My Secret Recipes - Spiced Up Chocolate Chip Cookies and Banana Bread

"Nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should." - Julia Child 

FINALLY, the search is over! When I moved to Boulder, I temporarily moved into a townhouse on a month-to-month basis. It seemed like the ultimate deal: affordable, decent location, and it allowed my dog. Less than one week into my new living situation, my family friend who owns the townhouse called me to tell me that the HOA of the community was upset. They newly imposed a "law" stating that at each residence there must be someone over the age of 55 and no younger than 18. They went so far to request a copy of my Driver's License to prove I was not of age. 


Now, for any of you that know me, you would think this is crazy. I am already at least as mellow as any 55 year old, if not more so. I get up by 6:30 and am in bed by 11:00 almost every night of the week. I love to bake (which is where this post is going - trust me, these are recipes that are worth trying, so hang in there!) and cook and garden and often listen to music from the 40's to the 70's. But having a young whippersnapper in the community was just not acceptable to the Board of Directors of the HOA, no matter how sweet, quiet, and respectful I am - I have tried it all! So they kept pushing my landlord to kick me out, but she was nice and wanted to make sure I had enough time to find the right place, so she gave me until the end of August. 


On Wednesday of this week, the lovely HOA turned around and threatened to get a lawyer to evict me if I didn't move out ASAP, as in this weekend! Talk about a deadline! Of course I was stressing out to the max about it Wednesday night and didn't get much sleep. Finally, I got up at 5am because I had by laying in bed wide awake for hours and decided it was time to bake, something that has always been a stress relief for me! Long story short, I fortunately found the perfect place and signed a lease on it during my lunch hour yesterday and can start moving in today! And I will say again something I've said countless times, in this blog and in daily life, absolutely everything happens for a reason!  


So, here are a few of my secret recipes you should know. Now that you know my personal living situation chaos of the past two months of my life, we must know each other well enough to share secret recipes! Right?! My recipe for chocolate chip cookies is just a small twist from the basic Tollhouse recipe, but a dramatic one in terms of flavor and favorability. I was recently discussing the drama regarding the HOA with my best friend and his response was, "Bake them your cookies, those things could make world peace!" Get ready for some foolproof baking that will keep friends and loved ones begging for more! 

Spiced Up Chocolate Chip Cookies 


What you will need:
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c butter (at room temp)
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c chocolate chips
*High Altitude (5200 ft plus): Increase flour to 2 1/2 c and add 2 tsp water to flour. Reduce white and brown sugar to 2/3 c each.


How to make:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix butter, shortening, white and brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips. Use cookie scoop or spoon to make 2" balls of dough and place on a baking sheet about 2-3" apart. Bake for about 7 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Share with family and friends, they will love you forever! Enjoy! Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

Banana Bread (Gourmet in taste, yet super simple )


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream Together:
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter (at room temp)
Add: 
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
Then Add:
2 eggs (beaten)
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, place on baking sheet and toast until lightly browned while combing other ingredients).
1/4 c quick rolled oats (dry)


Lightly grease bread pan and dust with flour to keep from sticking. Pour batter into bread pan and smooth top with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with rolled oats to evenly coat for presentation and textural interest. Bake for 1 hour or until the top of the loaf of bread is golden brown. To check if it is done, insert a knife into the center of the loaf and remove. If there is no batter on the knife, it is ready to come out of the oven. If not, place back in oven and check on it every 5-10 minutes. Once completely cooked, place on a cooling rack. After about 20 minutes, flip over to remove the loaf from the pan and place back on a cooling rack for another 30-45 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Wishing you all a fun-filled first weekend of August! Yikes, I can't believe it is already August! Enjoy every bit of summer while you can, fall will be here before we know it. 


Cheers!
xX Laura Christine