I made these cookies for a weekend snack one time, when I had the extra time it take to chill them. By Sunday night, they were all gone and my friends and family were wondering when more would be in the over! This chocolate cookie recipe produces a tasty chewy cookie that is a perfect balance of chocolate decadence and sugary sweetness. Enjoy a batch of these chocolate cookies for yourself!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 c. chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1) Combine granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until blended. Add butter and mix well.

2) Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans, if desired.

3) Chill, covered, until the dough is firm, about 2 hours.

4) Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.

5) Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in confectioner’s sugar. Arrange 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

6) Bake until browned, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake; cookies should be deliciously chewy!

Yum! I can smell the cookies right now… well, even if only in my head! After writing this article, I think I’d like to go make some right now. You would too, don’t even lie! Let’s get started with these delicious chocolate cookies; recipe in hand!

In addition, this expansion opens to doors for more fun things to come. Coming soon will be how-to videos, question-asnwer sessions and other forms of media meyhem. Get excited… great things are coming :)

A traditional shortbread cookie recipe is made of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. As you can see, this recipe follows that formula nearly exactly, which makes it great for people who have never baked shortbread cookies before.

Today, classic shortbread cookies are enjoyed by the millions and it’s baked into being one of the most profitable cookies for Girl Scout sales!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough has the consistency of short crust. Pulsing in a food processor will work also.

3) Sprinkle a board or your counter top lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the board and knead until it’s smooth. Refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours or overnight.

4) You should have approximately 8 ounces of dough. Divide the dough into four equal portions for large cookies or eight equal portions for small cookies and shape into rounds. For consistency you might want to pull out your kitchen scales.

5) Place each round on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and flatten them with the bottom of a glass to about 1/4 inch thickness. Prick with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown slightly. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

After you’ve baked and cooled your cookies, you can either enjoy right there or you can take it one step further. For a fun twist, try dipping a side of your cookies into some chocolate. As it hardens, this chocolate will create an extra sweetness.

Sometimes, after dipping the shortbread cookie into the chocolate, I will add on some colorful sprinkles. Not only does this add an exciting texture, but it also allows you to theme your cookies for any occasion; enjoy!