Baking With My Girls

It was high time I taught my little cookie-munchers how to make the cookies they so happily devour. Today was Early-Out day which means that they are home a full two hours before they normally are. Since it was just us three, and the boys needed a treat to take to mutual tonight, I figured it was the perfect excuse to bust out the flour and get some cookies made.

I decided to start taking pictures just after the girls and I mixed the butter and sugars.


Lily is wearing my Christmas apron I won from the RMEF banquet this year. It is from the Hunter-Cowan store in town.
Rebekah is wearing the apron I made Bill a couple years ago.


Mmmm, look at that sugary-buttery concoction!


Lily usually does really well at cracking eggs for me when I make pancakes.


Lily didn't mind cleaning up the eggy mess.


Lily pouring in the eggs, while Rebekah pours in the vanilla.


Switching the mixer to on.


Now it is time for the flour. Rebekah is checking for bay leaves in the flour. You see, I keep whole bay leaves in the flour bucket and it keeps the weevils from invading my flour. I only need to add a few in this huge bucket and I am bug free!


Lily with a plastic butter knife to level the cup of flour.


Ok, my turn!! I am wearing the apron that my mother-in-law made for me.


I should know better by now than to hand over the camera to the girls when I am teaching them how to cook.... ok, so I posed for this picture... But still. :-) I am explaining to the girls what baking soda does for cookies.


See, this is me explaining how the cookie puffs up. I told you I was explaining baking soda! :-)


Rebekah adding some flour.... small amounts at a time.


I LOVE the look on Lily's face. When she was pouring the flour into the mixer, it made the flour poof up and drift everywhere. She didn't care for that much.


I let the girls pour the chocolate chips in. There are semi-sweet, white, and milk chocolate chips.


I had to explain to the girls how to stir in the chocolate chips without flinging cookie dough all over the kitchen.


Rebekah did manage to make a small amount fling out, but the girls were happy to eat the dough, so no harm done.


Lily enjoying the dough.


Rebekah REALLY wanted to eat that.


Look at the cute little cookie dough balls!!! I LOVE my cookie scooper!


Lily learning how to operate the cookie scooper.


Rebekah cracks me up in this photo. She is so gentle with that cookie dough that it looks like she is ready to tuck it in and read it a story.


It looks like Lily is blowing it kisses!


Rebekah all covered in flour scooping cookies to cool.


When all the cookie were done, Lily got the bowl and instead of using a spatula (why waste the time to get one) she used her fingers.


This is not the best picture, but this cookie looks like it is smiling at me and that chocolate chip on the left makes it look like it is sticking its tongue out at me!!


Ooooo, look at all that gooey goodness.... the kids are just waiting for the all clear.


Lily took a while but then settled on this one.


Lily so happy to finally get a baked cookie.


I love the look on her face.


She seriously did not take normal bites. She constantly gnawed at it as she shoved it in her mouth until it was gone.


Rebekah found the one she wanted.


She tore into that like a monkey on a cupcake.


Here she is saying, "Mmmmmm!"


She is trying to get the little bits of cookie off her lip.


What does a cookie need?? MILK! Lily and her milk bubble tower.


Oooo, that cookie has my name on it!! Look at all those chocolate chips!!!


Ah, this cookie is smiling at me, too!


It is cookie paradise. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.


Here is the recipe (I halved this recipe since I didn't want 10 dozen cookies)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened (DO NOT USE MARGARINE!)
3 large eggs (if you have to halve this like I did, just use two eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional, if not used, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, I rarely add it)
6 cups unbleached flour
Lots of chocolate chips (what ever kind you have on hand. I usually just dump some in until it looks good.... which is about 4 cups)
2 cups chopped nuts (optional, and I left them out this time because Lily does not like nuts in her cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream sugars and butter together. Blend in eggs and extracts. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by (or use cookie scoop) tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet (I use Air Bake, they are the best.) Bake for 8 minutes. Let them cool on the rack for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wax paper covered wire rack.

Makes about 10 dozen.