World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I was 12 I decided I was going to be able to make the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. I made it my project every time I had extra time and I tried a zillion different things and a zillion different recipes. My family suffered through some really disgusting cookies before I discovered that it wasn’t about the ingredients, but the technique.
The two best tips I can give you - after way too many batches - are simple
Blend the sugar and butter until they are a paste. No lumps at all.
After adding the eggs and vanilla, whip that shit up. Do not stop until it has changed color. Changing color means the air has been incorporated and these cookies will be light and fluffy.
Ali Hedin’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 35
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars until creamy and completely blended.
STEP 2
Add eggs and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy. Do not skimp on this step! Keep whipping it - you cannot over whip. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
STEP 3
Add in dry ingredients until just barely incorporated. Then add in the chocolate chips and mix well. It’s great if they break up a little bit.
STEP 4
Scoop dough onto a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are browned but the center is still light brown. Let rest 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week – but no longer!
Breakfast Cookies
Last year I had a cookie called a “Breakfast Cookie” and I’ve never been so disappointed in my life. It was dry, full of seeds, and tasted way too healthy. As soon as I hear cookie, I don’t care if it’s healthy any more. It’s like advertising a healthy donut. No thank you.
Then a few months ago I had an oatmeal cookie that lived up to what I expect in a Breakfast Cookie. So I started thinking about how I would make one myself. Mr. Hedin loves a cookie full of stuff - this cookie has quickly become one of his favorites.
I have to insist that the pineapple be crushed. Other kinds of pineapple are too chunky and don’t add the sugars and softness that the crushed pineapple does. I’ve tried a bunch of stuff in the quest to make these cookies so take my word for it.
BREAKFAST COOKIES
makes 2 dozen
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-8 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 cup (or so) grated carrot (it’s about one carrot)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Strain the pineapple completely. Push out the liquid with the back of a wooden spoon or a fork.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, strained pineapple and carrot. Blend until whipped up.
STEP 2
Add the flour, oats, baking soda and coconut. You can mix them together in a separate bowl first, or just make sure the baking soda goes in last and gets blended with the flour. Combine until mostly blended - but not all the way.
STEP 3
Add in the raisins & craisins and finish mixing the batter so it’s totally blended. Scoop onto a baking sheet and roll the cookies into a ball. Flatten slightly and cool for one hour.
Bake 12-14 minutes until brown on the edges and not shiny on top anymore. Let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes or so before moving to a cooling rack.
Weeknight Meatloaf + Rosemary Potatoes
Every week I ask the family what they want for dinner. And every week Mr Hedin says “meatloaf.” Literally, every week. Everyone else groans. I end up making it every few weeks but not as often as Mr Hedin would like.
The problem with meatloaf is that it’s usually too thick to cook easily for dinner. I found that by flattening the loaf to a reasonable thickness, I can make this in about 30 minutes. Plus - I can pop the potatoes in the oven on a baking sheet next to the meatloaf and they are done at the same time (-ish). While it bakes, I usually make a green salad. But you could also throw some asparagus or broccoli in the oven with everything else.
Weeknight Meatloaf
Serves 4
2lb ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 grated onion
1 tsp worchestershire
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, grated
¼ cup milk
½ lb potatoes, slice in half
4 sprigs rosemary
salt
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine together ground beef, ketchup, onion, worchestershire, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, and milk.
STEP 2
Form into a flat loaf on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Squeeze ketchup on top. Bake 30 minutes until done all the way through. I usually make sure the middle is not pink and then I know it’s done. Because it’s so thin, it should cook quickly. You can also use a thermometer and make sure your beef is at 180 degrees.
STEP 3
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss potatoes with rosemary and salt. Bake 20-30 mins until crispy. I put both in the oven at the same time and they are done at the same time - usually!
In-No-Way-Authentic Dan Dan Noodles
We are a mostly non-dairy house. That severely limits some of the options for dinner. Luckily, Asian inspired dinners are always an option. I am constantly recreating things we’ve had from takeout or making up things that feel like our favorite take out places.
This is a mash up of those inspirations. Dan Dan noodles are a Szechuan dish that I have completely changed from it’s original form by using curry (not Chinese) instead of the traditional sambal olek and removed the Szechuan peppers so my kids will actually eat it.
Is it authentic? No. Is is even Dan Dan Noodles? Hard to say. But it’s delicious and we love it. I think you will too.
In-no-way-authentic Dan Dan Noodles
Serves 4
1 red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lb ground pork
2 tbs red curry paste
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs soy
2 tsp ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots, grated
2 cups chicken stock
1 lb pappardelle noodles
4 scallions, whites and greens chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
¼ cup peanuts, chopped
STEP 1
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan and cook the onions slowly until translucent. Use low to medium heat so they cool nice and slow.
STEP 2
Add ground pork with red curry paste, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to the pan and cook until browned.
STEP 3
When meat is browned, add carrots and stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
STEP 4
Add noodles to the pan and stir to cover with stock. Cover and let summer on low until the noodles are done.
STEP 5
When noodles are done serve hot with scallions, bean sprouts and peanuts.
Bridge Party Cocktails | with Fresh Victor Mixers + Broken Shed Vodka {DISCOUNT CODE!}
Recently House Beautiful posted that our Grandma habits are making us healthier - mentally anyway. My mental health must be tip top. Not only did I take up needlepoint a few years ago, but last year I started playing bridge.
My bridge club is the most fun group of ladies. We have the best time together. It’s been great for me, because the other three have their kids in college. So I have been able to bounce parenting issues off of them. I highly recommend getting yourself a bridge group of moms with older kids. And then have a cocktail while you do it.
We play every week. Sometimes we play at the club and sometimes we play at one of our houses. We pretty much always play with a cocktail in hand. This week, supplied with Fresh Victor cocktail mixes, I made our drinks.
I am a snob when it comes to cocktail mixes.* I do not want one with sugar. I do not want one with anything fake. I do not want one that is just juice. I do not want one with food color. Fresh Victor fit the bill. Also, they taste good.
Fresh Victor has been SUPER GENEROUS and offered all of you a 20% discount when you order before July 31st. This means you are set for all of you spring and summer parties! Use code WNSFRESH20 when you order - click the link below! Stock up!
*I am always a snob.
This was taken after a cocktail….
Usually when we play we end up pouring a glass of white wine or making a ranch water. Mostly because none of us want to go to the effort to mix an ACTUAL cocktail. When you’re the dummy hand you could take the time. But do we actually want to? No. We’ve tried other short cuts before but I am a big fan of this short cut.
Our drinks were:
Mexican Lime & Agave + Tequila + Squeeze of Lime
Jalapeño Lime + Agave + Tequila + Squeeze of Lime + Ring of Jalapeño
Cactus Pear + Pomegranate + Broken Shed Vodka + Squeeze of Lemon & Lime
Grapefruit + Sea Salt + Broken Shed Vodka + Squeeze of Grapefruit
Why on earth did I choose Broken Shed Vodka, you ask? First, why not? Second, they sent it to me. Third, it’s really good.
Trying unique vodkas when we travel is really fun. Almost everywhere I’ve ever been has their own local brand of vodka. The good ones are made with fresh local water and distilled several times. We loved the vodka in Iceland and I was excited to try this New Zealand Vodka. It did not disappoint. Now New Zealand has moved up on our list of places to go!
Discount Code Details:
For Online Store
20% off entire order
No minimum purchase requirement
Does not apply to wholesale
One use per customer
Can’t combine with other discounts
Active from Apr 10 to Jul 31
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
I started making these bars for our meal prep breakfasts a few years ago and totally forgot to share them with you! My husband just likes them cold. I like them crumbled up in a bowl like it’s cereal - then I pour almond or coconut milk on top and add more berries.
I’ve made these with raspberries and blueberries, but strawberries are my favorite.
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
With sliced almonds
Makes 12 bars
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup quick oats
2 tbs brown sugar
2/3 cup almond milk, or other milk
3 tbs coconut oil
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup chopped strawberries
½ cup sliced almonds
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl on a stand mixer, combine oats, brown sugar, and salt.
STEP 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, coconut oil, eggs, and extracts.
STEP 3
Slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until they are just combined.
STEP 4
Stir in chopped berries and almonds. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let rest in the pan 5 minutes before cutting.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Share with me on Instagram if you make these too. I can’t wait to see what you do with them!
Building a Giant Bow
I get to do some of the coolest projects. For the school auction last year I was asked if I could make a giant bow. I agreed without having any idea what I was actually going to do or how I would make a bow be “giant” and also look tailored and in the Ralph Lauren Christmas vibe we were going for.
Luckily, I’m not the first person to make a giant bow so there were dozens of tutorials out there to reference. I ended up wanting a stiff bow, so I used chicken wire for the base. In case you want to make your own giant bow, the steps were as follows:
Cut the chicken wire to form two loops and two ‘tails’ for the bow. I knew my end bow needed to be about six feet across, so all of the components together needed to add up to that.
Using hot glue and clothes pins, I attached the fabric to the chicken wire. I did only one side. If I did it again, I would wrap all of the chicken wire in the fabric, so even as you walked under the bow it would just look like fabric.
To attach the bow to the arch I used zip ties and wire. Wire pokes right through the fabric, so it was simple to connect anywhere on the bow to the arch. Depending on what you are attaching it to, you may need to find another solution.
To finish the bow, I used a length of fabric wrapped around the middle and hot glued it in place. And there was a little more wire to make sure it stayed up all night!
This is not a hard project, but it does take some time and strategy. And for the little amount of money, it creates a huge impact for guests walking in the door. Totally worth while. I ended up making miniature ones as well for the bars. Let me know if you end up making one too.
UPDATED | Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Every year I make a coffee cake for my kids birthdays. Some years I make my Coffee Cake Muffins - because this cake bakes for a full 45 minutes! On a school day there is almost no chance I’m getting up early enough to have a full hour to bake a cake and then let it rest before the kids leave the house. I am not that much of an early riser.
But when a birthday is on the weekend - or if I plan ahead the night before - then they get the whole cake. This year we had a snow day, so the whole cake was made for Pearl’s birthday. Lucky for all of us, the whole neighborhood came over for breakfast, so we celebrated with all of the 13 year boys in the area. Pearl was not thrilled. But it made for a fun, full house this morning and she did like that.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream
FOR THE TOPPING
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350. Start by making the cake. Blend together melted butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
STEP 2
In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Pour half of the dry ingredients into butter mixture blending until just combined. Add sour cream and combine with as few strokes as possible. Add the remaining dry ingredients and combine. I like to finish with a spatula so it isn’t over beaten.
STEP 3
Pour batter into an 9x9 baking dish and set aside while you make the topping.
STEP 4
With a fork, blend together all of the topping ingredients until it resembles sand. Spread evenly across the top of the batter.
Bake for 45 minutes to one hour until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Heart Throb Pasta + love-ly breadsticks
Valentine’s Day is a family day at our house. At least it has been for the last sixteen years. We’ll see if the teenagers will change things up this year. But I also way cook a fun Valentine dinner for the whole family. There’s nothing sacred about February 14 (sorry to burst your bubble) that Mr. Hedin and I need to run out to an expensive dinner on that exact day.
I’ve done heart shaped make-your-own pizza, steaks, and plain old red sauce pasta. Recently I discovered that you can cook pasta in beet water and have it turn out red/pink-ish. It’s not perfectly even color - but it’s all natural and you can pop the beets in to the pasta sauce too! I think it’s a cool thing for younger kids to se happen. My teenagers did think it was cool. I got a shrug, but I’ll take a shrug.
The trick to getting the pasta to cook and the beets to be done is to start the beets early when you put the water in the pan. And then to get the color to stick, turn the water off when the pasta is basically done (but not crunchy) and let it rest all together. Then when you go back and drain the pasta - keeping some water! - the pasta is a lovely little red shade.
While the pasta sits, you can get the breadsticks going and tell one of your kids to mix up a green salad.
Heart throb Pasta
With love-ly bread sticks
Serves 4
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
2 beets
½ lb pasta
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 package crescent dough
STEP 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice the beets in half and add them to the water as it begins to boil. When the water has come to a boil, add the pasta.
STEP 2
When the pasta is nearly cooked, turn the heat off and let rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
STEP 3
Unroll the package of crescent dough and press together all of the seams. Slice the dough into strips. Twist the dough and form it into a heart. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
STEP 4
Heat a skillet with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onion, and garlic over medium heat until softened. Zest in lemon juice and toss with cooked beets.
STEP 5
Drain the pasta – reserving at least one cup of pasta water – and toss the pasta with the peppers. Add the pasta water, a little at a time, and toss until a sauce has formed. Remove from heat and sprinkle parmesan on top.
Ski-ya Later
Over the holidays we bought a ski condo in Canada! So our holidays were appropriately themed “Ski-mas” around our house. I made custom stamps to make custom wrapping paper to commemorate the occasion. Now I’m working on turning those stamps into decor for the condo - and you if you’re interested.
We bought the condo furnished, which was a great because we didn’t have to buy a bunch of furniture - but also challenging because usually other people’s style is not my style. And that was the case here.
Once we can be up at the condo more often, I’ll fully decorate the whole thing. Until then, I’m collecting a few bits and dreaming of what the future will look like.
