Thursday, May 08, 2008

One Wedding, One Cookie, and One Link

This past Saturday, I went to the wedding of one of my brother's friends (This is NOT right...they're getting married and I have yet to date! Oh well!). The wedding was just SO much fun. I didn't expect to have fun, since it wasn't my friend, but the mood was happy, excited, and just fun. Marley, the bride, had great ideas for the reception. His last name is Jones, so they had Jones sodas for the wedding favors. Then, they had an entire table of candy, complete with M&M's, skittles, sour ropes, Jolly Ranchers, Air Heads, and chocolate dipped pretzels and marshmallows (SO GOOD!). Then, the main table had the traditional reception food, cheese, and fruit PLUS a make your own nacho area. So cute...to match Marley! Anyway, I knew that I was going to see my dad; so, being the loving daughter that I am, I made him some cookies. I wanted to try something new, so I went in search of a recipe and found this one at Anna's site, Cookie Madness. Let me just tell you...it was SOOOOO good! I think that it's one of the top three chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. It made a lot, so I split the batch and gave some to my brother's girlfriend. She wasn't sure if she would like it because of the coffee and was going to send them home with Philip if she didn't. Well, I got a note from her that said, "I hate to disappoint your parents, but I didn't send the cookies home with Philip. They were so good!" I just hope they gave her some energy for her finals! So, all in all, these are winning cookies. I highly recommend them. On another note before I give you the recipe, check out this new site, Chop, Stir, Mix. I haven't had a chance to look around a lot yet, but they look like they have some good recipes...PLUS, they're having a giveaway. Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies (from NM Cookbook)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cool room temp (I used one stick butter, one margarine)
2 cups (450g) golden brown sugar
1/3 cup (65g) superfine sugar (I just used regular sugar)
3 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 large eggs (I used one)
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups (490g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt (I used 1/2 b/c I only had the crystals and was nervous about it...they kind of provided an interesting taste to this cookie)
3 cups chocolate chips (I used 2)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in espresso powder and vanilla. Add eggs and beat until thoroughly smooth. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Scoop into tablespoon sized balls (or walnut sized). Flatten slightly. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until set and very slightly golden around edges. Please do not overbake...the gooey center is the best part!

8 comments:

Jane said...

YUM!
I will HAVE to try these, thanks!

Cate said...

Love the idea of make-your-own nachos - how fun!

Elle said...

Yummy cookies...love mocha anything.
The nachos stations sounds great, but the candy collection is inspired! My nephew is getting married soon...will tell his bride about that one.

Abby said...

What a fun wedding they had! I love all the cute little details.

Heather said...

What a fun wedding. And the cookies do look delish!

Anonymous said...

What great wedding ideas! If I ever have big blow-out party I will co-opt some of those.

Unknown said...

Jane - Oh, I hope you do. They are SOOO good.

Cate - It was...I was just impressed with the ideas she had.

Elle - I hope she enjoys it. It adds a little personal touch.

Abby - Marley did all of it on her own. So good!

Heather - Thanks! You should try them.

Renae - Feel free...that's why I put it here!

Jess said...

Hey thanks for the comment and tip! The dough was actually pretty dry, so I don't think I could have added flour. Not sure what the problem was! Anyway, I should have made these Neiman Marcus cookies. They look amazing.
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