Cookies for a BBQ

We were invited to a friendly BBQ at Liam's old classmate's house.  We decided to bring some chewy chocolate chip cookies.  Duncan and I whipped up a batch with gigantic size chocolate chips.  It really really was one of the best recepies I have ever tried.  Good times!

Becomes about 18 large cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups of any chocolate.  We used regular chocolate candy.
• Cookie sheet with baking paper.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 celcius).
2. Mix flour and baking soda
3. Mix room temperature butter with brown and regular sugar.  Beat until mixed and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, salt and vanilla.  Mix it up.
5. Stir in chocolate chip and get in with your hands if you need to have it all blend well.
6. Drop a heaping tablespoon.  We fit 6 to each cookie sheet.
7. Bake until golden edges but a soft center.  12 min worked for us.  We made a try first so we did not ruin a whole sheet by under or over cooking.  Do the same, save yourself heartache.
8. Remove from oven and cookiesheet, keep it on baking paper.



Cold but sunny...

Cold but super sunny outside. A few hot dogs on a small portable grill, and nothing to clean up after. Brilliant.



Dad eating some carrot sticks, Xavier and Anïas chowing down some grilled hot dogs. Ilïus is no where in sight, he's found a new friend that moved into the neighborhood , so he had very little time to eat.

Slip, slide and pancakes

Anïas, Illïus and Xavier arm themselves with helmets, rain/winter clothing and NO sleds as they head off sledding. They had the best time ever going down the hill on their 'bare' bodies. Upside down, sideways, sitting up, laying down, kneeling and spinning. To finish all off, they spend some time at the swing set.

We made a super-fast, extremely easy snack for these hungry little monsters.

Oven baked pancake:

Takes 10 minutes to whip together and about 20 minutes in the oven.

4 portions

· 3 dl regular flour or any combination really as long as it is not rye (tends to get too sticky from general baking experience)

· 1/2 tsp salt

· 6 dl mjölk

· 3 st ägg

· butter for the pan or use a cookie sheet

· A baking dish or deep cookie sheet. The batter should be about 1 cm (1/3 of an inch) high when poured.

Turn the oven to 225°C.

Crack the eggs, poor in milk and salt. Just whisk it very lightly. Pour in the flour and whisk some more. Pour it into the dish and pop it into the oven. It will look golden brown on top when finished and resemble a thin pizza crust in height. You can test it by picking up a corner and checking that it is not runny. And then test it on your children.

Yup, it was eatable!

The Cake does not lie

When we got home from school, Illïus was the first one to pick up our mail.  He skimmed through it the way us parents do, and pulled out a Valentines day flyer.  As he scurried off into the kitchen I could hear him say "This is good, we have to make one.  Let me check what we have in the cabinet."

Now Illïus can't read yet, but he clearly read the flyer. His index finger was tracing the text as he announced:

Chocolate love cake (recepie at the bottom)

• One needs eggs, flour, sugar, salt and lots of butter.

Diving into the cabinet and fridge he pulled out all that he needed to make his interpretation of the recepie, and proclaims to the household  'TIME TO MAKE CAKE'.

Who can refuse baking time after that kind of displayed vigor and statement. So here it is good folk. Illïus and his Chocolate love cake, with the assistance of Xavier. Enjoy!

-This is the one! You don't need to tell me what to do.  I already read it.

-Yeah, he already read it mama.  We are going to make it.

-I will get the butter now.  You can get the cookie cutter now for the cake.

-Which one do we use?  I'll put all of them on the table... wow, too much stuff on the table!

-This is sticky mama.  It doesn't feel like butter.

-The cake will be happy now mama when it doesn't get stuck...

-Wow, look at that egg... it hopped in super fast...

Illïus laughs out loud at Xavier and the egg.

-Ok Xavier, I hold this like this  -pause-  and then you poor not too fast.

-Ok

This was the hard part to just be an innocent bystander and not actually participating in this project.  Great fun.

-Scoop more, scoooooop Xavier scoop...

-Ok

-Hey mama, I am doing it... 

-Yes you are honey, you are doing it!

-I want to do like plants vs. zombies and make the dough go splat.... hahahhaaa!

-No honey, you keep that spatula in check!

-Ok mama, I won't be 'clazy'

-That's my cookie!

-Wow! They made this cake themselves. It looks amazing.

-We make the best cake!

-yeah!

So in the end, the cake was served with happy love to their older brother Anïas and dad Jeffrey.  We always have an extra piece for our older brothers Duncan and Liam who live in the States. 

Chocolate love cake
150g butter
1 dl cacao powder
100g dark chocolate (we just used 0.5dl more cacao)
3 eggs
2 dl sugar
2 1/2 dl flour
1/2 tsp bakingpowder

150 degrees celsius
Blend sugar, eggs, melted butter and cakao together.
Blend in flour and bakingpowder. 
Shake baby, whip baby and stir.  Finished

Keep it in the oven in the middle until it is not jiggly or soft.  it took about 50 minutes for this cake that is about 2 inches tall.

Good luck and happy munching.