Food Styling Archives - Slice Of Honey

I promise I’ve been trying to focus on healthy recipes. In fact, I have a few waiting in the wings for the blog. However, sometimes I get distracted by sweets. Let me be honest here, chocolate chip cookies are typically not my jam. I mean, I’ll still eat one if that’s what’s available – let’s be reasonable, there’s still chocolate involved. But if I have other options, I will pick almost any other cookie on any given day. Maybe I’ve just had too many super plain tasting chocolate chip cookies in my day? I know you know what I’m talking about. Something mass produced for a cafeteria. Something lacking flavor and or quality chocolate.

Given my history with this all-American cookie, it is a wonder I was craving them the other night. I saw a friend post some chocolate chip cookies in her Instagram stories and I just couldn’t get them out of my head. So, I did it. I made some cookies from scratch and THANKFULLY wrote the recipe down as I created it. My cookie loving world has been forever changed! I’m going to make a big statement here and people will might try to argue with me (I’ll be respectful of your opinions if you’ll respect mine). These cookies turned out to be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I know you love your grandma’s recipe but I feel like that is only because you haven’t tried these yet. Bonus? They are still simple to make!!! Be sure to eat one (or four) while they’re still warm from the oven. You can thank me later.

Tips

The toffee bits add a beautiful sweetness that is different from the chocolate chips. However, if you’re serving these to friends who have a nut allergy, please leave them out.
Quality ingredients do make a difference in the cookie, especially when it comes to the chocolate. This recipe is the perfect reason to splurge a little and get the more expensive chocolate chips.

Chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Slightly crisp outside, slightly chewy inside. A perfectly balanced chocolate chip cookie.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup toffee bits

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.
In a separate large bowl, beat butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Mix eggs and vanilla into butter mixture.
Gradually stir in flour mixture until all ingredients are fully combined.
Stir in chocolate chips and toffee.
Scoop cookie dough into golf ball sized balls and place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Leave 2 ½ inches between cookies. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove cookie sheet from oven and transfer the cookies from the parchment to cooling racks.

While these are certainly my favorite chocolate chip cookie, I understand that people have strong preferences when it comes to such a classic cookie. If you prefer soft batch, I’ve got you covered. You can check out my soft batch chocolate chip cookies here.

I currently have two food obsessions. First, popcorn. My daughter and I have been sharing a bowl of popcorn after school lately. We sit on the front porch and snack while we wait for my husband to get home. She isn’t old enough for this to become a long-term memory for her but I’m holding it dear to my heart. When I look back at my own childhood memories, it is the simple moments of quality time with my parents that are my favorites. I am trying to be fully present in these little moments with my daughter so that eventually they become memories for both of us.

My second food obsession of the moment is homemade granola. I’ll eat it as a bowl of cereal or mixed in with some yogurt. If nothing else is available, I’ll just eat it by the handful. I have rarely bought granola in recent years simply because of the frequently high sugar content. One of the things I love most about cooking is knowing exactly what is in my food. Granola incredibly easy to make, my daughter was able to put it together with me helping her with measuring ingredients. Granola is also easy to customize. You can keep it simple or add in all sorts of nuts or dried fruit. I’ve been making a batch every week over the past month and this particular recipe is too good not to share with you.

Tips:

If you like a chunkier granola, let it cool completely before stirring it.
I like to store my granola in the freezer to keep it fresh and crunchy longer.

VANILLA ALMOND GRANOLA

This lightly sweetened granola is easy to make and easy to customize.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 7 servings (1/2 cup)

Calories 383 kcal

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup crisp rice cereal
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Spread mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake for 1 hour. Let cool before serving.