Happy Fall!

Happy First Day of Fall! 

Are you as excited as I am?

I can barely wait for the crisp night air, carving pumpkins,

decorating with black and orange, picking out Halloween costumes,

making spudnuts, and all the other festive things Fall brings!

Happy Fall!!

BYU Brownies

It's a shame that BYU had such an embarrassing performance last week against the U. Perhaps the only sweet thing of the evening were the Y brownies I made.

My mom always made brownies from scratch. It wasn't until college that I realized they could be made from a box. But now I know why she made them homemade. This recipe is a winner. And it's easy to make them festive.



Marilyn's Brownies
1 cup melted margarine
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)

Cream melted margarine, sugar, and eggs together. Add dry ingredients one at a time. Mix well. Pour in greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Top with frosting or powdered sugar.

Brownie Frosting
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup milk
3/4 lb. powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients until creamy. Spread on brownies once they are cool.

*To cut into shapes, use a cookie cutter before the brownies are cool all the way.

Tips for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I learned a few things from the Chocolate Chip Cookie contest.

1. Bake on the top rack of the oven
2. Dough that has been refrigerated usually bakes better
3. When it says "cream butter and sugar", really cream them until they are light and fluffy. It will take patience, but it makes a difference.
4. Don't over bake. Over baking cookies will change the flavor. When in doubt, take them out earlier than later.
5. Picking the best recipe is hard, especially when each recipe is good for different reasons.

PS. Do you want all the recipes that were submitted? 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest Winner

So a year ago, I started a search for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. If you don't remember it, this post will refresh your memory.

I am sorry it has taken so long to complete. But with all the other holidays and festive things going on, it took me this long to make all of them. THANK YOU to everyone who sent in a recipe. We have enjoyed making and eating all of them.

I am sure you are all anxious to find out who the winner is, but before I announce it, I have to give you a few disclaimers. First, remember that my husband was the judge of ALL the recipes. He did not know whose recipe it was, to ensure there was no bias. Second, he had a hard time judging them because they were all so different and good in different ways. There was not one of them that was awful. So...his scores, and the overall winner comes from his preference and OVERALL taste, texture, flavor, etc. But, keep in mind, he had likes and dislikes about each recipe.

Even though there is on overall winner, we will be using many recipes in the future according to what we need them for. Seriously, take a look at all of these cookies. Don't they all look amazing?

And now what you have waited for. In order of lowest score to highest...(if there are 2 or more people on the same place, that is because they received the same score.)

8. Cheri Peacock

7. Courtney Astle

6. Annette Bailey and Lynette Sunday and Jenny Flom

5. Amanda Garlock

4. Annette Bailey and Caroline O'Brien

3. Emily Pearson

2. Emily Poll

and the 1st place winnner is...

 Andrea Nelson!!

CONGRATULATIONS! I'll be contacting the winner to send her prize. Come back on Friday to get the inside scoop on what I've learned from all this chocolate chip cookie making. And just in case you don't want to wait that long until you make some of your own, here is the winning recipe.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 cubes butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp.salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour
12 oz chocolate chips

Directions:
Blend butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Then add salt, soda, and flour. Then add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes, or until desired doneness.

I'll be posting the other recipes too!

Cookie Contest Recipe #11

Hope you had a great Labor Day! We did played hard and worked hard. 

 

This was the final cookie recipe. About time, huh? They were rated a 6.5.

Come back Wednesday for the unveil of the Chocolate Chip Cookie winner!