Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

If you desperately need something chocolate-y during finals, or your looking for a simple gift to give to all of your friends before heading off to break, try out this scandalously rich chocolate cookie recipe from Martha Stewart. They're meant to be soft and chewy, so don't overbake!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Useful, edible, foodie Christmas presents

If you are looking at your bank account or wallet and realize, not for the first time, that you are in danger of giving all of your friends and family Christmas cards with 3 bucks in them instead of that Itunes gift card or that new flannel shirt they've been eyeing at Urban Outfitters........................
......................breathe. There is a solution to saving up your money without sacrificing the quality of your presents.

Consider, for one things, the universal gift of edible food in a jar tied with a ribbon! Just look at how many gift ideas are available for you to practice with, while staying unique to each person on your list:
Choc - Almond Dates Oatmeal Cookies/ choc Chocolate Brownies
We've got
Cinnamon Sugar! White Sugar! Good ol' Vanilla Extract!
as well as
All natural Strawberry Jam Lemon Curd! Grapefruit Marmalade :)
plus



So pick up a bag of sugar, some chocolate chips, flower, measure them out into their proper measurements, and make a beautiful sedimentary impression within a bow-tied glass jar. It's as simple as that, and is definitely going to give you the rep "thoughtful friend" for the rest of the month.

Cheers guy, good luck on those finals!