Chocolate Chip Cookie Lowers Cholesterol

Believe it folks, I speculated too. The reality is that now on the market there is a new cookie! These “Right Direction Cookies” have been proven to lower cholesterol and improve lipid subfraction profile, decreasing the risk of heart disease, according to a published study in The Journal of Nutrition (October).

The chocolate chip cookies, made with a combination of psyllium and plant sterols, are a tasty all-natural approach to reducing cardiovascular risk associated with cholesterol.

Here, check it out!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/53430.php

Who would have guessed that there was a healthy alternative to my love for cookies! It certainly won’t replace our favorite cookie recipes, but it is a step in the “Right Direction” towards better health and wellness.

Lovely Lemon Cookie Recipe

When life gives you lemons… make lemon cookies! They’re a classic favorite and this lemon cookie recipe is sure to please. Lemon cookies are notorious of reminding us of the simpler things in life and the relaxation that came along with it. A light and crisp lemon cookie at the tea party; a lovely lemon cookie for the open house; there really is no bad time for a delicious lemon cookie.

I remember when I first experimented with lemon cookie recipes it was all because I had had a rough day at school and my mother responded to my whining with an optimistic view of, “Well… when life gives you lemons…”.

I took her words to heart and immediately thought, “When life gives you lemons… make lemon cookies.” From that day forward, these cheery cookies always had a special way to brighten my day or spread cheer among the neighbors!

Lemon cookies are a remedy in my home! Although chocolate is equally as efficient, these lemon cookies make it so you can’t help but smile!

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Yellow colored sugar (optional)

Directions:

1) Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add sugar; beat until well blended. Add egg, lemon juice and peel; beat until well blended.

2) Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in large bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture at low speed, blending well after each addition.

3) Shape dough into 2 logs, each about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 6-1/2 inches long. Roll logs in yellow sugar, if desired. Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or up to 3 days.

4) Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

5) Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight container… if they’re not all eaten when they’re still warm!

Again, these lovely lemon cookies go with just about anything and everything. In the summer, when other cookies may seem to heavy, it’s these fluffy lemon cookies that seem to call my name. A lemon cookie recipe is more than just an opportunity for an after school snack. It’s a chance at a happier day, and during stressful times, I for one will have my lemon cookie and eat it too!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Another of my favorite oatmeal cookie recipes is a recipe that my mom gave me a long time ago.

She got this recipe from her friend, Judy. My mom and Judy attended nursing school together and Judy would often bring this yummy oatmeal cookie for lunch and the two friends would sit together, enjoying oatmeal cookies and studying for their next class.

Judy got the recipe from her mother, who called it The Pride of Iowa.

Now, I’ve never been to Iowa, but I do know a thing or two about cookies, especially when I am trying to decide if it is a cookie that I really like or not.

Well, having visited Iowa or not, I had no doubt that I really liked this cookie and ever since I first tried it I knew it was a cookie recipe that I would make over and over again. I also really like this recipe because it is so simple to make.

It is also an easy recipe if you are a beginning baker or even if you are a mom looking for a simple recipe to bake with your children. This is a perfect kid friendly recipe.

Every time I bake this oatmeal cookie, I think about my mom and her friend, Judy, studying for nursing school and enjoying this delicious cookie. I love recipes that mean something to me…like this one and the history about my mom and her friend…recipes that have a history seem like they just taste even better.

I hope that you love this oatmeal cookie as much as I do.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of shortening
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups quick oats
• ½ cup pecan pieces

Directions:

1) Combine sugars and shortening. Cream well. Add eggs.

2) Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture.

3) Add vanilla and pecan pieces. Mix well.

4) Cover and chill several hours. Shape into round balls and flatten gently.

5) Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

6) Cool completely on wire racks. Enjoy!

Note: if you really like chocolate chips in your oatmeal cookies, then just add in a cup or so when you stir in the vanilla and pecan pieces.

I really love these cookies with some chocolate chips! If you heat them up in the microwave for a couple seconds, they’re just perfect with a glass of milk. Better yet, eat them once they come right out of the oven! Yummy!

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies (Part 3)

So I am assuming youve read part one and two of my article and youre still wondering how to make a chocolate chip cookie just the way you want it. Well then, you have come to the right place. Keep reading for more informative tips and ideas that I have found that work for me in the kitchen.

If you find that you need a bit more review feel free to re-read How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies part I or How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies II. The next factor to discuss in how to make a chocolate chip cookie is to determine what causes the cookies to turn out more cake-like instead of chewy. Neither is wrong, but everyone has a favorite texture. What is yours? 

Cake-like cookies are due to just a little extra liquid in the cookie dough. When there is extra liquid the cookies give off steam and that steam makes the cookies puff up more. When the batter puffs up it turns out cakey because there is more air in the cookie. So if you like a cake-like cookie, then keep this important fact in mind.

Another factor that alters cookies is when they spread as they bake. Why is that? Basically, its due to the use of low-fat ingredients. Many people have started substituting low-fat butter for the regular stuff which doesnt always work out so well. This is because low-fat butter has nearly 20 percent more waterwhich as we discussed earlier, the extra liquid can cause excessive spreading. So when youre making cookies, dont worry about low-fat. Sometimes, its okay to just have the best ingredients, not the healthiest, and get a good old fashion chocolate chip cookie for your efforts.

Are you still asking yourself, how to make a chocolate chip cookie? Well I have another tip that is so easy to remember in your kitchen. Another culprit of spreading is cookie batter being dropped onto a hot baking sheet. When the cookie sheet is hot, it melts the batter before its in the oven so it cannot hold its shape and it spreads; which is fine if you want thin and crispy cookiesits just whatever youre looking for. But if youd rather have those soft and chewy cookies then use your baking sheet at room temperature or even chill your baking sheet before dropping the dough, is it wont spread. When you decide what you want, you can make sure your baking pan matches your criteria for the perfect cookie. Adding a new batch of dough to a hot baking sheet isnt a good idea if it is soft chewy cookies that you are looking for.

The final tip for how to make a chocolate chip cookie is in the recipe. You know which recipe. Everyones got one. You use it once and are rewarded with fantastic cookies, just the way you like the perfect recipe. But then when you make the cookies again the cookies are all wrong. You followed the recipe exactly. What happened this time?

It is can be something as simple as the way you measured the ingredients. Some examples include how people measure flour, brown sugar, and other dry ingredients. Flour should be stirred in the canister or bag first before scooping. This aerates the flour and separates the clumps. Then spoon it carefully into a dry measuring cup. (You know the ones; the cups that you can scrape off the extra. NEVER use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients. It wont be accurate and youll be sorry later.)

To measure brown sugar, scoop it directly into a dry measuring cup and pack it firmly. If its not packed, you could be missing out on 2-4 extra tablespoons of necessary sugar.

For other dry ingredients it is just as important to use dry measuring cups and scrape off the extra from the top. For liquid ingredients be sure to use a liquid measuring cup for accuracy. Dry measuring cups measure the same but youre more likely to spill some and then you dont have the right amount anymore.

Finally, when you are trying to figure out how to make a chocolate chip cookie theres one important thing to remember. If the recipe requests a 350 degree oven, how sure are you that your oven is that precise temperature? Every now and then its important to check that the temperature of your oven is the same as the temperature it says it is. Accuracy is everything.

Well now you know the tips needed to make your perfect cookie. By following these ideas, you too will have the cookie youve been searching for personalized just for you! How to make a chocolate chip cookie can be fun and youll end up with something amazing! Have fun in the kitchen!

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies (Part 2)

Now for all of you who have a soft spot in your heart for that perfectly crispy cookiethis article is for you… how to make a chocolate chip cookie.

In order to make a good crunchy and crispy cookie you basically just do the opposite of what you do to make a soft and chewy cookie, which was discussed in my last article, How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies (Part 1).

For a crispier and crunchier cookie all you need to do is find a recipe that has a lower number of ingredients that retain moisture (like flour, brown sugar and eggs). This way, the moisture can evaporate easier producing a crispy cookie with a bit of a crunch!

With a recipe that has less moisture-holding ingredients, the fat content will be higher. When the added fat heats up it melts fairly fast, making the cookie spread more than a chewy cookie so your cookie is bound to be on the crunchy side!

Also use ingredients that are at room-temperature (or at least not ice cold). It is fine to have eggs at room-temperature for baking but if your recipe calls for milk, you might want to keep that slightly chilled.

Another tip is to use more granulated (white) sugar than brown. Finally, for a crispy cookie, bake it longer at a lower temperature, and the cookies will have time to spread and crisp up.

Now these are only a couple of the tips for your perfect cookie.

Have you asked yourself, How to make a chocolate chip cookie? Dont you want your chocolate chip cookie to be the best it can be? Arent there other factors that you wish you could change in your cookie? Is it too cake-like when it should be chewy? Do your chocolate chip cookies spread too much? Is your recipe delivering chewy chocolate chip cookies one time and crunchy cookies the next time?

How can you fix these things! Arent you longing to know more about how to make a chocolate chip cookie?

Well, keep reading and youll find out more helpful hints in my sequel article, How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies III

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are many different ideas of how to make a chocolate chip cookie. Some prefer a chewy cookie, while others are seeking something with a little more crunch.

Do you like one thats more chocolate chip, or one thats more like a cookie? White chocolate chips, dark, milk, a little, a lot? There are so many factors that go into the differences in how to make a chocolate chip cookie.

The first main difference in how to make a chocolate chip cookie is in the first bites; thick and chewy or thin and crispy, or maybe you want a balance between the two. 

So now youre probably wondering what makes your cookie chewy, crispy, thick, thin, soft, or hard; so many questions for such a little cookie. But really, you can control your cookies outcome. Once you know the factors and science behind your favorite recipe you can alter it or find a new one which will suit the qualities of your perfect chocolate chip cookie.

So what makes a cookie soft and chewy? Well high moisture content does. That sounds good and fancy but what does that exactly mean? Well, to give your cookies higher moisture content you can seek recipes that are high in brown-sugar. It has 35% more moisture then granulated sugar! Also use cool ingredients. If youre a baker, youve probably heard the old story about how you should have the eggs at room-temperature when you bake; however if you want a soft and chewy cookie you want the eggs cold. When the eggs are cold it helps to keep the dough cold, so when you bake the cookies the dough doesnt spread as quickly.

Also if you want a soft and chewy cookie you need stiff dough. Stiffer dough will spread less, and therefore retain moisture in the cookie. Another suggestion for a chewier cookie is to use larger spoonfuls of the batter. Then bake your cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature so they will firm up faster and spread less.

When you are working through all the factors that can impact how to make a chocolate chip cookie, it is important to remember to bake your chocolate chip cookies on a light cookie sheet. If you use a dark cookie sheet the cookies tend to brown faster and they are usually done before the recipe says they will be. Also the rims on the dark pan can cause the cookies to brown unevenly. If you dont have a light cookie sheet, then no worries; just take a couple of sheets of parchment paper and plop the dough right onto it. You will be amazed in the difference!

Also if you want a really chewy cookie its very important that you dont bake them too long; a burnt cookie isnt a chewy cookie. To avoid burning, remove the cookies from the oven when the outside of the cookie is brown and at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. If you do this, the centers will be soft and the rim of the cookie will have a little crisp to it.

So now you know all about soft and chewy cookies but what about those of you who love a crisp and crunchy cookie? Well read on and you will find out more in the sequel to this article, How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies part II

How to make chocolate chip cookie… doesnt seem all that hard when you consider all the little tips Ive suggested. Believe me, I have burnt many a pan of cookies, but things are much better since I learned more about how to make a chocolate chip cookie in my kitchen.