Chocolate Chip Cookies (soft. coconut oil. so good)

For cryin' out loud, y'all. It's SEPTEMBER. What in the world.

I know you're dying for an update on my exciting life, so I'll oblige. We bought a house. We sold our old house. We moved.

Did you know that moving entails packing every single itty bitty item you own, putting it in a box, putting the box in a vehicle and driving it to a different location?

I won't even get into unpacking every little thing.

If I had thought that through, I might have thought twice about moving. Oh my word. Children have a lot of little bitty things. Times four. And I had stuck a lot of things in a lot of places. Wow.

But we're moved and it was all totally worth it. More than worth it. So worth it, we're never doing it again. Ever.

We love our new place. All of us. Especially the dogs and the kids. They run and romp and dig holes (this applies to kids & dogs alike). The kids play in the dirt and run in the field and help their daddy prune trees. Kids are supposed to be dirty and sweaty, you know? Also, most of us have shared poison ivy (that was fun).

I have a long list of farm animals I plan to procure at some point. And no, the list does not include goats. Nearly everyone has asked me this. What is the deal with goats? To quote my dad: "If a fence won't hold water, it won't hold a goat." There ya go. No goats on this land.

But I would consider a burro (that's the Spanish word for donkey, but it sounds much better in Spanish don't you think?).

So I do cook occasionally, but it would be embarrassing if I told you what I make (I'm using the words "cook" and "make" very loosely in this context). But we do eat on our screened-in porch every night. It's awesome. It might get a bit cold in the winter, but kids are messy and at least one person spills their milk every night, so I think we'll just suffer through.

On an unrelated note, I tried yet another recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I tweaked it a bit and I think they're pretty delicious. I fell in love with coconut oil during my Whole30 and so I just applied that healthy oil to baking (I'm sure the creators of Whole30 would be thrilled with that). Don't skip the step of chilling the batter because your cookies will be puddles when you bake them. Just follow the directions and your life will go as planned.

Softest Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (measure the melted oil to equal 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghiradelli chips are the best)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Stir together the oil, butter & sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and combine. Add the salt, soda, powder & flour with the chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Scoop into mounds (I use a cookie scoop) and chill for at least 3 hours. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 7-8 minutes, until not quite done (they will set up as they cool).

French Silk Pie

It's Friday! Therefore, we should definitely eat chocolate pie.

French Silk chocolate pie, to be specific.

I have made this several times, and I love making it because it's fun to make!

And it's a totally bizarre process.

Here's what you do. Mix up some butter & sugar, pour in some melted chocolate (cooled, please), and then crack in an egg every five minutes while your mixer is on.

So the pie filling takes over 20 minutes just to make. Four eggs x 5 minutes between each egg (plus a couple minutes to beat the sugar & butter together). I mean, that's weird. Who in the world figured out that you could get a fabulous, fluffy pie filling this way?

I mean, who has that much time on their hands?

I don't actually really care. I'm just thankful that someone made this discovery and that I made the discovery of this recipe on Pinterest.

Actually, my mom has known about this pie for decades. I can't believe she was holding out on me. When I mentioned that I was going to make this pie, she casually said, "Oh, yeah, I used to make that pie."

Really. Thanks for enlightening me. Spread the fabulousness around, y'all. Don't hold out on those that you love. Make this pie for them.

French Silk Pie

2 sticks butter (yes, I said a cup of butter), softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
4 eggs
1 baked pie shell, cooled
Whipped cream, for serving (make the real stuff or use the canned Redi-Whip but please don't ruin this delicious pie with Cool Whip)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat it on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Add the vanilla and chocolate and combine.  Set your mixer on medium speed and add an egg every 5 minutes (this will take 20 minutes to add the eggs). Scrape the bowl well (especially the bottom) each time you add an egg. Beat for another 5 minutes. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Amaretto Pound Cake

I made this last month for our annual cousin gathering.  Yesterday my cousin reminded me that I still hadn't posted the recipe...

So here ya go.

My hairdresser was sweet enough to share this recipe with me a few years ago, and I love it.  She said it's an old Southern Living recipe that she's been making for years, and she passed it along to me.

The cake is simple to make and unbelievably moist.  I must say that my cousins loved it.

Amaretto Pound Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1/4 tsp almond extract

6 T amaretto liqueur
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix together ingredients for cake.  Mix for about a minute until completely combined.  Pour into a well-greased bunt pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs sticking to it.

Whisk together the glaze ingredients.  Use a toothpick (or the tines of a fork) to poke holes in the cake while it's still in the pan.  Pour the glaze on top.  Let the cake sit for 2 hours in the pan before inverting on a cake stand.  Cool completely before slicing.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is a recipe from my childhood.  This chocolate sheet cake was my birthday cake every year.  And I do mean every year. I love it.

Lots of people have this recipe (or a version of it), but this is really the best version out there.  It combines butter and oil for the best flavor/moistness combo.

It's seriously the most moist delicious chocolate cake I've ever had.

One more thing: leftovers in the morning with coffee.  Awesome.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
4 T cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Icing:
1 stick butter
3 T cocoa powder
5 T milk
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar.

In a pot on medium heat, bring to a boil the butter, 4 T cocoa powder, water and oil.  Whisk to combine.  As soon as it boils, pour it into the flour/sugar mixture and combine slightly - don't completely incorporate it but just enough so that the mixture is just warm (not hot).

Add the soda, buttermilk, eggs & vanilla and mix completely.

Pour onto a greased 10x15 cookie sheet/baking pan) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, until just set in the middle.  A toothpick inserted in the middle should have just a few crumbs sticking to it.

While the cake bakes, make the icing.  In a pot over medium heat, bring to a boil the butter, cocoa & milk.  As soon as it boils, remove it from the heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Beat with a hand mixer or a whisk until it is smooth.

When the cake comes out of the oven, cool for just a couple of minutes before adding the icing.  The icing will set up and harden slightly as it cools.  Cool completely and serve!

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

It's been so long since I've been on here that I'm not even sure where to begin!  The last recipe I posted was a strawberry cake.  And this...well, this is a Strawberry Shortcake Cake.  I made it for my oldest's birthday!  Three months ago.

Once again, where is my life going.

I have a few random pictures of this cake, but the point is that it's really yummy.  And you can't use too many strawberries.  It's inspired by a Paula Deen recipe, but I tripled the amount of strawberries she called for.

Telling you what.  Can't use too many strawberries.  Especially when they're in season.

Oh!  And did you want to see Bitty?  She's almost two months old, y'all.  Oh the sweetness.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Inspired by Paula Deen

1/2 of a homemade poundcake (I used a basic recipe), sliced thin
3 lbs. strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 large box vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz. container Cool Whip

Whisk together the pudding mix and milk.  Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla.  Use a spatula to fold in the Cool Whip.

Place a layer of poundcake on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Evenly layer strawberries on top.  Spread about half of the Cool Whip mixture on top.  Repeat the layers, ending with the Cool Whip mixture.  Cover and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled.

Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake

A month ago today I birthed this real, live Bitty Baby.

How has it been a month already???  Where is my life going.  While we opted not to find out the gender of our baby, we were all sure she was a boy.  So we didn't try too hard to come up with a girl's name.  Until Levi came out a girl.  It took us a little while to decide on a name - not just any name, but the right name.  The perfect name.

She is an amazing, precious part of our family, and we are so thankful!  All of us...and her big brother is especially pleased with her, in case you couldn't tell.

And so now we have fresh strawberry cake.  Because it's strawberry season, and this mama still bakes occasionally.  One hand measures ingredients and the other hand snuggles this baby girl.  Miss Sarah Kate is not fond of being anywhere except in my arms.  And I'm pretty happy about that.

This recipe has been all over Pinterest so I made a few changes and came out with a really great base cake recipe. You could add anything in place of the strawberries - next time I'm definitely going down the blueberry route.

My big girls are quite happy with their "New Baby" too.

Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake

Adapted from A Spicy Perspective 

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced (could also substitute 1 1/2 cups blueberries)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 T)

Cream together the butter, oil and sugar in a mixer until combined and fluffy.  Add the eggs and combine well.  Add the lemon juice, vanilla, lemon extract and sour cream and mix until combined.  Add 2 1/4 cups of flour, soda & salt and mix until just combined.  Toss the remaining 2 T flour with the chopped strawberries and fold them into the batter.

Pour into a well-greased bundt cake and bake in a 325 degree oven for about 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it.  Let cool in the bundt pan for about 15 minutes.

Turn the cake out onto a cake stand and let it cool to room temperature.  Meanwhile, whisk together the glaze ingredients.  When the cake has cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it fall down the sides.

Cherry Turnovers

I made these turnovers sometime during the throes of winter.  You know, the winter that never ended.

The winter that dumped snow on us in April.

The winter that made me so thankful for SPRING!

Yeah, then. Turnovers just seemed like the right thing to do on a cold, dark night after supper.

My kids loved them.  Did I even need to tell you that.

I got the idea from the cherry turnovers my mom used to make for me and my brother.  Back in the day.

We loved them then.  Probably didn't need to tell you that either.

They're ridiculously easy and totally delicious.  Not really even a recipe.  But it is a bite of my childhood.  And now my adulthood.  And my children's childhood.

I love generational blessings.  And yes, I consider even cherry turnovers a generational blessing.

Cherry Turnovers

2 8 oz. packages Crescent rolls
21 oz. can cherry pie filling
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
1 tsp vanilla (or almond extract is delish too!)

Unroll the crescent rolls and divide them into the triangles.  Lay on a sheet tray and evenly divide the pie filling on the widest part of the triangle.  Fold the smaller end of the triangle over on top of the pie filling.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 17-18 minutes until puffed and golden.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.  Drizzle on top of the hot turnovers.  Serve immediately.

Snickerdoodles

I made these for my brother because a couple of years ago, after knowing my brother for all 30-ish years of my life, he announced that Snickerdoodles are his favorite cookie.

It was one of the most random things I had ever heard him say.

Snickerdoodles?  I mean, whose favorite cookie is that, anyway?

My brother's.  Apparently.

This was news to me.  But good news, since I like Snickerdoodles.  They're fun to say and super yummy to eat.

So I made these for a family gathering at my aunt's house.  I took a plate piled high of Snickerdoodles.  I waved them under my brother's nose and then sat them on the dessert table.

Nearly immediately, the plate of freshly baked cookies were totally demolished.  My brother got approximately one cookie + a stray crumb out of the entire mound of cookies I took.  That's all that was left.

You can't dawdle in our family.  If you want something, you'd better grab it.

Otherwise it's gone.

But, of the one cookie + stray crumb he got to sample, my brother said these were the best Snickerdoodles he'd ever had and that I should blog the recipe.

That's a high compliment.  And that's why I'm blogging this recipe.

Snickerdoodles
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
Heaping 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon

Cream together the butter and sugar for several minutes in a mixer until creamy and totally combined.  Add the eggs and combine.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir (mixer on low) until just combined.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined.

Combine the cinnamon & sugar in a bowl.  Use a cookie scoop to make cookie dough balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Place on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes.  Do not overbake!

Nutella Cookies

Do you like Nutella?  If your answer is "no" or "I've never tried it," then I don't even know what to say.  Consider me speechless.

Nutella!  I could sing a song about it.  But that would frighten you, so I won't.  This stuff is dangerous.  Maybe even deadly.

And my life has been complete since Sam's started carrying jumbo-sized containers of it!

I don't generally bake with the chocolaty-hazelnut spread.  Because it's just so good right out of the jar...on a graham cracker...or a spoon...or your finger...

But I digress.

I tried these cookies and WOW.  They are amazing.  Totally Nutella-y.  Perfectly so.  And the peanut butter flavor isn't overwhelming; it gives a bit of flavor and just enough structure to hold the cookies in a perfect mound.

This is one Nutella cookie recipe worth trying.  They're really delicious.

And a note about the batter: it's the weirdest consistency I've ever seen with cookie dough.  Totally weird, a little oily, seems like it'll never work and actually bake into a cookie.  But it does!  Somehow, it works.  Amazingly.  Try it.

I mean, what's not to love?

Fudgy Nutella Cookies
Adapted from Averie Cooks

3/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or a combo semi-sweet/milk chocolate)

Place the Nutella, peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat on high for about 5 minutes, until the ingredients are completely incorporated.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium-low speed until just combined (don't overmix at this point).

The batter will be oily and an odd consistency.  You're on the right track.  Scoop mounds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9-10 minutes (they will look slightly underdone when you take them out but will set up as they cool).

Cherry Cobbler

My husband loves cherries.  Artificial cherries, cherry flavoring, real cherries...you name it.  He loves it all.

I love almond extract and everything you can put it in.

Cherries and almond extract got married.

This is the result.

It is so easy and so good.

Whose idea was it to pour a dry cake mix over some fruit and call it cobbler?  I'd like to meet the person.

You can definitely use any fruit you want.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, pears (do I need to go on?).  I might not use bananas though.

Just sayin'.

I don't think I have anything else to say about this dessert except that it's screaming for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Unfortunately, I don't like vanilla ice cream unless it's on top of a warm brownie or, in this case, warm cherry cobbler.

I'm more of a pralines & cream girl.

I digress. Make the cobbler. Yum.

Cherry Cobbler

2 one-pound bags sweet pitted cherries (I used the frozen ones from Kroger - excellent choice)
1 cup sugar
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
2 tsp almond extract

Pour the cherries (leave them frozen; it's fine) into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly on top.  Sprinkle the cake mix evenly on top.  Stir the almond extract into the melted butter and pour it in top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

WINNER ANNOUNCED & Pumpkin Crunch Cake

SARAH GRAY, you are the winner of your very own Pampered Chef Mix 'n Chop!  Congratulations! Contact me at pithyskitchen (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and I'll send it your way!!!

This giveaway was so fun!  I loved reading your entries - I love knowing everyone's favorite holiday dishes!  So fun!  I have several favorite holiday dishes...all traditional in my family!  Cheese grits, roasted beef tenderloin, my mom's lasagna made with fresh pasta, breakfast enchiladas (I'll have to share that recipe someday...my mom makes the best!), Sweet Spots.  It's hard to pick just one!!!  I love it all!!!

I made a pumpkin crunch cake awhile back and forgot to share it with you...this is a recipe that everyone knows about but it's just so good!  Great flavors and texture.  I'm not a huge pumpkin person but topped with cake mix and butter?  Seriously???

All you do is mix up a pumpkin pie filling-like mixture, pour it into a baking dish...

And then you sprinkle on a dry yellow cake mix, pecans and toffee chips.

Oh, and then cover the whole thing with melted butter.

How bad does that sound?

Just don't bake it too long.  We want this to be nice and moist, not dry and cake-like.

So take it out of the oven when it's still jiggly, because it will set up as it cools.

Which goes along with my motto: DON'T OVERBAKE IT.  And you're good.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

15 oz. can pureed pumpkin
12 oz. can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
18 oz. yellow cake mix
2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup finely chopped pecans
8 oz. bag toffee chips

Whisk together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and pumpkin pie spice.  Pour in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top.  Sprinkle the pecans and toffee chips evenly on top and then pour the melted butter evenly on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or so - you want it to be jiggly (not set); it will set up as it cools and you want it to be a nice moist texture (not too cake-like).  Cool to room temp and serve!

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

It's that time of year...where I take cookies everywhere I go.  To Bible study.  To my daughter's school.  To multiple cookie exchanges.  To my children...because they want to "bake something fun."  I've taught them well.

But I get bored with the same 'ol, same 'ol cookies.  So I made up a new one.  White chocolate cranberry cookies!

Of course.  The tart, red Craisins are so good with the sweetness from the white chocolate.

These were great and extremely easy. Beat the butter and sugar, add the eggs and vanilla, dump in the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined (if you overmix your dough, your cookies will taste like cake instead of soft, fluffy cookies) and scoop on a baking sheet.

I always line my baking sheet with parchment paper so I don't have to scrub my baking sheets.  It makes cookie-baking less annoying.

Pillowy, tender and soft on the inside, a little crunch on the outside...chewy Craisins and melty white chocolate chips.  You really should make these soon.  Your kids will love them, I promise.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from my White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz. bag (about 2 cups) white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (I used Craisins)

Beat together the butter and sugars until combined and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.  Don't overmix at this point.  Drop on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until just done.  They will look a little underbaked when you take them out but will set up as they cool.

Salted Caramel Sauce

I have had more than one fail when it comes to caramel sauce.  I've tried several recipes, and I haven't been happy with how any of them turned out.

I even tried Barefoot's caramel sauce!  She made it look so easy, and I thought it was hard.  Mine just didn't look as luscious as hers did on TV.

The problem is, I really like jarred caramel sauce.  Apparently it's hard to beat.

But...the other day, I watched Pioneer Woman, and she made this caramel sauce.  And it looked easy.  Like, you-don't-need-a-candy-thermometer easy.

So I tried it.  And I added salt to make it salted caramel sauce (that's because I'm obsessed with Starbuck's Salted Caramel Mocha right now.  Have you had one?  Oh. my. goodness.  Get in your car and run through the drive-thru.  Even if you don't like coffee.  I'm pretty sure it's mainly milk, chocolate and caramel, anyway. Very little actual coffee.).

As it turns out?  This is very easy caramel sauce.  Even for me.  Even without a candy thermometer.

I had to improvise a bit because I didn't have the exact ingredients at home...I used cream instead of half-and-half (not a bad substitution), and I had to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar.  It made my sauce a bit darker and richer (and maybe better?).

My analysis: you should make this.  It's easy (have I mentioned that yet?), delicious and probably keeps forever in the fridge.  The least you can do for yourself is to stir it into your coffee.

You're welcome.

Salted Caramel Sauce
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar (use dark or light brown sugar)
1/2 cup cream (or 1/2 & 1/2)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp kosher salt

Melt the butter, brown sugar and cream together in a small pan and bring to a boil.  Stir to combine.  Continue to boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until thick and caramel-looking.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt.  Pour into a heat-proof container and cover.  The sauce will be very thin when hot and will be very thick when refrigerated.  Store in the fridge.