Recipes: Chocolate Chip Cookies and Hummingbird Cake

Emily Flinders’ Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temp if possible)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to throw in the whole bag if you like them super chocolate-y)

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add the vanilla.

In another bowl mix or sift the dry ingredients together before slowly adding them to the creamed mixture. When combined, stop the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips. Mix up and then drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I use a 1 3/8" springloaded cookie/ice cream scoop, otherwise mold them into a ball as best as you can with the spoon for a more shaped cookie.

I  sprinkle the cookies lightly with kosher or sea salt before baking, this is optional, but AWESOME.

Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!
Emily
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Aubrey Behunin’s Hummingbird Cake

1 pkg.  plain yellow cake mix
1 (8oz.) can CRUSHED pineapple, undrained
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I always use Canola)
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans.  Blend all ingredients together on low speed for 1 minute, increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.  Divide batter into prepared pans.  Bake in 350 oven for 30-32 minutes.  Remove from pans 10 minutes after baked.  Cool completely before frosting.

Classic Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
(I sometimes add a splash of milk if needed)

Cream together cream cheese and butter.  Add sugar gradually on low speed until incorporated.  Add vanilla and increase speed to medium to blend and fluff, about 1 minute.  Makes 3 cups, enough to frost 2 or 3 layer cake. 

Enjoy!
Aubrey