Y'all.
I've made A LOT of cookies in my day.
My kids love them, and who am I kidding? I've got a bit of a #sweettooth myself.
I like to make our cookies from scratch for a few reasons.
There are no preservatives or processed ingredients, so they're healthier. #healthyliving
It costs less to make them from scratch then to buy boxes upon boxes on a monthly basis, so it saves us money. #frugalmama
It provides me an opportunity to do something fun with my kids. Yes, sometimes it's stressful for me, but we're making memories. I have super fond memories of baking with my mom as a kid, and I hope that my kids will one day look back and feel the same.
The original recipe was my mama's, but I've tweaked it over the years.
Below I'll list out the basic recipe, as well as our favorite adaptations of it!
Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup of soft butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl combine flour and baking powder and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed until creamy (3-5 minutes).
Add egg and beat well.
Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate and pecans.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
#GlutenFree Variation
Substitute 1 cup of Almond flour and 1 cup of Oat flour in lieu of regular flour and follow directions above.
These taste AMAZING.
My super picky husband doesn't even notice the difference in taste when I make them! #winning
#Healthy Variation
Add 1 tbs Chia Seeds to dry ingredients.
Add 1 cup Rolled Oats when adding chocolate and pecans at the end.
Substitute flour with Almond and Oat flours.
Add 3 drops of Thieves Vitality or Cinnamon Bark Vitality or add 7 drops of Orange Vitality essential oils to mix. These all taste incredible!
#DoubleChocolate Variation
My kids LOVE this one!
I add 4 heaping tbs cocoa powder to dry ingredients.
Add 1 cup Rolled Oats.
Add 7 drops Orange Vitality essential oil.
Skip the pecans.
Option to make with gluten free flours.
#Lactation Variation
Lactation cookies for breastfeeding mamas can be SO helpful for supply. I made a ton of these and froze them in freezer bags. When I was ready for the next batch I'd just take them out and let them thaw. They were SO good!
5 tbsp brewer's yeast (get it here)
3 tbsp flax seed meal
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
4 tbs nut butter (I choose Almond, you can do Peanut or whatever your heart desires)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour (option to use Almond and Oat flours)
4 tbs water
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Optional Additional Ingredients: dried cranberries, raisins, chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix water with flax seed meal and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs in separate bowl. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes.
Add flax seed meal and beat 1 additional minute.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and brewer's yeast.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat 1-2 minutes.
Stir in oats, chocolate chips, nut butter, and any additional ingredients.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
Have fun with the possibilities and ENJOY!!
I only use and recommend therapeutic grade essential oils.
I talk about ingesting oils with some of these recipes and it is extremely important to note that the French method of aromatherapy (ingestion) should only be practiced using oils that are FDA approved GRAS. For a list of GRAS Essential Oils click here.
Currently baking:
Double Chocolate Chip Variation
