Chocolate, raspberry and peanut butter protein shake

I am not much of a breakfast eater. I don't care what anyone says, I just don't like to eat much in the morning. I don't really care for eggs, so it is hard to find something to eat for breakfast that has protein. 

I like smoothies/protein shakes, and this is the one I have been making a lot lately!

Chocolate and raspberry is good. 
Chocolate and peanut butter is good.
Peanut butter and raspberry is good.

So why not put it all together?

I don't really measure everything, but basically I just use:

-1 cup soy milk (or any type of milk you like)

-About 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

-1 scoop vanilla protein powder*

-1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter

-2 handfuls of spinach

-About 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

*you could use chocolate protein powder and omit the chocolate syrup if you would like.

Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Browned butter chocolate chip skillet cookie

Skillet cookies have been on my list of things to bake for quite a while. I revised my chocolate chip cookie recipe to make this delicious browned butter chocolate chip skillet cookie.

1 stick (8 tblsp.) butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

About a cup of chocolate chips

1. Preheat over to 350°F.

2. Make browned butter in a medium sized skillet. Set aside for about 5 minutes to cool.

3. Add sugars to browned butter and mix together. Then mix in the egg and vanilla.

4. Add flour and baking soda and stir.

5. Mix in the chocolate chips.

6. Flatten dough with the back of the spoon so it covers the bottom of the skillet.

7. Bake for 10-13 minutes. (I overcooked mine slightly. You want it to be a little doughy looking still.)

8. Remove from oven and top with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and caramel if desired. 

Enjoy!

The best chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe

I love chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn't? After trying so many recipes over the years, I came up with this one and it's definitely my favorite! They're soft, chewy, and chocolatey. What's not to love?

 The ingredients.

Cream the butter, shortening, and sugars. 

Then add the eggs and vanilla.

 Add your flour and baking soda.

Mix together.

 The best part...the chocolate!

Stir all those right in! 

Voilà!

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup butter (softened)

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 brown sugar

3 eggs

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt*

1-2 cups of chocolate chips

*I always bake with salted butter, because that's just what we always have, so I omit the salt. If you are baking with unsalted butter, add the salt.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream together shortening, butter, and sugars.

3. Mix in eggs and vanilla and mix.

4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt (if using.) and mix well. 

Consistency is something I always watch for when I make cookies. If there's too much moisture in the dough, the cookies will melt and turn out flat and crispy. And if there isn't enough moisture in the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumble. Sometimes I have to add a little water (about a tablespoon) to the dough (I live in a really dry climate.) The dough needs to be able to pull away from the sides and hold together when mixing and not be sticky. 

5. Add chocolate chips and stir together. I usually use a mix of semi sweet and milk chocolate. I use about 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips. I know some people like really chocolatey, and others don't like too many chocolate chips. Use what you prefer.

6. Drop rounded balls of dough onto the cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes. You want to pull them out of the oven when they are just done because they will finish baking on the sheet. 

This recipe will make about 5 dozen if using a medium sized cookie scoop.

Enjoy!