the salt depends on whether you use salted/unsalted PB as well as your salty/sweet preference)

2-3 Chopped Full Size Snickers Bars 

(or more, or less - depending on how many chunks you want!)

Preheat oven to 180*C (350*F)

In a mixer, cream butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until smooth.

Add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and beat until the flour mixes through completely and a dough forms. 

Stir in chopped snickers bits until evenly incorporated.

Form dough into balls (about a heaping tbsp per ball) and place onto a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

(Don't worry about flattening them! Leaving them in a ball makes a thicker cookie as they spread themselves)

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes - depending on your cookie preference.

For a soft cookie:  

Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are slightly brown - they will firm up once cooled! 

For a crunchy cookie:

Bake for ~15 minutes or until cookies are more golden brown on the edges.

Leave cookies to cool completely before trying to move them around.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container 

(if they get to make it to the container, that is)

I think you could definitely use other candy bars in this recipe, 

even switching the peanut butter for almond/walnut/cashew butter to match!

I can't tell you how long they'll last in a container, however, because mine were eaten IN A FLASH and proclaimed as the "best cookies you (I) have ever made"

Repeat batches have already been requested - good sign, no?

If you're a reaaaaal chocolate fiend you could also add a handful (or several) of chocolate chips for that extra chocolate hit!

So tell me,

How do you like your cookies?

Soft or crunchy? 

Pin It

COMPETITION: Deliciously Simple and Coeliac Awareness Week

Even the best of chefs have kitchen disasters.

Cakes that fail to rise, muffins with doughy centres, ingredients knocked off the kitchen counter, spoiled milk, misinterpreted recipes,  faulty kitchen equipment - you name it, it happens. 

Gluten free baking can be a bit of a disaster if you're not used to it. 

Unfamiliar ingredients and textures can often lead to lacklustre cakes and gummy brownies. 

For alot of people with Coeliac disease, baking is forgotten about. 

But Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies makes it super easy, you could even say fool proof!

Take the Lemon Curd Delights I made above, all you have to do is melt and mix! 

Plus, no one will ever know it's not homemade unless you tell them ;) 

I got plenty of compliments from my taste testers who couldn't believe they'd come from a packet.

Coeliac Disease effects one in every 100 Australians, however, fewer than one in five have been diagnosed.

That means that up to 200, 000 Australians have coeliac disease and have no idea. 

So what is Coeliac Disease? 

It's the result of an auto-immune response where the body produces antibodies which attack it's own tissues. This response is triggered by eating gluten - a protein which is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

Those with coeliac disease may experience: 

- Fatigue

- Unexplained anaemia

- Nutritional deficiencies such as B12, iron or folate

- Gastrointestinal problems

- Nausea and vomiting

- Unintentional weight loss 

- Delayed growth or development in children

- Headaches

- Liver problems

- Unexplained multiple fractures

- Irritability

- Trouble concentrating

You may also have a higher risk of having coeliac disease if you have:

- a family history of coeliac disease

- type one diabetes 

- unexplained osteoporosis

- infertility or multiple miscarriages

So how do you find out if you have Coeliac Disease?

Have a talk to your doctor if you're concerned and a Coeliac Blood Screening test can be ordered and the correct measurements can be taken from there.

What happens to people with Coeliac Disease?

The good news is that Coeliac disease can be treated quite easily, with the removal of gluten from the diet.   

 Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies have just released an app called Gluten Free Entertaining to help you out when it comes to cooking for yourself or others on a Gluten Free diet. 

This should hopefully help you to avoid any kitchen disasters!

But now, lets get to the fun part!

I want you to try Melinda's products too! and so does Melinda herself!

So we're offering you the chance to win over $100 worth of MGFG delivered to your door! 

 

All you have to do is comment, telling me about your worst kitchen disaster

or your ultimate cooking triumph! 

and to gain an extra entry like and post "I want to win MGFG with ksayerphotography" at Melinda's Gluten Free Goodies Facebook page page

The winner will be chosen by Melinda and announced here and on MGFG's Facebook page on April 4th

(Open to AUS residents only - Sorry!)

 

Non-blog readers: Leave a comment to win and send me a copy at ksayerphotography@gmail.com

so that I have your contact details if you win!

Kristy received MGFG courtesy of www.melindas.com.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography.blogspot.com 

Blustery days

These unseasonably cold and windy days have made me realise just why certain cookies are holiday favourites.

Gingerbread filled with spices that warm you from the inside out were exactly what was needed on this blustery day.

At this rate - we could be having a white christmas!

Where oh where is the sun? and heat?! 

Totally not regular summer weather. 

Today I made up a batch of gingerbread cookies using this recipe from Taste

Gingerbread Cookies

125g Butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup golden syrup 

1 egg yolk 

2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp Allspice 

1 tsp Bicarb (baking) soda

Preheat oven to 180*C

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarb soda. 

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (you may need to add a little water or milk to bring the dough together). Press dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Once the cookies were baked and cooled the fun part came, decorating!

The thought of piping icing wasn't too appealing today, so we went with fondant covered cookies! 

You could make your own from scratch, or be lazy (like me) and use ready to roll fondant :) 

So tell me - 

What's your favourite holiday treat? 

Mine would probably have to be christmas pudding! 

but I have a new found soft spot for soft ginger cookies!

 

Sweet Saturday: I'm in a Jam.

Have you ever been so inclined to make something,

only to open the fridge or cupboard and find your missing some of the most vital ingredients?

I know I have, alot.

Yesterday I decided I was going to make scones.

Butter, cream, lemonade, oil - 

the thousands of different recipes left me confused as to which one to try.

Until I opened the fridge.

No butter.

No cream.

Because I was racing against time 

(read: the sun was looking like it was threatening to go back into hiding)

I decided to use a butterless and creamless recipe. 

Don't you agree these gorgeous jams from Anathoth were just SCREAMING for scones?

I was lucky enough to be sent their Three Berry Jam  and Cherry Berry Jam

I love good jams. 

I say good, because that's what they have to be.

I want them to taste real and homemade and have chunks of actual fruit.

I don't want to be eating something that's 99% sugar, 1% fruit. 

Now that I've gotten older and discovered real jam,

I love it with cream cheese on toast

or as a topping for oatmeal.

Anathoth's Three Berry Jam is a combination of strawberries, boysenberries and blackcurrants

and contains no preservatives, added pectins or colours.

The three berries combine to make a delicious jam that, like their pottles say 

"tastes just like homemade"

The Cherry Berry Jam is a new flavour for Anathoth,

It's full of juicy cherries and has a delicious flavour.

I'll admit, I was wary about this one. 

I looked at the label and thought about that horrible processed fake cherry flavour.

But my fears were soon relieved when I tasted the jam.

No fake cherry flavour in sight! Instead it was a delicious natural cherry flavour.

Just as it should be.

It's not quite as thick as the other jam because cherries are a fruit that is lower in natural pectin

but it's thick enough to spread on scones or toast - well, whatever you please really!

The Help! I'm out of Butter, scones recipe

2 cups of Plain Flour 

1Tbsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Sugar  

(you can use caster sugar or icing sugar - depending on what's at hand) 

1/4 tsp Salt

1 egg

1/4C Oil  

(Light flavoured oils like vegetable, canola or rice bran oil work best)

1/3C Milk 

1/4C Warm Water 

Preheat oven to 200*C (390*F)

In a large bowl sift flour and baking powder, add sugar and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, oil, milk and warm water.

Add wet mix to dry mix and mix until just combined (adding a little extra water if required).

Turn dough onto a floured workspace and pat out until 2cm thick.

With a scone cutter (or the rim of a glass cup/tumbler) cut out scones.

Place scones onto a baking tray, allowing room for them to spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until risen and light golden in colour. 

So there you have it, 

A scone recipe for when you're in a butter-less jam.

I know I know, That was lame!

To get your hands on some Anathoth Jam, head to your local Coles, Woolworths or IGA store.

I promise you won't regret it! 

But do tell me,

What would be your ultimate morning/afternoon tea menu?

and Are you often caught without vital ingredients on hand? or are you more organised!

My mum's ultimate morning tea is exactly what you see above

hence why you're seeing it! 

I'm a fan of a summer morning tea, full of delicious summer fruit.

Kristy received Anathoth Jams courtesy of www.anathoth.co.nz

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Sweet Saturday: Blueberry Crumble Muffins

so I'm back and so is Sweet Saturday!

I thought about what I should include in SS's come back post

and I decided a super sweet recipe would definitely fit the bill 

The only problem was deciding what to make. 

The last couple of weeks I've been promising my sister I would bake her something while she was at school

(an act of procrastination? you betcha!) 

But, alas, I didn't quite get there. 

So yesterday as soon as I'd gone out and bought eggs I was in the kitchen, 

cooking up a storm (or muffins, if you want to be realistic) 

But these weren't just any muffins, 

they were Blueberry Crumble Muffins.

Picture your favourite blueberry muffin - moist, fluffy, full of blueberries.

Now add a crunchy, buttery, sugary crust on top.

My sister is the blueberry muffins number one fan.

She's a bit of a blueberry muffin connoisseur, so this muffin faced a tough critic!

 But I had promised her a recipe that didn't include any weird ingredients

(the girl does not like chia seeds or wheat bran or cakes made with butter substitutes) 

So she arrived home from school, blueberry muffins sitting pretty on the end of the bench.

I see a look of disgust on her face and she cries "Did you make bran muffins?!?"

After some reassuring that the crusty tops were infact a mix of brown sugar, flour and butter 

and the muffins were free of any bran - she tried one. 

Did I pass the test? 

Did my muffins meet the blueberry muffin connoisseur's criteria?

Well, she told me to keep the recipe

she told me to make them again

and she told me to post it on my blog.

I think that's a win, no? 

Especially when we're talking about the girl who always finds a problem with what I cook

(sisterly love) 

So here's the recipe,

I promise it won't let you down!

Blueberry Crumble Muffins 

150g butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/3 cup milk 

1 large egg 

1 large egg yolk 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups plain flour 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

2 cups blueberries (see tip) 

For the topping: 

60g cold butter, cut into cubes 

1/2 cup plain flour 

3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 180*C.

Spray a muffin tray with cooking spray, or line with paper liners. 

In a bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg, yolk and vanilla. 

In another larger bowl, mix together sifted flour, baking powder and brown sugar.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir gently to combine. 

Make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the sugar and flour until there are no lumps of butter and the mix resembles bread crumbs. 

Add the blueberries to the muffin mix, being careful not to break the berries. 

Fill the muffin tins evenly, with the batter almost reaching the top of the cups. 

Sprinkle over an even amount of the crumble topping over each muffin. 

Bake until golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the muffin removes clean (about 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins, 30-35 minutes for texas sized muffins) 

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing onto a wire rack. 

Tips: 

- You can use fresh, canned or frozen blueberries (I used frozen this time)

- For frozen berries do not defrost as this will add too much extra liquid to the batter and you'll end up with bright purple muffins 

- When using canned blueberries, drain as much of the liquid off as possible

- When turning out the muffins onto a wire rack, place a cookie sheet underneath to catch any of the crumbly topping bits that fall off (trust me, they're the best part!) 

So tell me, 

What's your favourite baked treat? 

and are you a lover of the crunchy top, soft bottom or fluffy middle of a muffin?

(I'm a big fan of the crunchy top!)  

Have a fantastic weekend! 

Now that I'm finished with school and my exams, 

I'm planning on cooking and baking alot more. 

Do you have anything you'd like to see me make?

104.

some like salty

some like sweet

salty, sweet, salty, sweet, salty, sweet

how do you decide?

well, YOU MIX THEM TOGETHER! 

think, peanut butter and chocolate

think, maltesers and popcorn (seriously, you have to try it)

think, chocolate covered pretzels.

it's sweet saturday but I decided to twist it up, jussstt a little bit

after seeing a recipe on Carrots 'n' Cake that caught my attention

Salty Sweet Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from here

1 cup Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Plain Flour 

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup Milk 

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180*C.

Combine all ingredients (except salt) in a mixing bowl. 

Drop tablespoons of batter onto a lined/greased cookie sheet.

Sprinkle tops of cookies with salt.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

These cookies were super easy to make (and eat)

I ground the oats a little in the food processor before I started to keep a certain grain hater happy

and added about 1/4 cup currants.

You could definitely add any other dried fruit you like and I think chocolate chips would work wonders (especially white chocolate)

Keep in mind that these cookies are quite cake like - not your traditional cookie texture

and the salt on top may put some people off. 

But they get addictive

and they're really quite healthy :)

So tell me, 

are you a salty or sweet kinda person?

Have an AMAZING sweet saturday 

(and rest of your weekend!)
:)

080.

Crispy outsides, chewy centres

That's my perfect cookie!

This Sunday, In Australia, it's ANZAC day.

For those of you who don't know, A.N.Z.A.C stands for

Australian

New

Zealand

Army

Corp

and ANZAC day is a national day of remembrance to honor those soldiers.

The cookies you see above are ANZAC biscuits, and are claimed to be the food of soldiers

sent from home by loving wives or mothers because the biscuits don't spoil easily.

Not only do they travel well, they taste amazing.

Seriously, even the dough tastes amazing.

Chewy ANZAC Biscuits Recipe:

• 
  
  1 cup plain flour
• 
  
  1 cup rolled oats
• 
  
  1 cup desiccated coconut
• 
  
  3/4 cup brown sugar
• 
  
  125 grams butter
• 
  
  2 Tbsp golden syrup
• 
  
  2 Tbsp water
• 
  
  1 tsp bicarb soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (320 fahrenheit).

In a bowl, mix together sifted flour, oats, coconut and brown sugar until no lumps of brown sugar remain.

Place butter, golden syrup and water in a small saucepan and heat over a medium temperature until butter has melted. Remove from heat and add bicarb soda, stir to combine.

Pour hot butter mixture over flour mixture and stir until well combined. (Feel free to put a Tbsp or so more water if you're not happy with the consistency).

Roll tablespoon sized balls of dough and flatten slightly on a baking tray, making sure to space the cookies about an inch apart so they have room to spread.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Note:

When the cookies come out of the oven, their edges should be quite crisp but the centres will be soft - This makes perfect chewy cookies.

If you're looking for a crispier cookie, leave them in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.

My original intention for the post was an ANZAC ice cream recipe.

However, my enthusiasm and curiosity got the better of me and I tried a new ice cream recipe instead of my tried and tested one (Bad idea).

I wasn't really awake while reading the recipe, or making the icecream.. so I failed to notice the red flag that this recipe had no sugar in it. Zip, Zero, Zilch..

So lets just say that recipe went straight to the fail pile.

I still wanted ANZAC ice cream though, so I softened a tub of store bought ice cream I had in the freezer

and mixed through chunks of the cooled ANZAC cookies.

Oh boy was it good! I think this is something everyone needs to try.

But don't use store bought cookies! You need the mix of crispy bits and chewy centers... mmmmmm.

Heavenly.

But rest assured,

You'll be seeing a few ice cream recipes in the future

(as long as they taste good)

but for now, the message is:

ICECREAM WITHOUT SUGAR SUCKS!

At least that recipe did.

So tell me,

what's your number one dessert choice?