Chocolate~~ a truly, organic experience!

This afternoon I craved chocolate.

Well, actually, since yesterday.

 And so, I had some different chocolate chips in the pantry to try out for a while now. I picked up the Ghirardelli chips from Walmart~!

Usually, make them from Tollhouse.

Bye, bye Toll house.

Hello, Ghirardelli. I'm so glad we met today.

I opened the pantry door several times, lazily looking back over at the fire in the fireplace and then I caved to bake cookies instead of read, stitch or anything restful!

I HAD to have chocolate chip cookies and so I went to slinging flour and sugar in the kitchen.

Well, it was already a mess from lunch so.....what the heck. Just a little more to clean up! : 0

So here's the recipe and then you'll see why here.

I added in maple flavoring instead of vanilla.

I also added lots of chopped pecans.

I always do. Part of the experience is just chopping them up. Great stress reliever...LOL

and there ya go when all combined.

Stirring in the large chips....and I mean larger ones.

The Tollhouse ones are much smaller.

Now, THESE are chocolate chips!

Made WAY too much for the two of us. Like 6 dozen. 72 cookies.

 The recipe says it makes 4 dozen (my cookies were smaller) of which I didn't read that part yet because we could do well with 2 dozen. Lesson learned. Split the recipe.

And guilt-free.  All organic, right?  Just natural ingredients.

Even the package put this on there, so I'm sure it's healthy, right?

The pecans for protein.

The chocolate for our seratonin levels.

The 2 sticks of butter.......well.......I'm not sure on trans fat-free there....

But they were quite moist and tasty.

Would ya like one with a cuppa tea? or a tall glass of milk?

We have plenty to share!

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

(makes 4-6 dozen of cookies depending on size)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2  and 1/4 cups of unsifted flour

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

2 sticks of butter ( not margerine), softened

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed

2 tsp of vanilla OR maple flavoring--I used maple

2 eggs

1 bag of Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Chips

1 -2 cups of chopped pecans (can use walnuts, I use pecans)

Stir flour with baking soda and salt and set aside. Beat butter with sugars  on medium speed until creamy. Add flavoring and eggs, one at a time, mixing in together well.

Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by teaspoon or tablespoon (depending on size desired) to a baking paper lined cookie sheet. (Baking paper helps the bottom of the cookie stay lighter)

Bake for 9 minutes. No more. For chewier cookies, bake 1 minute less.

(That's just my opinion on that, but usually works for me)

Then, write a Dear John letter to Tollhouse and explain that you must go organic now, so all natural-- Ghirardelli, will be in your future..............