Samantha's Chocolate Chip Cookies

photo courtesy of scubadive67 on Flickr

This fall at the Town Fair, my daughter Samantha (age 10) entered the Chocolate Chip Cookie contest. Seeing her work so confidently in the kitchen was a sweet sight and I was adamant to let her perform her magic without parental interference (except for helping pull the trays out of the oven).

I wasn't surprised when she whipped up this year's winner. They were dee-licous! And as you can all tell from this blog's title, I am a cookie addict so I hold myself in high regard when it comes to taste-testing!

We had no idea that her little endeavor would mean car pooling another batch of these cookies on to the regional fair. The judging is this weekend and if she wins, she will move on to the Provincial finals.

They truly are fantastic and have replaced my long-loved childhood recipe. So enjoy these delights from Samantha's kitchen.

Samantha's Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Drop dough onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes in 350-degrees preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Brie in Puff Pastry

photo courtesy of musicjess on flickr

This is the recipe that inspired my friend to lovingly nudge me to start a blog. So thanks to Gill and to Sweet Indigo Life for planting the seed.

This brie really does look like a lot more work than it is. I usually serve this up on a cold winter's night in front of a roaring fire with a Beaujolais. Enjoy!

Wheel of Brie (any size you wish!)
Frozen Puff Pastry
Jam of Choice
Butter or Egg (optional)

Defrost puff pastry and spread out. Place brie in center of pastry. Top brie with a few scoops of jam (I like Red Pepper Jelly but Gillian went for the fig). Wrap pastry all around the brie (like a present), being sure not to leave any gaps or holes. Use sections of other puff pastry sheets if necessary. Brush with butter or egg white if desired (I usually don't bother). Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for appx. 20 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned and cheese has been heated through. Sit at room temp for a little while before slicing. Cheese should be runny but not pouring out.

Eat as is or with crackers.