Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Me: Pick any two desserts and I'll make them for you for your birthday.

Husband: Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies and Fruit Cobbler.

I did ask, right? My go to cookie recipe is a salted peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips. They are delicious, they're easy, but they wouldn't hold up under the weight of ice cream. I needed a more sturdy cookie recipe. Sure, I've made plenty of chocolate chip cookies in my time, but I'm currently on a coconut oil kick. Remember, my husband is lactose intolerant, so I get to be creative and not use butter!

I based my recipe off this one I found on tastespotting: http://www.cheekykitchen.com/2010/09/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html. I made a half-batch as a test, and found I needed to tinker with them slightly (less sugar and a little more salt). Here's the final product, and it's a keeper for my recipe book. They're satisfyingly chewy, filled with chocolate, and if you want, they make a great holder for a giant scoop of ice cream!

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients 

makes approximately 20 cookies

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup ghirardelli 60% cacoa bittersweet chocolate chips (1/2 of them finely chopped and leave 1/2 of them whole)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together coconut oil, eggs, and brown sugar until very well mixed. Add remaining ingredients, mixing together until just incorporated. Portion the cookies using a 1 oz ice cream scoop, and divide between two baking sheets. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are just set. Remove and cool.

My little cookie monster.

Alton's Pot Roast

Me: Yum, mmm, this is delicious.

My son: More, please?

My husband: You know, this isn't a recipe, it's a philosophy.

Existential pot roast? Maybe. Delicious pot roast? Certainly! I'm a huge fan of Alton Brown's recipes and various shows. This pot roast recipe has been in our repertoire for a few years now, and it really is our go-to recipe when we're craving comfort food. This time I made it with mashed rutabagas and broccoli. A well-rounded meal for the start of colder weather.

Alton Brown's Pot Roast

recipe from: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pot-roast-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) blade cut chuck roast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup cocktail olives, drained and broken
• 1/2 cup dark raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees F. Place a wide, heavy skillet or fry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of meat with the salt and cumin.

When the pan is hot (really hot) brown meat on both sides and remove from pan. Add just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan then add the onion and garlic. Stir constantly until onion is softened.

Add the tomato juice, vinegar, olives, and raisins. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Create a pouch with wide, heavy duty aluminum foil. Place half the reduced liquid/chunk mixture on the foil, add the roast, and then top with the remaining mixture. Close the pouch, and wrap tightly in another complete layer of foil.

Cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until a fork pushes easily into the meat. Remove from oven and rest (still wrapped) for at least 1/2 hour. Snip off 1 corner of the foil pouch and drain the liquid into a bowl or measuring cup. Add some of the "chunkies" and puree with an immersion blender. Slice meat thinly, or pull apart with a fork. Serve with sauce.