my favorite sweet treat recipes.

when i tell people that i bake every day, they tell me i'm exaggerating. because, fine. i do exaggerate sometimes for a laugh. but i'm for reals when i say, i do bake most days.
when i don't, i feel weird. possibly lost.
i scrounge through the cabinets to find perhaps a lone kit kat or some peanut m&m's, but usually there's noting but hard candy.
i'm not into candy so that limits my dessert/breakfast options.
am i supposed to go to the store and get a baked good?

sacrilege, i say to you.
i'm not into plastic icing and crispy cookies that have been sitting there for like, 2 or 3 days. actually, as i type that, i feel very offended at the typical baked good isle. trader joe's and whole foods might be the exception.
go ahead and judge me. roll your eyes at me... i'm a baked good snob. sometimes even desserts from a restaurant are unacceptable to my palette. i'm like, nato, this cake is not moist. can you believe this?! i don't send it back because nato is a hoglet and has already eaten half of it by the time i get those words out of my mouth.

anyway, my mother made me this way. literally. my maiden name is baker for heaven's sake.
 she baked a lot and still does. and so, with no actual baking lessons from her, all i knew was that it was normal to get out the flours and the sugars and make an afternoon of baking.
and as a hermit, instead of organizing my messy basement, i'd rather make muffin tops for you and for me and the entire human race.... wait. that's a michael jackson song. i do give treats to the the kids' teachers and the neighbors and friends. if you're wondering where it all goes. i would have dye-uh-beet-uhs by now if i ate all of everything i baked.

so here are what i call my "regulars". instead of being mediocre at making 18,000 desserts, i'd rather become a freaking genius-face at making a couple of desserts. and when you do this, you don't need the recipes anymore. they are written on the tablet of your heart and you can whip them up super fast. you're a sensei, now. and as a kung fu master of treats, you'll whip these up quicker than it takes to go to the grocery store, stand in line, secretly read all the trashy people magazines, and purchase your plastic cookies.

special notes:
now, if i use chocolate chips, i prefer ghiradelli. but, i mean, in a pinch...Hershey's and nestle are just fine.
 and if i'm using butter, i'm using real. genuine. butter. no margarine people. this is what satan uses for deodorant, mkay? it's just not ok.
lastly, my cookies are gigantic. you are really eating four, not one. deal with it.

1) oatmeal chocolate chip cookies 
i posted this recipe with detailed step by step pictures and instructions at the link above.

(you  could put a hair ball in a cake plate and it would look pretty. )

2) chocolate chip cookies

this is also the same recipe as the oatmeal chocolate chip above ...except obviously, no oatmeal. instead, just use 2 and 1/2 cups of flour. if the dough is super sticky, add 1/4 a cup more of flour. 

3) double chocolate chip cookies

(see how my hand is straining with wrinkles to hold the weight of this thing? 

make the cookies very large! like with an ice-cream scooper. not kidding.)

1 stick of butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground coffee
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking SODA
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

instructions:
in kitchen aid, cream butter and sugar together. add vanilla, coffee, chili powder, salt and soda. mix on speed 2 until incorporated. add egg and mix. add flour and mix. then add those delicious chocolate chips. use ghirardelli if you really are serious about all things Holy and right in the world.
bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

4) cookie dough pie

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
modified Recipe from Nestle
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought. martha stewart's is very easy!
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 sticks  real butter, softened in microwave 30 seconds
1 C chocolate semi sweet chips
1 C chopped pecans or almonds (i don't love nuts in desserts usually, but this gives it a great crunch!)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving 

Preheat oven to 325° F.
prepare pie crust and put it in a pie baking dish.
beat butter and sugars and salt together. add eggs and mix. add flour and nuts and mix. then add chocolate chips. dump it into pie crust.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. 

5) gluten free spiced doughnuts

from cooking for isaiah by silvana nardone

she doesn't post her stuff online, so you'll have to buy the cookbook.
and seriously, the best gluten free cookbook available. if you know someone gluten free. this is a must!

as you can see, i make mostly cookie related desserts. there's just nothing like a classic cookie. i'm a texas girl so keep your fancy desserts to yourself before i get offended by your mature tastebuds.