Chocolate Chip Cake

This was not on the family favorite recipe list...but it is now! I was looking for a quick easy dessert to serve after dinner last week to celebrate the end of mid-term exams.  I pulled out a cookbook that I have had for ages Kitchen Keepsakes by Bonnie Welch & Deanna White. My husband and I used to go to Vermont every weekend to explore antique shops and would always stop in The Jelly Mill establishment while in Manchester. This is where I purchased this cookbook and have kept it handy because my favorite apple pie recipe is included, which I will share later.

This was a last minute idea, so I do not have pictures, but I will take them the next time I make this cake. And there will be a next time!

The recipe:

1 1/2 Cups boiling water
1 Cup oatmeal ( I used Quaker Oats- Quick Oats)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup shortening ( I use Crisco)
2 eggs
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cocoa ( I use Hershey's)
1 Cup chocolate chips (I use Nestle Toll House)
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Pour boiling water over oatmeal in small bowl and let stand 10 minutes.  Cream sugars & shortening in separate bowl; add eggs and beat until smooth.  Add oatmeal and mix well. Add flour, soda, salt and cocoa. Beat 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips ( I used the mini chips). Pour into greased and floured 8 x 12" pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chips ( I used mini) and 1/2 cup nuts*** over top.  Bake in 350` oven for 35-40 minutes.

***I have this after the nuts because I do not like chopped nuts in my cakes. So this is purely a preference thing and I just wanted to let you know that the original recipe did include them.

This cake came out warm and gooey and was very good! I believe my family invented their own favorite take on this too-

Take 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and place in bowl with 1 piece of cake. Microwave for 15-20 seconds. Mash and stir the ice cream and cake together. Apparently, this made "THE best dessert EVER".

Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the very same cookie that gets top honors as the picture you see in the header of this blog. It is a cookie that is both huge in size as in flavor.  I first made this recipe a couple of summers ago.  We had some neighbors over for a cookout and I wanted something different to serve for dessert. I decided to make these into ice cream sandwiches. We had to split them in half, because this cookie could truly be a meal in and of itself!

The original recipe is from Paula Deen (Three Chocolate Cookies), but I have used different variations of chips and such that it does differ from her recipe.

Now this cookie is NOT low fat! But when you are craving that ultimate chocolate chip cookie, this big, bad boy is it!

The Recipe:

1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 Cup shortening

3/4 Cup sugar

1-3/4 Cups firmly packed brown sugar (light)

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3-3/4 Cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 bag Nestle` Toll House Semi-Sweet Chunks

1 bag Nestle` Toll House Milk Chocolate & Caramel morsels (This is very hard to find**see note below)

1/2 Bag Nestle` Toll House Semi-Sweet Mini-Chips

** I have had a hard time finding the milk chocolate & caramel swirl chips...so I have been substituting a full bag of Milk Chocolate morsels and about 1/2 cup of Kraft Caramel Bits

Preheat oven to 350'.

With electric mixer, beat butter and shortening until creamy; gradually add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add gradually to butter mixture until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls about 3" apart (or 6 drops per sheet).  Bake 12-15 minutes, (depending on your pan) or until lightly browned. Let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes and transfer to cooling rack (or dinner plate to keep extra soft).