Orange Vanilla Chip Cookies

Please allow me to interrupt the Budget conversation (Emily will be back with Post #2 shortly) for a very important announcement... today I'm linking up with my cousin Meredith's blog, to participate in MAKE COOKIES MONDAY! 

I enjoy reading Meredith's blog on a regular basis, as she posts cute pictures of her three boys and often times a recipe or craft idea, too. When I saw her link up yesterday for "Make Cookies Monday" I knew I had to participate. I had actually already been planning to make cookies today, to have for my son's lunches the rest of the week. Oh, and for me to eat, too. :)

The chosen cookie recipe is from one of my all time favorite places....The Magnolia Bakery in New York City! I absolutely love visiting New York City, and often find myself daydreaming about walking the busy streets, watching a Broadway show, buying a hot dog from a street vendor, and stuffing my face with cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery. The original is located in Greenwich Village, but there's also a convenient location across from Radio City Music Hall. If you ever visit NYC, you must indulge in a confection or two from this famous and fabulous bakery. The first time I visited the Magnolia Bakery was December of 2010, and I knew immediately that I must purchase their cookbook. I will not divulge the number of times my husband and I stopped in. It's a bit embarrassing. Oh, and we stopped in Crumb's, too. Another deliciously sinful bakery. Biggest cupcakes you will ever see. Or eat. In September of 2012 we were in NYC for only 9 hours and we stopped at both bakeries. We also ate pretzels, hotdogs, and the BEST. CHICKEN. PARMESAN. EVER. at Carmine's. Wow, I have seriously digressed. And gained weight.

Back to the cookies my daughter and I made today. They are from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and are both my husband's and my son's favorite cookie. They really are delicious. ORANGE VANILLA CHIP COOKIES. They are much like eating a creamsicle cookie. You will love 'em. Here's the recipe:

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 T. grated orange zest (I always zest an entire large orange, which I'm sure is more than 1 T.)

1 c. vanilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and the salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes. 

Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the orange zest and the vanilla chips. (This is my most favorite part! The aroma of the orange zest will fill your kitchen in no time flat. Smells heavenly.)

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely. 

Then, let your children eat 1 cookie. When they aren't looking, you allow yourself to eat 2. It's what all moms do, right?

If you don't want to bake all of your cookies at once (for fear you will eat them all yourself), you can follow all of the steps through putting the cookies on the baking sheet, but then instead of popping them into the oven to bake...pop them into the freezer! Once the rounded scoops are frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place them in a freezer bag. Label it, and you will be ready with homemade cookies whenever you having a craving for them. This comes in very handy when taking meals to others.

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe. You can also find several other cookie recipes by heading over to Meredith's blog. Happy Monday. 

~Jennifer