HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS

I'm not happy with the tortilla chips.  I'll just say it right up front.  They looked good and improved with each batch...but just not as good as commercial tortilla chips.  So, here's part three of the Chips and Salsa saga!

I got the salsa made.
I got the tortillas made.
Then, it was time to fry.

I set up the same small frying pan that I used to cook the corn tortillas.
I added enough vegetable oil to fry small batches...to within an inch of the top of the pan.
I turned the heat to medium high and used a digital thermometer to get to 350 degrees.
I sat up a baking sheet with a cooling rack in it and two layers of paper toweling to drain the chips.
I cut the tortillas in 6 or 4 pieces, depending on the size of the tortilla.  I could tell that some were thick tortillas and some were very thin.  It was hard to get the tortillas thin without tearing them when I took them off the plastic wrap.  (The best chips were the very thin tortillas)  I slid about 8 or so pieces of tortilla into the pan for each batch...the thicker ones swelled up (not good - they weren't crispy) and they turned a deep brown as they cooked.

I got a strainer type implement - I don't know what it is called exactly - but a spider or anything that you could remove the chips from the oil with...and allow the oil to drain before putting it on the paper towels will work.  I used it to flip the chips over and around to get even color while frying.

I had salt at the ready.  Chips need to be salted immediately after they are removed from the oil and set to drain.

I sat up my salsa and started sampling.  The biggest thing was the inconsistent chip quality.  Some were too hard, some were too soft and almost "chewy", some were poofed up...only every so often did I get a chip that "felt just right" in the mouth.  I know it sounds like Goldilocks and the Three Bears! 

I really think it was the thickness of the tortillas.  I've noticed in restaurants that the "homemade tortilla chips" are always thicker...but at least they are always crunchy!  I wonder if a few things might make the difference:

1.  use of corn oil maybe, instead of vegetable oil?
2.  use of a bigger pan and higher temperature oil?  360 or so?
3.  obviously thinner tortillas - no question there.
4.  letting the tortillas "dry out" a little before frying them?
5.  using white masa instead of yellow masa?  It seems most of the commercial ones are made with white corn flour.  I didn't see any blanco masa de harina at the store!  Only amarillo.

All I know is I wish I had the tortillas back - they were delicious warm with butter.  The chips - well, I'd rather buy a bag of El Milagro tortilla chips...my very favorite brand - and while they are made in Austin, they are available at our local grocery store!

I know my friend is waiting to hear how they turned out.  I think I'd make them again if I was living in a foreign country without good chips...but since I live in the South Texas area, I'll just roll on over to the grocery store for my chips.  They look good - but they were not up to my standards...I still ate more than half of them...in search of the elusive "perfect chip".  If there are any readers out there who can give me advice - I'd be happy to see your comments!  I'm irritated when I can't get things right.

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!!!

HOMEMADE TORTILLAS...FROM SCRATCH

This is part two of the chips and salsa blog...which is turning into a three part blog...because there's just too much! 

To make tortilla chips...you must make tortillas! 

I received my tortilla press from Amazon via next-day delivery so I was set. 
I've finished the entire batch of tortillas now (haven't fried yet - more about that tomorrow) and I have to say, I have a whole new level of respect for the Mexican Abuelas and Mamacitas who ground the corn/maiz on a metate, mixed the corn flour with water (no running water - likely a well in the village) and salt if they had it, rolled it out (I'm not thinking they had a nice tortilla press back in those days), and fried it on a comal or maybe even a hot stone for all I know.  I just know they had no air-conditioning, no ibuprofen for the aches and pains of hard work, and lots of hard work to serve a meal.  I bow my head to them...we have it soooo incredibly easy - and still we complain!  Myself included.  I'll try to be better.

Any-who...I got started by making the dough. 

I rolled a log and cut it into 16 pieces with my bench scraper and then, anal that I am, I weighed each piece of dough to get it even (the ends of the log had smaller pieces).  Holy moly...I wouldn't do that again...just not worth it in the big scheme of things.  It just seemed important to me at the time.  Oh brother!

The little balls of dough need to be kept moist and so I covered the pieces before I rolled them and after I rolled them and put them in a bowl....damp paper towel...and a damp cloth.  Well, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself...let's get the recipe down....it's so complex!  (NOT)

CORN TORTILLAS

Ingredients:

2 cups masa de harina
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Mix all ingredients - when dough can be squeezed and it holds its shape - it is ready.  I used the entire 1 and 1/3 cups of water.  I also moistened my hands when needed.

Roll dough into a log (keep the ends the same size as the middle - unlike me). 

Halve the log lengthwise (I used a bench scraper), then cut the log into 8 equal pieces (giving a total of 16 pieces). 

Cover dough when you are not using it, with a damp paper towel or a damp cloth.

Roll each 1/16th piece into a round ball and place in a bowl, also covered with a damp towel.

Prepare your comal or frying pan on the stove - medium heat - to the point it sizzles when a few drops of water are splashed on it.  Do not oil your pan.

Place one of the dough balls into the middle of two pieces of heavy plastic wrap (I cut a Ziploc bag open and used it - worked perfectly - I started with wax paper, but found after about 3 tortillas, it got sticky...so moved to the Ziploc solution). 

Take a rolling pin, or use a tortilla press, and flatten the dough into a 5 to 6 inch round.  Carefully pull back the top side of the plastic and carefully pull back the bottom side of the plastic allowing the tortilla to fall into your hand.  Drop it into the hot pan and cook each side for about 45 to 50 seconds.  I flipped with tongs at first and then realized it was easier to use a pancake turner.

I prepared the next ball into a tortilla while the one ahead was cooking...just kept a little assembly line going.  I removed the cooked tortilla to a clean dish towel folded in half so they were kept covered.  I tore some, I burned one or two; I started with a cast iron skillet and then moved to an omelet pan - non stick.  I burned the one with the iron skillet and then everything kept sticking there so I got out the other pan.  Whew, that was much easier and they cooked quickly and without burning or sticking.

I did eat two of them with butter while they were hot...dribbled all over my shirt...but dang they are good!
The teen sampled one also and declared them delicious in a shocked voice..."really, you made these?"
Ah, he of little faith. 

So, to move on to the tortilla chips.  I have to let them cool completely before frying according to the little note on the back of the masa bag.  I got tired.  I took a break...and now, I'm too tired to blog about the making of the chips...so I'll blog about that tomorrow.

I'll set this up to post Saturday morning...all of the tortilla making and chip making happened Friday night...
I will leave you with a photo of my dinner tonight...which I didn't get to eat until nearly 9:00...

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Rock Star Pizza

The teen's pizza tonight looked delicious. 
He told me it was Rock Star Pizza...he said "it looks rustic doesn't it?" 
I took photos.
What's a proud mom to do? 
Post the photos on her blog!

We used white whole wheat flour in the recipe for Focaccia/Pizza Dough I've posted about before.  This pizza was made from 1/4 of the recipe (I made a half recipe and froze half the dough...this pizza is the remaining dough).

He did a good job.  He's eaten almost the entire thing :-)  I didn't even get a bite!!!  Gotta love boys!

TOP THREE KITCHEN SMALL APPLIANCES

I have 3 favorite small "luxury" kitchen appliances...my Kitchen Aid Artisan stand mixer, my Kitchen Aid food processor, and my FoodSaver vacuum sealer.  (Coffee Maker is a requirement, not a luxury!)  Today, I am writing about my FoodSaver.  I was a fan of the Seal-a-Meal product back in the 1980s but then, it died and I did not replace it.  Then, we got a Sam's Club in our part of Austin and we started buying some bulk items...I quickly learned I needed a vacuum sealer of some sort or I would be wasting a lot of those "big savings".  I've had that one for over 15 years...and it does still work.  It is temperamental though.  You can't process much without it getting really hot and it's sort of a yellowed white...and I decided last year it was time for a new one.

One of the things I learned about living at the coast is humidity wreaks havoc on your dry goods...crackers, cereal, chips...stuff like that.  I have thrown away more of these "stale" products since moving here than I have in my entire life!  Of course, part of that is that I don't have my adult children, their friends, and my grandchildren stopping in to snack...so I have things a little longer down here than I would have up in Austin.  It was getting expensive to throw that stuff away!  Ziploc bags didn't do the trick, chip clips, and twist ties didn't do the trick.  So one day I was flipping channels and stopped on QVC because they were demonstrating a FoodSaver.  It caught my eye because this was a sleek looking black and stainless product (which matches my kitchen appliances) and it had one particular feature that made me think "SOLD"!  It had a "seal only" button. 

The "seal only" button had me from the first moment I saw it demonstrated on QVC!!!

Why is this such a big deal?  Well, you can re-seal any bag that was originally "sealed" with heat.  It has separate controls for vacuum and then seal - including a moist or dry option.  AND, it holds a roll of bags inside the system...no more digging out my box of bags every time I needed to seal something. It has a built-in cutter for getting a straight edge when cutting the bags to the size you need (no more hunting for scissors), and it has a removable drip tray for easy clean up when liquids are sucked into the machine (unlike my old one). Add the concept of 3-Easy-Payments (love that) and I was at my computer, keys clicking, sending my order.

The insides include bag roll storage, a cutter, and a easy-to-clean drip catcher

I purchased model V2840.  It cost $86.28 plus tax and shipping....now a few dollars more I see.  Came with 2 rolls of bags and a couple of other things I don't use (the vacuum cord for sealing jars).   I know it has paid for itself since I bought it last May.  I've used up the two rolls of bags and bought a box of bags at Sam's Club.

The plus of re-sealing the retail product bag also means a saving on the rolls of plastic.  I seal chips after every use, just cutting them open with scissors when I want to use them again.  I seal plastic bags of brown sugar, I seal cracker bags and sleeves, I seal cereal bags, pasta bags, rice bags...easy peasy.  I haven't thrown away a stale product in ages.  Cereal lasts for months...just have to train everyone in the house to seal after using and leave room for sealing when cutting the bag open.  No crushed chips - because you don't vacuum.  You can use the controls to vacuum a bit and then hit seal...very flexible.  It's great! 

Triscuits almost gone - last opened a month ago - will be fresh next time opened!

Brown Sugar will be fresh an ready to use after I sealed the top

holding the upside down re-sealed bag of brown sugar

The second best use is prepping meats and vegetables for the freezer.  My sons fish.  The first time they came home with 20 trout fillets for me to package up, my old FoodSaver barely made it.  My neighbor also fishes and brings me some of his catch from time to time.  FoodSaver makes short work of those; I can package in just the right size for individual meals or family meals...very flexible.  Also, since my husband is home intermittently due to travel, I find myself having too much ground beef for a smaller meal for the teen and myself.  If I buy ground beef at the H.E.B., it is generally packaged at about 1 1/4 pounds.  So, I buy a few packages and re-pack them in the vacuum seal bags and weigh out 3/4 pound per package...which makes it about right for a mom and a hungry teen-ager.  I can buy a big 4-pack of steaks at Sam's Club and package them individually, I can buy fresh shrimp when it is in season and package it up for later use...without an ounce of freezer burn or ice crystals reaching it.  I packaged up nuts, squash, tomatoes, or anything that I can normally freeze...freezes better and fresher with my FoodSaver.

Shrimp packaged and frozen - no visible freezer burn!

Roasted Acorn Squash from October 2010 - perfect condition!

Leftover nuts are fresh for the next use when stored in freezer

Less than 2 weeks in a "Freezer Ziploc" - ice crystals all over the chicken! 
Should have used my FoodSaver!

The only negative comment I could make is the rubber seal sometimes comes off - but I just stick it back in its track and we're good to go. 

No one is paying me to review this or giving me anything to say good things.  I just love the product.  Best appliance for saving money I've found!  I like to share with my friends and readers when I find a good thing.

A product that does what it says it will do!  I love it!!!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

SHRIMP HAUS RESTAURANT

Friday night was my second visit to Shrimp Haus Restaurant located at Schlitterbahn at the Beach.  It's open year round, regardless of the Schlitterbahn operating hours.  The first time I went, was after an afternoon at Schlitterbahn and the teen and I sat outside overlooking the Boogie Bahn.  Not much choice but to sit outside because, of course, no wet swim suits in the inside restaurant.  Apparently they expect you to check in (in your wet bathing suit which requires you to go inside) so they didn't "know we were there"...despite making multiple eye contacts with wait staff.  The service was not great so I never went back again.   The food, that time, was good but not really outstanding.  Some of my opinion of the food might have been tainted by the exhaustion of a day in the sun...and slow service.  The teen had a burger and said it was good.

What a difference a crowd of thousands makes vs the peaceful post-Spring Break crowd.  Friday night was one of the best evenings out I've had in quite a while.  Mostly due to the happiness-invoking voice of the ever-lovely Leslie.  She's popular here on the island.  She performs covers of a wide variety of popular music and every song was performed in an exceptional way!  Gorgeous voice.  I'd heard about her, but never heard her live.  I could have stayed for hours...she's good and she's funny in between songs - sharing interesting news tidbits.

We sat next to the big picture windows and since DST is in full effect, it didn't get dark for quite a while...and we had a nice dune and sea grass view out the window when seated.  If I stood I could see the ocean.  Nice.

Our waiter was very attentive and had quite the dry sense of humor.  He asked how I was doing and I said fine and responded..and you?  He hesitated and said "okay...I have a pulse" with a totally straight face.  We laughed...a pulse is good to have!  Nice guy and the first waiter I've ever had shake my hand when we were leaving.  You meet all kinds...but most importantly - he provided excellent table service.

The food was good.  I specifically went for shrimp.  They serve shrimp a heck of a lot of ways at Shrimp Haus.  You know my standard though - when I am doing a comparison, I get fried shrimp.  They have an every night special of All U Can Eat Shrimp for $14.95...includes a trip to the nicely outfitted salad bar, French Fries, and a loaf of bread.  I don't know why I got that...because I couldn't even eat all that they brought me the first trip.  I could have saved a buck and just bought the fried shrimp platter for $13.95.  I know better.  The shrimp were quite large and nicely fried - not overly battered as I frequently see.  Good tartar sauce - which is good because I don't eat cocktail sauce on my fried shrimp.  I'm picky about my tartar sauce and this met my high standards.  It was a very good fried shrimp dinner.

All U Can Eat Fried Shrimp

The teen had the grilled shrimp - $14.95.  Normally that is served with rice and some steamed or grilled veggies I think.  I am pretty positive that's what I got last summer out on the deck.  My boy doesn't eat vegetables though, so he ordered it with just French Fries.  SHOCKINGLY, he complied with my suggestion that he go check out the salad bar...he got one with his meal and I thought there might be SOMETHING he could nibble on.  I nearly fell out of my chair when he came back to the table with a salad plate with green leaf lettuce and mushrooms piled on it.  It had no dressing, but he ate half of it.  Maybe he is growing up.  I encouraged him to just squeeze some lemon on it since he doesn't like dressing, but, although he squeezes lemon all over his shrimp AND his French Fries (???), he refused.  Later he said "I didn't realize lettuce was so dry".  I had to chuckle.  He said the grilled shrimp were really good...and he polished them off in no time flat, so they must have been!  He actually ate most of my fries as well as all of his.  They were pretty tasty too...not that I'm a huge FF fan.

Grilled Shrimp and French Fries...normally rice and veggies!

We ate slowly and enjoyed watching several couples get up and dance up by the stage...it was very pleasant!  Tropical exposed wood decor, lots of "port hole" shaped aquariums (including one submarine-shaped aquarium suspended from the ceiling), great view...all add up to a nice alternative to my regular haunts.  Most people probably don't think of going to eat at Schlitterbahn...but it is worth the trip in my opinion!  It's on the south end of the island, ocean side, and you can't miss the big Schlitterbahn entrance.  The restaurant entrance is to the right of the water park on the 2nd floor.  There is an elevator for those who can't or don't want to use the stairs.


Casual yet "nice" place to dine on an off-season night!

On the way home I asked the teen what he thought about Leslie's singing.  He said "I liked it...actually, her voice sounded kind of angelic."   That is high praise from a hearing impaired individual who didn't like ANY music until about 5 years ago!

All-in-all, I think we both had a nice evening.  Our total bill was $36.37 plus tip...not a bad Friday night's meal AND entertainment!  The sign says Chuck and Leslie play every evening Tuesday through Saturday.  I'll make it a point to go again.  I want to try their Shrimp Scampi and their Shrimp Nachos.  Leslie singing will likely lure me back sooner rather than later!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

3 – Pretty Yummy - I feel my flip flops wanting to head back from time to time!

KICKIN' OFF THE WEEK-END WITH CREAM CHEEESE BROWNIES

I was craving a bit of chocolate...wanted to bake something... but not something that would leave me with an excess amount of sweets to eat over the week-end!  I was going to make a chocolate cake and then decided a two-layer frosted cake was just too much for the two of us ... and pieces of layer cake aren't as easy to give away as cookies...or brownies.

Brownies sounded good when it hit my brain but I sure didn't want the favored ultra rich brownies that are immense in size and weight.  So, when I happened upon my go-to website and saw Cream Cheese Brownies...I knew that would be the ticket!

As regular readers know, I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Jaworski's JoyofBaking.com and that's where I got the basis for these brownies.  I had to tweak it a bit, but I'll put the link for her recipe here...so you can see what hers calls for.  Basically, I used a different pan, a different chocolate, and a different lining for the pan.  Hers calls for a 9 inch square pan...I just have an 8 inch.  Hers calls for foil lining the bottom and hanging over two edges to lift with...after attempting this with two pieces of foil and poking my fingers through it...I gave up and moved to parchment paper.  I use Reynold's Recycled Foil...and it's thin.  I need to just buy some regular foil and give up on trying to be green in the foil department.  Lastly, her recipe called for unsweetened chocolate - of which I had none - so I used Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chocolate morsels.  That will likely result in some really sweet brownies...but you do with what you have!

Here's the recipe the way I baked it...

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES
Based on the recipe from JoyofBaking.com

INGREDIENTS:


BROWNIE LAYER:

1/2 cup unsalted butter - cut into small pieces
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

8 ounce block cream cheese - softened to room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg (room temperature)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place rack in center position of the oven.
Line 8" square pan with parchment paper across the bottom and up and over the two opposite sides (to give you handles for removal).  I sprayed some baking spray in the bottom of the pan to adhere the parchment paper and folded the excess down over the outside of the pan. Make a crisp edge so they don't flop back in on the batter.

Prepare a saucepan of simmering water and place a metal or heatproof glass bowl over the pan.  Add the butter and chocolate to the bowl and allow to melt. 

Remove from heat and place the bowl on a dishtowel to keep from slipping and stir in sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth.  This will serve to cool the chocolate too.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.  Add flour and salt and stir until smooth and glossy - about 1 minute.  The batter will be thick and starts to come away from the edge a bit.

Remove 1/2 cup of chocolate batter and set aside.


Add the rest of the chocolate batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Set aside.

In food processor bowl, process cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar, egg, and vanilla and pulse.  Scrape down bowl, including bottom of bowl, and pulse just until mixture is smooth and creamy. 

Pour mixture on top of chocolate mixture in baking pan.  Smooth mixture with spatula to cover the chocolate mixture, careful not to mix the two.  You now have a layer of chocolate mixture and a layer of cream cheese mixture in the baking pan.

Take the 1/2 cup of reserved chocolate batter and drop by spoonful evenly all across the top of the cream cheese batter.

Take a butter knife or a skewer and swirl through the two batters (not digging down into the bottom batter) to make a swirly pattern - but not "mixing" the two together. 

Place pan in pre-heated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes (mine took 33 minutes).  The cream cheese batter should be lightly brown on the edges...and like a cheese cake, it should still be wiggly in the middle.  Allow to cool completely on a rack.

Place in refrigerator and allow to completely set up (at least 2 hours).  After brownies are chilled, run a knife around the un-papered edges to ensure they are released and lift cream cheese brownies from pan with the two paper handles and place on cutting board (have the cutting board right next to the pan).  Cut into sixteen 2 inch x 2 inch pieces, wiping knife after each cut.  It wouldn't hurt to have a glass of hot water and a dish towel, or better yet, paper towels handy for cleaning the knife between slices.

Here's what I ran in to...the middle brownies, bottom layer, were not baked sufficiently.  I had a smaller pan so I cooked them longer and went with the slight jiggle deal I usually do with cheese cake stuff.  Maybe that was a bad choice...this isn't cheesecake after all!  It was just the middle 4...but all the bottom brownies were "fudgy".  That's fine with me...but the 4 in the middle...well, they needed baking a bit longer...or the right pan!  The other thing might have been that I used semi-sweet chocolate...the chemistry might have gotten out of kilter.  I'm no scientist so I can't hypothesize that particular element!

So, the final word is...I've eaten one... and these are kick-ass brownies.  They are all fudgy with the tang of cream cheese...delicious.  I've put the four "underbaked" ones on a separate plate and I'm going to see if they set up over night.  Otherwise, the outer ones are just the way I like 'em!!!  Next time I'll need to get a 9 inch square pan.  In baking, size really does matter!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Follow-up Note:
I ate one of these this morning straight from the fridge - it's more like a piece of fudgy cheesecake than a traditional cake brownie.  Intense and flavorful...

The other note is be careful not to overbeat the base brownie mixture.  I notice I had lots of air bubbles in mine...probably overbeat it...even though I did it by hand.

The teen is going to LOVE these!

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

I thought I wouldn't have any baking time on Sunday but, much to my great joy, the hubby and teen decided to go see a movie in Harlingen that I was absolutely not interested in seeing at the theater.  I always like it when they go off and do something together.  I'm with the teen so much, I think the men need to be together whenever they can...without "mom" butting in.  It gave me quiet time and I've made pizza dough - which is rising - so we can have homemade pizza for dinner (the last hurrah for Spring Break) and I am making a new recipe - basically a combined Oatmeal Cookie and my 2-Kinda-Chocolate Chip Cookie...made with 100% whole wheat flour.  I hope they are tasty and moist. 

So, here's to men doing men things while the "little woman" is home baking.  Ahhh, it's a good life.  (I think I'll sit on the deck and watch the bay while the cookies bake ... and read The Padre Puzzle by local author, David Harry...I can barely put it down!)

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Based on Oatmeal Cookie recipe on JoyofBaking.com

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup of unbleached Whole Wheat White flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup Milk Chocolate Morsels
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

Optional ingredients - nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruits.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth (about 2-3 minutes). 
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. 
Scrape down sides of bowl.


Butter and brown sugar creaming

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated.  Scrape the bowl, getting down into the center at the bottom, not just the sides.

Flour added

Stir in the oats.  I added the first 2 cups with the mixer running and then I added the last one by hand.  VERY stiff dough.  Add both cups of chocolate chips by hand.

Cookie Dough ready to shape

For large cookies, use about 1/4 cup of batter  (I used a heaping 1 1/2 liquid ounce scoop which equals 3 tablespoons).  It made 20 cookies.  Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  I actually hand-rolled the scooped cookies into a ball because some pieces were falling apart.  I then used my hand to pat them down to about 1/2 inch thick. 

A dry stiff dough - made a nice chewy cookie!

Bake for 12-14 minutes (barely can see the brown at the bottom edge).

My, my, my...these are scrumptious!  Tender, chewy, and chocolatey - just as I hoped.  To borrow an old "A-Team" phrase... I love it when a plan comes together :-)

Mama mia, that's some delicious cookie!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

ANOTHER NEW KITCHEN GADGET

You have heard me say, on more than one occasion, that the proper tool is everything.  When I recently made a 3-layer cake...and found that it was not centered on the cake round, there was not a darn thing I could do about it.  I thought to myself "why didn't you order that cake lifter you have on your wish list BEFORE you made the cake?"  Hindsight is, as they say, 20-20. 

So, I went ahead and ordered one from Amazon and selected the Nordic Ware Cake Lifter.  I'd never actually seen a cake lifter and wasn't sure what to expect ...or even if I was wasting $10 on the purchase.  Boy howdy was I wrong to doubt myself.  This tool looks like it is meant to do the job!  It is huge...obviously big enough to slide completely under a 9 inch cake.  It is very sturdy with a rubber/silicone handle for comfortable gripping.  It's like a big ass old spatula!  The description said it had a folding handle for easy storage - which is of prime importance in my tiny kitchen.  Alas, that was an incorrect statement.  No folding handle.  It is made of a non-stick material but they recommend using a cooking spray to insure the transfer occurs without sticking.  Also, many folks recommend for removing 12 inch pizzas from the oven.  Great!!!  Love a multi-tasking tool.

Not only was my Hummingbird Cake off-center, I nearly broke one of the layers in half by trying to lift it off the cooling rack.  It seemed like such a dense sturdy cake, I thought I could do it...and I saw it starting to crack immediately, requiring a return to the cooling rack, and flipping upside down between two racks to transfer it to the cake in the correct position.  The entire endeavor would have been so simple with this cake lifter!

I can't wait to make another layer cake...this also should solve all those tricky problems involving icky icing smears on your serving platter too (well, I hope).  I'll certainly give you an update after I've used it a time or two and put it through its paces.  If it works as well as I think it will, you'll be wanting to get one too.

Last good thing...it says, right on the front "MADE IN U.S.A." and that's what I like to see!

BON APPETIT, Y'ALL!!!