The sun... It burns!

   I think today is the first day I actually got up and out of bed since Wednesday. Apparently, on Tuesday, I caught some kind of cold or something because I have not felt human since. All of my family is down for the count actually. Today though, I got out of bed, put some "real clothes" on since pajamas don't apparently count anymore, and did some yard work. That was... not pleasant. A lawnmower, combined with a massive headache adds up to a very not fun afternoon. Oh, and I also baked some more cookies. I know that I promised a recipe Tuesday but I got dragged out to go clubbing after the Mardi Gras celebration. And... I just haven't felt up to looking at a bright laptop screen since then. Right now, Eucalyptus tea is my best friend.

   But I made up some cookies to bring to the parade Tuesday and they were gone within seconds. The recipes I used were pretty basic and just taken off the packages but, I like to tweak them to fit my needs.

  My first recipe is from the back of the Nestle Toll House milk chocolate chips package.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (1 1/2) teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Milk Chocolate Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

   So that's the recipe with my variations done in RED. To me, the extra vanilla just gives it a slight edge and the cinnamon gives it a small kick that sends it over the edge and into deliciousness. I personally hate putting nuts in baked goods but if you like it then go for it. I also do not use a tablespoon to measure out my cookies. I have a cookie scoop like this one http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oneida-Trigger-Cookie-Scoop/15149534 that works perfectly. I love it so much and regret no t buying one sooner.

  My other recipe is off of the back of the Reese's Peanut Butter Chips package and my only variant is, I save some of my cookie dough from the chocolate chip recipe above (without the chocolate chips mixed in!) and incorporate it into this recipe. It gives the cookies a buttery flavor that I think is absolutely great and I think it adds dimension to what is already a great cookie. So here is that recipe, again, my variations in red.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup of Nestle Toll House Choclate Chip Cookie dough without chips

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 9 (13) minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly (5 minutes); remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

   I found that cooking them for only 9 minutes left the centers of the cookies a bit... doughy. At 13 minutes, they came out just fine. Some did tend to stick to the pan where the chips were but other than that, the recipe is great. I really loved making these and getting cocoa powder all over my kitchen.

   And as my headache gets worse, I find myself drifting off topic then going back and erasing lines that honestly make no sense at all. Forgive me bloggers but I think I will go make myself some tea and then lie down.

  I hope that if any of you try the recipes out that you enjoy them! I know I did. Maybe a little too much.