Chocolate Chip Cookie yumminess

These are very similar (I just realized) to Rachel's chocolate chip cookies from our cookbook. I just found this recipe on my ipod (with the allrecipes.com app), and they turned out yuuummmmy. (It's also online here. I only edited it slightly based on comments.) I even messed it up and they are still amazing. Here goes --

Oh and 1/2 this recipe unless you want 6 dozen!

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups chopped walnuts (optional -- they add a great flavor to these cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. I made these pretty big, with my medium cookie scoop overflowing a little, and 12 minutes was perfect. Edges should be golden brown. (Remember they will keep baking a bit when you take them out, so don't worry if they look a little soft still.)
   

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies

Mmm, these are yummy and really cake-y. Oh, and this recipe makes a TON (like 7 dozen), so I recommend 1/2ing it! :) People always ooh and aah over these. Mmm.

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or more ... I always add more:)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1) Preheat to 375*. Grease cookie sheets.

2) In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended.

3) Separately combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if you want.) Drop by teaspoon-ish size on the cookie sheets.

4) Bake 12-15 min until edges start to brown. Allow to cool for a few min before removing to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Trail mix

This has to be my latest snacking passion. If I eat it about 30 minutes before dinner, I'm actually not as hungry for dinner. It's the right treat to capture all those taste buds - salty, sweet, and of course, chocolate! (And sometimes I add a small package of M&M's because my kids pick them out and eat them. Can't leave them unequal, now can we?!?) Or sometimes it's my mid-morning snack followed by a big glass of water. Gives me quick energy to keep on chasing those little ones! :)

Trail mix - (anything goes):

Peanuts

Cashew

M&M's

raisins

almonds

(or Costco's big bag is easiest for me!)

Microwave Caramel Popcorn

2 quarts popped popcorn (or 1 microwave bag unsalted, un-buttered popped popcorn)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/8 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pop the popcorn and put it in brown paper bag (or keep it in the bag if it's the microwave kind). In a microwavable bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes (I'd put something underneath just in case it boils over). Stir. Heat for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave, stir in the baking soda. Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bag. Roll down the top once or twice and shake shake shake, covering all the popcorn. Stick the bag in the microwave and cook for 45 seconds. Flip over, and cook for another 45 seconds. Dump the bag onto wax paper until cool. Yum yum! (and don't forget to floss - popcorn almost inevitably gets stuck in my teeth. :)