Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies

30 Dec

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
It’s the week after Christmas. Your baking marathon has seemingly come to an end. You are ready to put the butter, sugar and flour behind you and start the year off with that same New Year’s resolution to eat healthy. There’s just one problem: you have a cupboard full of half empty bags of various chocolate chips. With this problem I propose a solution: there is still one day left of 2013, so make GIANT chocolate chip cookies with all your leftover chips! Seriously, let’s go out with a bang!

I knew these would be good before I even started checking my chocolate chip levels because the recipe comes from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice, the lovely Reeni, who brought us Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread, and Chicken Cordon Vert Rollups.

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I usually have trouble with making GIANT cookies like these. They often spread too much, burn or don’t cook all the way through, but these turned out perfectly. They stayed round with a lovely golden edge and slightly underdone center. If Bob Ross baked, these would be his “happy trees” equivalent. In the land of cookiedom, these would be a gold standard stored in Fort Sugar.

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I am not a fan of nuts in my chocolate chip cookies, so of course I took the 1 cup that should have been nuts and redistributed amongst the chips, making it 1 1/4 cup of semi sweet, 1 cup milk and 1 cup white chips.

Because these are jumbo cookies there is a lot of dough involved and it gets thick. I highly recommend a stand mixer on this one, unless you have pipes like Ronda Rousey. Although if you did, you probably don’t eat a lot of cookies, and your spoon or spatula will still break under pressure.

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead

You have to have one of these fresh out of the oven. You absolutely have to! Cookie bliss! The Nestle, Betty Crocker and Pillsbury families all holding hands and singing in unison.

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
These are best within a day of baking, but I was still craving them and noshing for days after. Keep them in a covered container or Ziploc bag to stop them from drying out. If they do, dunk in milk or hot chocolate because you can. If they don’t dry out dunk them in milk or hot chocolate because.

Jumbo Triple Chip Cookies
by Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, if not using, add more chips)
Sea salt (for sprinkling)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with both sugars together on low until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture in short bursts of power, being careful not to let the flour fly out of the bowl. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Mix briefly until incorporated.

Use a cookie dough scoop to place 1/4 cup balls of dough 3 inches apart on cookie trays. Use hands to mold balls into a disc shape. Sprinkle tops with sea salt. Place cookie dough, covered,  in fridge between batches.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Last Minute Christmas Cookie Guide

23 Dec

ChristmasCookieGuide
It is t-minus two days to Christmas and you haven’t baked your cookies yet? What kind of masochist are you? Oh my bad, you’re actually still looking for a parking space at Target. Your commitment is admirable, but now you have previous few hours to get that cookie platter stacked that you promised to bring to the party.

Red’s got your back. Now, depending on your situation, here is what I recommend… Continue reading

Triple Blondies

19 Dec

Triple Blondies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I’m gaining a new appreciation for the Golden Oreo. First it was the Fluffernutter Oreo Moon Pies and now it’s these Triple Blondies. Also, I will say a Golden Oreo is divine dunked in hot chocolate.

This recipe which I got from What’s Gaby Cooking, was originally called Slutty Blondies. I couldn’t resist right? You know I love a slutty brownie. However, I changed the name to Triple Blondies, because I can not, in good faith, give these the “slutty” moniker. I believe part of the reason they’re called slutty is because they’re easy to make… ha! Get it? The reason traditional slutty brownies are easy to make is because you use refrigerator cookie dough and brownie mix. This recipe requires you to make the cookie dough and brownie batter from scratch.

But don’t be scared, it’s still pretty straightforward. Continue reading

Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Bars

9 Dec

Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Bars | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
This recipe convinced me to go back to full size peanut butter cups. By accident. For some reason I thought it called for full size peanut butter cups. Happy accident.

Previously I equated baking with peanut butter cups to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures. And what’s not to love about eating the leftover miniatures? One bite and you’re in chocolate and peanut butter heaven. Although, there were those sassy cups whose chocolate ridges stuck to the inside of the paper liner. Who gave those cups such sass? Continue reading

Apple Pie

4 Dec

Apple Pie | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I am a slacker at this blog business. I remember when I started I had my whole month planned out, my photos edited and my copy ready to go days before things were schedule to post. I agonized over each photo and toggled the contrast, curves and highlights endlessly. I wrote the entry from beginning to end, then went back two or three times to edit.

Not gonna lie kids, I throw this stuff together the night before and you’re lucky if you get one post a week. God bless you if you still keep tabs on me. My, you are patient! Continue reading

Copycat Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies

25 Nov

Copycat Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead

It’s the most awful time of the year. Nope, not talking about Thanksgiving, because I love Thanksgiving. Not talking about Christmas, I love Christmas. Not talking about fall, winter etc. I’m talking about shopping season.

I’m not against shopping as a whole, I just dread this time of year when everyone is shopping all at once, and sometimes being kinda dickish about it. That said, I’ll admit, I can get flustered over things that might seem trivial to others. Continue reading

Fired Up Friday Nov 22

22 Nov

I realize it’s been a LONG time without a Fired Up Friday. Sorry. I haven’t had much to be fired up about lately in the running, jumping, swimming, biking, swinging, spinning department. I’ll expand in a later post.. maybe.

But this is different my friends, because I am fired up, I am pumped, I am jacked. I am going home! And every achy mile I run and I hear this song come on, I’m reminded that next week I get to GO HOME to Wisconsin!

Chicken Picadillo

18 Nov

Chicken Picadillo | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
After a couple of disappointing baking experiments it dawned on me that I am trying way too hard to find new recipes to post on the blog. Why am I not just going with my tried and true favorites? Part of me could be subconsciously hoarding them for myself, I mean, I am an only child.

When it comes to cooking dinner I definitely stick to a handful of favorites. It’s a feeling like your dog ran away when you spend the entire day and all your grocery budget on a new recipe for dinner only to end up with something inedible.

My favorite dinner dishes use minimal special ingredients, use up what I have sitting in my pantry, require little prep and provide ample leftovers. This Chicken Picadillo that I spotted in Cooking Light years ago checks all those boxes. Continue reading

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

11 Nov

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
It’s peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly! Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat!

I’m still in my bar phase. I wish I was in a Barre phase and going to Barre classes twice a day, everyday. My ass would have its own Instagram account.

Maybe if I bought spiffy $50 Nike Studio Wraps, I’d go to more Barre classes at CRE8FIT. Continue reading

Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping

6 Nov

Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping | Adventures of a Hungry Redhead
I didn’t want to get on my soapbox, but we’re facing a crisis here people. We are abusing the system, biting the hand that feeds us and leaving children behind. What’s going on? We are totally shortchanging pumpkin season and jumping headfirst into Christmas.

What gives? Halloween wasn’t even a week ago and everyone is replacing pumpkin with gingerbread and peppermint faster than Target can truck in the Christmas trees.

We all know pumpkins last longer than a month, especially when left on a chilly porch, so why are we kicking pumpkin-flavored delights to the curb so much quicker? Pumpkin is just as much a Thanksgiving flavor as it is an October/Halloween flavor in my book. Continue reading