29
Feb 12
Let’s Make GIANT Cookies!!
It was a rainy, rainy day here in SoCal yesterday. I love pretty much everything about rain and rainy weather. Gray skies, chilly air, that smell that lets you know it is definitely going to rain, and then of course, the actual rain. I love how it greens up my grass. I love how I can sit and watch the rain and immediately I feel relaxed. I love the sound of it as it hits my roof and windows and how this, in turn, reminds me how thankful I am to have a roof and windows.
Yesterday’s rain was pretty intense. It went from enjoyable, soggy day wetness to pounding, sheeting hail by midnight. I realize that hail to anyone reading this outside of California is really not that big a deal, but to a San Diegan, hail is practically the equivalent of watching a tornado fly down the street. It’s rare and it just doesn’t happen very often! My other SoCal friends were actually Facebooking (<– is that a word? Oh well.) about the hail. That’s right. Hail.
Growing up, my mom always called these types of days “Chocolate Chip Cookie Days.” I always knew that if it was chilly, dreary and rainy- my mom would be baking up her famous chocolate chip cookies. I will not deny that I regularly prayed for more rainy days 
Apparently I have mentioned “chocolate chip cookie days” quite regularly to my 3 year old. I know this because EVERY time it rains she exclaims, “Mommy, can it be a chocolate chip cookie day!?” It is definitely one of my favorite things about her. After all, who am I to deny my sweet, cherub faced 3 year old her God given right to bake a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies?? And so….bake we did.
However, I did not use my mom’s famous chocolate chip recipe. I just can’t. It’s under lock and key in an undisclosed location. Besides, I like to try new recipes. So, I decided to give Jenny at Picky Palate’s chocolate chip cookie recipe a try! I am a huge fan of her recipes but haven’t tried many of her cookies. Her recipe uses M&M’s which would also be delicious but just to switch it up a bit, I just used Hershey’s awesome little mini kisses- perfect for baking! They are larger than a regular chocolate chip, but smaller than a Hershey Kiss. They are brilliant, that’s what they are. And it turns out they are the perfect size for these XXL cookies. Go big or go home, right? Let’s do this….
Here is our cast of characters:
Light brown sugar, 2 eggs, butter, sugar, salt, flour, vanilla, baking soda and mini Hershey kisses
Preheat your oven to 350°.
In the bowl of your mixer combine both sticks of butter and your sugars (light and white!) until creamed.
My sweet little helper!
Add in your eggs and the vanilla (2 beautiful Tablespoons!) and beat until well combined.
…mix until…
Now, in a separate bowl mix together your flour, baking soda and salt.
Dump half of this dry mixture into your wet mix and mix at a medium to medium high speed. Using a good size spatula, scrape down the walls and bottom of the bowl as needed. Dump the rest of the dry flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat again until well combined.
Your batter will be a bit sticky and pretty heavy so I suggest dumping your mini kisses into the bowl and letting the mixer do the work. Usually I hand mix the chips but that wasn’t going to happen here so…to the mixer!
Here is a quick pic to give you an idea of the size of the these lovely mini kisses. Ideally I would have also had an actual Hershey kiss to complete the comparison but, alas, I did not.
After your kisses are mixed to your satisfaction, grab your 1/3 measuring cup. Yes, 1/3. I told you these are XXL!
Scoop your dough into the measuring cup and level it. Dig the dough out with a spoon and form into cute little circles on your parchment lined (or silpat lined) baking sheet. I pressed mine down just a little bit too.
Place only 6 on the baking sheet at a time. These suckers bake up and out!
Pop them in the oven for 14-16 minutes. Mine took 16. Either way, you will want them to be just barely golden when their done. They will look a little underdone in the center. This is perfect, they will continue to bake as they rest on the cookie sheet. Let them rest for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Getting closer….
TA-DA!!
Enjoy and let me know what you would add to this delectable recipe!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ingredients
- 1C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4C Sugar
- 1C packed light brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
- 3 3/4C All Purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 bag of Hershey's Mini Kisses
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Cream butter and sugars in mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add in both eggs, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat at medium to medium high speed.
- Scrape the bowl as needed and add the rest of the flour mix to the bowl.
- Continue beating until well combined.
- Add in the mini kisses and mix until satisfied!
- Grab your 1/3C measuring cup and scoop your dough in. Level, and scoop out onto a parchement (or silpat) lined baking sheet. Form the dough into circles, and press down just a little.
- Place only 6 cookies on the baking sheet at a time.
- Pop the sheet in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes. Let the cookies rest for at least 5 minutes after you take them out, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
