Mom's Sugar Cookies

I've decorated these cookies since I was able to hold things in my hands, though I've certainly improved in my skills since then! My grandmother Vovo always made these cookies at Christmas time, and my cousins and I always gathered at her house to decorate all the cookies. These are simple sugar cookies that nonetheless are able to hold top spot as the most favored cookies of Christmas by many members of my family (and in my family, that's saying something- some years we've made 15 kinds!).

So, this season I got to have these cookies twice- my Mom made them for Christmas and we decorated them with some of my extended family; and I made them here at school and had my friends help me decorate them today- a great way to share a tradition, and have more cookies!


Here are the rolled out cookies on cookie sheets!


And here are the baked cookies- don't let them brown or they'll be overdone!


And the usual table setup for decorating- lots of colors, sprinkles, etc.- have fun with it!


And here are some examples of decorating- and remember, if you break one, you have to eat it!


Mom's Sugar Cookies
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup butter, softened
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 tablespoon milk
-2 teaspoons cream of tartar
-2 to 3 cups flour
Mix all ingredients, and refrigerate before rolling out and cutting into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 F for 7-8 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges. Once cooled, ice with confectioner's sugar icing, making sure to add vanilla and make as many colors as you'd like!



Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Apple Pie!

Apple Pie. There just aren't many things like it, especially in my family. We have a long tradition of making lots of apple pie in the summer when the June apples come in, and then we have it for dinner- with milk for dinner and with vanilla ice cream for dessert! If I was being absolutely true to that tradition, I would have made a deep-dish apple pie for this post, but I was called by the beauty of my mini-muffin tin and made about 24 mini apple pies instead- so cute! And added bonus, they will serve as individual desserts for the people my housemate is having over this evening! I so can't wait to try one of these little beauties- they're still too hot out of the oven!

Apple pie is warm, comforting, and truly part of the fabric of my life, and I encourage you to make it a part of yours- it's really not hard to make, and is such a delicious dessert (or entree!). For these little pies, I used homemade pie crust that I made the other day (see last post), but feel free to use store-bought if you would like.


Here are the mini pie crusts!


And here's the apple filling.


Here are the mini-pies ready to go into the oven- butter on top!


I had some extra filling, so I stuck it in a dish and put it in the oven for baked apples!


Apple Pie
-1 or 2 pie crusts (can put one on top if you want)
-3 cups diced apples (peeled if possible)
-2/3 cup white sugar
-1 tablespoon flour
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 tablespoons butter
Mix apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice, and toss well. Put the filling in the pie crust, and dot with the butter. Bake at 400 F for about 40-50 minutes. Enjoy!



And finally, the finished pies! Please try, and enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Homemade Pie Crust

Now, as you all have seen on this blog, there are some pretty good store-bought versions of pie crust floating around these days, and I myself can attest to their ease of use and deliciousness. However, I am also here to bear witness that making pie crust on your own is not hard- in fact, it's easy and takes under 10 minutes. So, if you've never tried it, please try to make some homemade crust- you can use it for almost anything and the sense of accomplishment is huge!

This recipe comes from the Mennonite Community Cookbook, of which I have been passed down a version. It's simple and can be turned savory or sweet, though I'm sure you all know I'm a little more inclined to the sweet! This recipe is for two 9-inch pie crusts, so that you can make a pie with crust on the top and bottom, or two open-face pies. I used one of the crusts today to make another Shoo-fly pie, and either tomorrow or the next day, I'm going to use the other one to make some delicious apple pie- I'm already excited!


Here are the simple ingredients!


Here's the crust, kneaded into a ball- don't overwork it!


The crust divided in two, ready to chill in the fridge for a little while.


And here's the finished crust in the pan! Feel free to use for whatever purpose you would like- it'll be light and crisp and buttery, so enjoy!


Pie Crust (makes 2)
-2 1/4 cup flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup butter (10 2/3 tablespoons)
-1/3 cup cold water (or more if needed)
Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles crumbs, but not too fine. Pour on the cold water and knead the crust together until it forms a ball. Add a little more water if you crust won't form up. Split your worked ball of crust into two, make them into balls, and chill for a few hours before using- makes it much easier to roll them out!


Savor it!
love, rue

Green Bean Salad with Walnuts

I've been eating this green bean salad for as long as I can remember. My grandmother Vovo clipped the recipe out of a magazine at some point, and that was it- in the recipe file and onto the table. It's really simple to make and everyone likes it- even kids. It's a far cry from the traditional green bean casserole or anything like that, and is a light, delicious, and flavorful accompaniment to a huge variety of dishes. It's especially perfect for summer barbecues- maybe I'm trying to get some sun up here in snowy Ohio!

Feel free to play around with this recipe as you please- add anything that sounds good, and feel free to substitute for ingredients you aren't particularly fond of. If someone is allergic to nuts, this is equally delicious without the walnuts, or just serve them on the side as optional. I threw this together this morning, and am eating it as I type- it's fantastic!


Here are the dressing ingredients- super simple!


The salad ingredients, minus the walnuts which were in the oven.


And here are the toasted walnuts- yum!


Green Bean Salad with Walnuts
dressing:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup wine vinegar
-1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or use less of dried)
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
salad:
-1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted lightly at 350 F for 10 minutes
-1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, blanched (can cut in 1/2 if you would like)
-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
-4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Assemble the dressing in a jar, shake well, and chill for at least 1 hour.
Combine the salad ingredients, using this time to toast the walnuts and blanch the beans if needed. Toss well.
1 hour before serving, pour dressing over bean mixture and toss well. Enjoy!



And here's the finished salad- easy, healthy, and so yummy! I hope you try it!

Savor it,
love, rue

Venison: making it up as you go along!

So, later today I'll be putting up a post about a dinner that I helped cook last night. A friend of mine shot a deer over Winter Break and brought back some steaks to cook. Living in a house with a kitchen, it seemed natural to do the steaks at my house, and I got to join in. I turned out to be great at trimming the steaks, and then I cooked them perfectly. I'll talk about this whole meal in more detail once I have the picture up- I didn't take pictures during the process because I was not planning on blogging about it, but I have a picture of the finished meal! So I'll be including recipes for Venison, some easy asparagus, and roasted potatoes- check back later!

Savor it!
love, rue

EDIT:

Easy Asparagus
-cleaned and trimmed asparagus (as much as you want)
-butter
-lemon juice
-salt and pepper
Put asparagus in a single layer in a glass pan (that can fit in your microwave), dot with butter, drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle on your salt and pepper. Cover with wax paper (key).
Microwave in 1 minute to 30 second intervals until asparagus is crisp-tender- shouldn't take more than a few minutes!


Simple Roasted Potatoes
-potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks, unpeeled
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
Heat your oven to 375-400 F. Toss the potato pieces with the olive oil and salt and pepper to coat. Spread on baking sheet or in any other pan, single layer preferable.
Stick that pan in the oven and keep and eye on them for about 30-40 minutes, or until done when stuck with a fork- so delicious!


Rue's Venison (I've never even eaten venison before!)
-venison steaks (my friend told me they were the "filet mignon" of venison)
-2% milk
-dry rub (I made mine with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and a sprinkle of chili powder)
-butter
-1/4 cup cooking wine
-Worcestershire sauce
My friend who shot the deer soaked the steaks in milk for 24 hours. I trimmed the steaks of all fat and of that silvery layer that ends up really chewy and tough if cooked. Then pat the steaks with the dry rub, feeling free to give it your own take and use whatever spices you feel like.
Heat a pan over medium, and add about 1/2 T of butter or so for each round of steaks. Add the steaks to the pan (usually 2 at a time) and cook for between 3 and 5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the steak. With this meat, you're going for something that looks more similar to tuna in terms of doneness and the look of the meat.
When the meat is done, deglaze the pan with the cooking wine, and add a few dashes of worcestershire while whisking. Use this to drizzle over the meat!


So, I've made asparagus and potatoes a million times, but the venison was my first time experience- I've never eaten or seen venison before that I can think of. But this just goes to show that in the world of food, you can conquer it, even if you've never given it a try before!! Just find a recipe, add your own touches, and go for it- chances are you'll get it right and have some delicious homecooked food on your hands!


Here's the meal, accompanied by a proper glass of sherry, brought by my friend from Spain!

Savor it!
love, rue

Sugared Nuts

This is yet another recipe that came to me through my beloved Vovo. She made them all through my childhood, and I still make them to this day, and they're gobbled up every single time! These nuts are basically pecans in meringue baked in butter- so good. These are simple and tasty- and are definitely a protein because of the egg whites and pecans- health food, people!!

Anyway, over my years of making this recipe (that I'm sure will continue as long as I live), I've made my own modifications to the recipe, and I present you with my version below. The original used a little less cinnamon and half as many egg whites, but I like it just the way it is below- and definitely don't skimp on the butter, it's totally worth it!


Here are the toasted nuts, cooling, and the beaten egg whites (a bit difficult to photograph!).


Here is the nut and meringue mixture on the baking sheet, ready to go into the oven.


And here are some of the finished nuts- break into pieces after making to make eating more manageable!


Sugared Nuts
-1 tablespoon butter
-1 lb. pecan halves
-4 egg whites
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
Melt the tablespoon of butter in a baking sheet with sides; add the pecans and toast lightly about 20 minutes at 325 F, let cool.
Mix sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Beat egg whites until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar mixture. Fold in the cooled pecans.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in the same pan as before. Spread the nut/egg white mixture on the pan. Brown for about 40 minutes at 325 F, turning once. Let cool and enjoy!!!!


I hope you Savor it!
love, rue

Tres Leches Cake!

Tres Leches Cake is a Mexican cake that literally translates to "Three Milks Cake", which is because after you bake the cake and let it cool, you pour 3 different milks over the cake, which makes it moist and delicious! This cake is light and frosted with lightly sweetened whipped cream, and often has fruit as an accompaniment- completely delicious!

This cake might not be like anything you've had before, unless you've had Tres Leches Cake, because I'm hard pressed to think of an American cake that's anything like it. I've made this cake for my friends numerous times, and I even made it for my co-op last year (100 people or so)! So it really isn't as complicated as it looks, though there are some steps, it comes together easily and quickly. Feel free to experiment with adding vanilla to the whipped cream on top or adding fruit, or making this a layer cake (it is possible, though I've never done it! Some friends of mine had a giant Tres Leches layer cake as their wedding cake and it was fabulous and beautiful!)


First, you mix up the batter in one bowl, and whip the egg whites in another, then fold them together.


Here's the cake after baking, with the milks poured over it- I forgot to take a picture of the cake right out of the oven- oops!


And here's the cake after the milks have soaked in- it just soaks it right up- and the whipped cream for frosting!


And here's the finished cake! It may look humble, but it's fantastic!


Tres Leches Cake
The cake:
-5 egg yolks, lightly beaten, with 3/4 cup of sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/3 cup of milk
-1 cup flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-5 egg whites, whipped to peaks, with 1/4 cup sugar
The milks:
-1 can evaporated milk
-1 can sweetened condensed milk
-1/4 cup heavy cream
The frosting:
-1 cup heavy cream, whipped and lightly sweetened, for frosting



I hope you give this recipe a try and I hope you enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue

Crunchy Cabbage Slaw (no-mayo!)

I've never been a big mayo fan- not in potato or egg salads, and not in coleslaw, something I generally pass over in life unless it's this recipe. This slaw is light and crunchy and full of flavor without weighing you down or overwhelming the flavors of the vegetables. The ramen noodles and sliced almonds on top add a great crunch and diversity of texture to the dish. This goes great with a huge number of meals, and will be devoured, I promise! I just made this today for a group of fellow college students and I'm left eating the bits that are left as I write this!

Because of the selection at the store this week, I made this slaw with purple cabbage instead of green, which works just fine if that's what's available- just use whatever is easiest to get a hold of! This dish will be eaten up winter or summer- tonight we had it with Chili, and in the summer it's good as a side dish to almost anything! Just enjoy it and feel free to experiment on the ingredients.


Here are the main parts: the slaw of cabbage, carrots, and green onions; the dressing; and the toasted ramen noodles and almonds.


Crunchy Cabbage Slaw
topping:
-1 package ramen noodles, discard seasoning packet
-1/2 cup sliced almonds
dressing:
-1/3 cup canola oil
-1/4 cup cider vinegar
-2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-scant 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
-scant 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
slaw:
-1 small green cabbage, shredded
-1 small carrot, shredded
-3 green onions, sliced
Break the ramen noodles into pieces and add the almonds. Toast at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.
Mix up the dressing in a small jar and shake well. Chill at least 1 hour.
Before serving, combine the slaw ingredients, pour on the dressing, and mix well.
Put the ramen noodles and almonds around the edge on top, as you can see in the picture below.

Then Enjoy! Even kids will gobble this up.



The finished slaw- it doesn't look great in the picture, but I promise it's delicious!

Savor it!
love, rue

Spiced Nuts

Spiced nuts (or sweet and spicy nuts, or any number of other things they are called) is kind of a general name for nuts that have been toasted then coated with sugar and lots of spices, and the recipe my family uses is posted below. These are fantastic for a snack or appetizer, and they seem like they take a lot more work than they do- always great for a hostess! These are sweet and spicy and pretty addictive, so you may not want to start out with a double batch like I did today- but I've got lots of college-aged boys around to eat up my extra food- I don't know what I'd do without them!


Here are the nuts and the sugar mixture, waiting to be combined.


And here are the nuts and sugar mixture in the pan, beginning to melt.


Spiced Nuts
-2 cups mixed nuts
-2 tablespoons brown sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon curry powder
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Toast nuts for 10-15 minutes at 300 F and let cool.
In a bowl, mix all ingredients except nuts.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the nuts and 1/2 of the sugar mixture. When the sugar mixture starts to melt, add the rest of it. Shake and mix the pan until all nuts are coated.
Remove from heat and let cool on waxed paper or greased baking sheet. Separate the nuts to prevent sticking.



And here are the finished nuts, cooling on a baking sheet- Enjoy!

These nuts are tasty and filling, and you probably already have a lot of the ingredients, so give this recipe a try and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Savor it!
love, rue

Swag Bars!

I know that this particular recipe has been blogged about a million times already, and that a huge number of people already know it, and that it is not a family recipe. However, I am including it in these beginning posts of my blog because it's a recipe that has been present in my life ever since my Mother visited The Swag Country Inn (www.theswag.com) and had these bars as part of their packed lunch when I was a kid under 10. I've never visited The Swag, but heard great things which must be true if these bars are any representation. I've been eating Swag Bars for years, and they're easy and delicious- even if it feels like you're cheating a little bit!!


Here are the steps to a Swag Bar: the scrunched corn flakes, peanut butter and sugar mixture, and the pan- no baking involved!


Here are the Swag Bars just after being pressed into the pan, no chocolate yet!


Here are the Bars with chocolate chips to melt on top!


Here's the link for the recipe at The Swag website: http://www.theswag.com/pop_swagbar.htm

And here's the recipe! So simple. We like to store these in the fridge and use a bit more corn flakes than it calls for, and a few less chocolate chips, to get just a thin layer of chocolate on top, but let your tastebuds guide you! We also like to freeze the bars a little, score them, then freeze again until hard to store.



And here are the finished (but unscored) bars! Enjoy these as I have for so long!

Savor it!
love, rue

Aunt Mildred's Chocolate Cake- THE Cake.

Aunt Mildred's Chocolate Cake has been THE cake in my life, and also what I feel is the most family recipe that I have- this is actually the creation of my Great-great Aunt Mildred. I never knew her, but judging by this recipe, we just might get along- it's the perfect chocolate cake to go with all kinds of icings or toppings or whatever you like. Our family tradition is to have this as a birthday cake and to use lemon icing- such a delicious combination of chocolate and lemon- and I never even knew I was being sophisticated as a kid!

I grew up with my grandmother Vovo making this cake often, and I have had it more times than I can count. After she died when I was 11, I started to make this cake for birthdays, and I still make it for my sister's birthday whenever I can- it's her favorite! Last spring, I had the honor of making miniature Aunt Mildred's Chocolate cupcakes with lemon icing to grace her incredible senior art show. Needless to say, this tradition isn't dying anytime soon- see if you want to join it!


Here's the cake batter in the pan, ready for the oven (I just made a half-recipe this time so as to be less dangerous to have around the house, so this is an 8'' x 8'' pan)


The ingredients for the lemon icing- so simple.


The icing and cake, just waiting to be joined!


Aunt Mildred's Chocolate Cake
-4 (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate squares
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-2 cups white sugar
-1 cup boiling water
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-1/2 cup sour milk (or make your own by adding a bit of apple cider vinegar)
-2 cups flour
-1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
Melt chocolate with butter. Add sugar and boiling water, stirring until all combined. Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture and mix well. Add the sour milk and dry ingredients, alternately.
Grease and flour a 9'' x 13'' pan or two 8'' or 9'' cake pans. Pour batter into pan(s).
Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.


Lemon Icing
-3 tablespoons butter
-confectioner's sugar
-lemon juice
Soften the butter, and whip it well. Add lemon juice and sugar until you have the amount of icing you would like! Use this to ice the chocolate cake!



The finished cake- looks a bit plain without decoration, but it's fantastic!

I hope you try this simple and fab cake! It's my absolute go-to, stand-by chocolate cake recipe, and that's saying a lot.
Savor it!
love, rue

Aggression Cookies

Aggression Cookies- sounds pretty funny, huh? The name (or so I've been told) comes from the fact that you mix these cookies up with your hands, and you get to work out all your aggression. And this cookie and recipe come to me, as so many have done, through my Grandmother Vovo, who taught me how to make these at quite a young age.

These only have a few ingredients, and very simple directions, but they make your house smell like a home and taste absolutely delicious- the simple pleasure of a simple cookie. So Enjoy these I hope! I usually make these as cookies, but this time I baked up a batch in my mini-muffin tin, and they turned out great, and delicious as always!


Here are the cookies in the muffin tin (I forgot to take a picture of the dough, sorry!).


And here are the finished cookies! Please try this out- and I'm thinking of possibly filling those little muffin-cookies with some whipped cream and fruit, or something equally delicious- have fun with these!


Aggression Cookies
-1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-3 cups oats
Let the butter soften, then mix all ingredients together in a bowl with your hands.
Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes!


Savor it!
love, rue

Hand Pies

I thought that a fitting follow-up post to Shoo-fly Pie would be hand pies, because they're what you do with the extra pie crust when you're done crafting a homemade pie. For this one, I again cheated and used a store-bought crust, which worked great. I still promise to take you through making pie crust later in the month when I make apple pie!

Hand Pies are basically bits of pie crust that you put butter and cinnamon and sugar inside of, crimp it all closed, and bake for about 15 minutes or so. They're so easy and delicious, and really very quick and easy to make. Check out my pictures:


Here are the pies rolled out and ready to be crimped closed!


Here are the pies, ready to go in the oven- aren't they the cutest?


And here are the finished hand-pies. Bake them till they start to get golden brown, and feel free to experiment with making your own crust or with different things for the filling. Enjoy!


Savor it!
love, rue

Shoo-fly Pie

Shoo-fly Pie is something not everyone knows about- growing up in Nashville, no one seemed to have any idea what it was except my family. And its one of our favorites! I like to think of it as a Mennonite or Pennsylvania Dutch-type coffee cake in a pie crust- less sweet and more simple and completely delicious, and even better the next day (if you can make it last that long!).

This recipe comes to me through my Grandmother Vovo, as did a million things, including my enormous sweet tooth and my love for the kitchen. This is a modified recipe from the Bucks County Cookbook (which is only available through some searching, I believe, as my mother spent a while trying to find a copy of it through the internet after we found that we had lost my grandmother's), and in our opinion, it is The recipe for Shoo-fly pie.

I might go over my Pie Crust recipe in a later post, but for this I shamelessly used a pie crust from the refrigerated section in the grocery store- they're surprisingly good and just the thing if you don't have the the time or energy for whipping up crust of your own. So for this, go ahead and make that easy step and buy one, or use your favorite recipe.
And if you've never had this pie before and it sounds totally foreign, I encourage you to give it a shot- it's really easy and delicious, and great with coffee or tea.


The crust and the two mixtures, ready to be layered.


The pie, ready to go into the oven.


And the finished pie- let cool and Enjoy!


Shoo-fly Pie
-1 piecrust
-2 cups flour
-scant 1 cup brown sugar
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
-1/2 cup boiling water
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons molasses
Put the pie crust in the bottom of the pan.
Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumb-like.
Mix the boiling water, baking soda, and molasses in a separate bowl.
Beginning with crumbs and ending with liquid, layer the two mixtures in the pie crust until you have used them all up (except if you think you have a little much liquid- you don't want this to be too wet).
Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes (the literal instructions from the book)- I usually go for about 365 F or so and make sure to bake it until there are no crumbs on a toothpick inserted in the middle.


Savor it!
love, rue

Chocolate Chip Cookies- my perfect(ed) recipe

Hi again! As in many families, chocolate chip cookies were a staple of my childhood and quite the go-to cookie in our household. I grew up making the classic Toll House recipe, and using it to make many variations- with butterscotch chips, with rice krispies, etc. However, I was never quite satisfied with this recipe because the cookies come out nice and soft from the oven, but they quickly become harder and crisper as they cool, and my ultimate goal was for a cookie that stayed soft and chewy- my favorite kind!

So, browsing a food site on the internet one day (as I am wont to do), I came across a chocolate chip cookie recipe that used caramel syrup in addition to the other classic ingredients, and this turned out to be the golden ingredient to my cookies. After some modification, I came up with the recipe below, and use it to make all kinds of cookies now- try adding whatever type of chips, m&ms, dried fruit, oatmeal or add-ins you like!

For these cookies I used mini chocolate chips (what I usually use), and I also threw in a handful or two of chopped up peanut butter m&ms- about 2/3 to 3/4 of a cup of each.


The cookie dough all finished being made!


The cookies ready to be baked- I bought myself a cookie scoop about 6 months ago, and I LOVE it- makes perfect size cookies every time! (look at me, I sound like I'm on a commercial or something ha!)


Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
-1/4 cup caramel sauce (any kind- can make your own or buy it!)
-3 3/4 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-bag of mini chocolate chips (or whatever your add-in(s) of choice is!)
Cream the butter, and sugars well. Add the eggs, vanilla, and caramel sauce and mix well. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and stir well. Add your add-ins and give it one last mix.
Bake at 350 F for 9-11 minutes.



The finished cookies- enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue