It's time for me to make a confession. We've all heard of the Pioneer Woman. She of the Famous Website. I love the way she writes. Her photos are breathtakingly beautiful. She has a Recipes section full to the brim, a cookbook out, and a movie deal for the rights to her adorable tale of how she fell in love with her husband. I think she is just cute as a button, and love wandering over to her site regularly to take everything in.
That being said.
I have been less than impressed with her recipes. There, I've said it. Everyone I know raves about her hot crash potatoes and, while good, they aren't mind-blowingly awesome (nor are they very original, sorry). I didn't want to give up on her that quickly, so I tried a muffin recipe once. Also a bit on the generic side, kind of a downer. But I love her! I figured it had to just be me and my weird random choices.
So I tried one of her casseroles, one of many new recipes I made and froze while pregnant (my nesting was not cleaning, nor hoarding, but instead baking and cooking; our large deep freezer and kitchen freezer were both stuffed full of frozen delights of every kind). That casserole, while it smelled fantastic in the oven, was bland and a little mushy and made me want to cry. I wanted to love her recipes, darn it. But at that point, I decided maybe I needed a break from the Pioneer Woman.
We got a late-season snowstorm in these parts, the Pioneer Woman got a taste of it as well. As is now our family tradition, Snow Days = Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I try a different recipe every time. Hence the 50 different chocolate-chip cookie variations posted on this darn blog...
That being said.
I have been less than impressed with her recipes. There, I've said it. Everyone I know raves about her hot crash potatoes and, while good, they aren't mind-blowingly awesome (nor are they very original, sorry). I didn't want to give up on her that quickly, so I tried a muffin recipe once. Also a bit on the generic side, kind of a downer. But I love her! I figured it had to just be me and my weird random choices.
So I tried one of her casseroles, one of many new recipes I made and froze while pregnant (my nesting was not cleaning, nor hoarding, but instead baking and cooking; our large deep freezer and kitchen freezer were both stuffed full of frozen delights of every kind). That casserole, while it smelled fantastic in the oven, was bland and a little mushy and made me want to cry. I wanted to love her recipes, darn it. But at that point, I decided maybe I needed a break from the Pioneer Woman.
We got a late-season snowstorm in these parts, the Pioneer Woman got a taste of it as well. As is now our family tradition, Snow Days = Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I try a different recipe every time. Hence the 50 different chocolate-chip cookie variations posted on this darn blog...
Anyway, I decided to give The Lady one more try. I hadn't given any of her baked goods a shot yet, maybe that's where she really shines.
Well, you will be happy to hear that indeed: her chocolate chip cookie recipe is very, very good. She highlights the chocolate in 2 ways: a bit of instant coffee granules in the dough to make that chocolate flavor nice and deep, and a liberal amount of salt to make it sing. Perfect: these cookies are crispy and chewy and chocolate to the core, even though they don't have a massive amount of chocolate in them. YUM.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
(ever so slightly modified from The Pioneer Baker)
Ingredients:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (heaping) instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a bowl, stir together butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir together.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in batches, stirring gently after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop balls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and eat warm.
Well, you will be happy to hear that indeed: her chocolate chip cookie recipe is very, very good. She highlights the chocolate in 2 ways: a bit of instant coffee granules in the dough to make that chocolate flavor nice and deep, and a liberal amount of salt to make it sing. Perfect: these cookies are crispy and chewy and chocolate to the core, even though they don't have a massive amount of chocolate in them. YUM.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
(ever so slightly modified from The Pioneer Baker)
Ingredients:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (heaping) instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a bowl, stir together butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir together.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in batches, stirring gently after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop balls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and eat warm.
2 comments:
Ha! I thought I was the only one who did not love her food!
I will have to give the cookies a shot.
Her sheet cake recipe is really good.
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