The Baker in Me.

OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I am not a baker. I am not good with numbers, measurements or following a recipe and I especially am not very patient!

I have had some helpful tips along the way from my very precise husband, but it has not helped me very much in the baking department.

However, I have come across some very simple recipes that have allowed for some degree of error and imperfection. These three thing are probably the only things I ever bake.

When I host a dinner party I tend to always buy a dessert or ask a friend to bring something along.

Here are two of the recipes I absolutely love making. Any time I host out of town friends I am sure to have a blueberry Kuchen beautifully displayed on a cake stand, alongside a jar full of freshly made chocolate chip cookies.

My son finished a month of Tennis camp this morning and I wanted to bring the counsellors a little something just to say thank you. Instead of heading to a store to find the "perfect" gift that isn't awkward to give somebody you barely know, I opted to bake some cookies.

Everybody loves cookies, and who doesn't love a fresh chocolate chip cookie. It made for a perfect little thank you gift.

Here are the recipes. As I am not a baker I have tried to include as many step by step photos as possible. When I first read beat your eggs until you achieve stiff peaks, I had no idea what they meant by that. The photos might help clear up any doubts you have.

Enjoy!

Old fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies

(I have made these cookies a million times and I find that using 4 tablespoons of each sugar is more than enough. If you prefer your cookies sweeter then go ahead and use the 6 tablespoons).

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

use a nnon stick baking sheet and you don't have to grease the pan.

Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Combine the butter, both sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.

Beat until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg.

Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until smooth.

Stir in the chocolate pieces with a spoon.

Drop the batter by rounded dessert spoonfuls, 3 inches apart onto baking sheet.

Bake 5 minutes

Take out and rap twice on the counter

Return to oven and bake another 4 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack.

Wrap small pile of cookies in tissue.

Close with more green ribbon.

Place all cookies in a bag!