THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #15 (Valentine's Day Cookies & Treats) and My HUSBAND'S Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (GLUTEN-FREE)

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #15

The Theme is: Valentine's Day Cookies & Treats

We have a disagreement in our house as to what is the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie. The kids and I have picked out our favorite and we LOVE our recipe, and if it were up to me this would be the only recipe I would ever make (we made over 16+ chocolate chip cookie recipes to find thee one favorite).  Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies they stay moist and are a little flatter but are so delicious each and everyday you eat one, even days later they are so good. But, my husband on the other hand always tells me "my moms chocolate chip cookies are the best" (yeah, he says it a little too much... we've been married for 12 years now), so this last December my husband's mom was here for a month and I asked her PLEASE PLEASE teach me how to make these famous Chocolate Chip Cookies so that I can make my husband happy. She was laughing, when I called her on the phone to MAKE SURE she brought the recipe. Okay, now seriously don't laugh, she said "the recipe is right on the back of the crisco package". Yep, that's her secret recipe. The Crisco Oil Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

I decided to share this recipe for our Valentine's Day Cookie & Treats because I know this will be the perfect way to my husband's heart, his favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a little extra treat, the heart sprinkles are usually not included). Happy Valentine's Day BABE! (since he does NOT read my blog, I think I may just have to send him a link today... I LOVE YOU HUNNY!)

My HUSBAND'S Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Crisco

3/4 stick Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1-3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

Also my quest this weekend was to make something really delicious that my now GLUTEN-FREE daughter could enjoy! She has been sad watching us cook and eat and bake and enjoy many different things over the last couple of weeks, so I decided that I MUST make something for her.  I took Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies and just turned it Gluten-Free. And too my surprise it worked, I was such a HAPPY mommy and I had one HAPPY daughter. Our perfect Chocolate Chip recipe is now our perfect GLUTEN-FREE Chocolate Chip recipe.

Our FAVORITE Chocolate Chip Cookies (GLUTEN-FREE)

1 cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour

1 cup Rice Flour

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, melted (we used "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter"; trying to eliminate as much dairy as possible)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg & 1 egg yolk
2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 325ºF. Grease cookie sheets. Sift together both flours, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt; set aside. In medium bowl cream together with an electric mixer melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in vanilla and eggs until light and creamy. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until just combined and then add in chocolate chips and nuts by hand. Drop dough onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

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Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Disclaimer: I am in no way a doctor, nutritionist or otherwise knowledgeable about a Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free diet. I am just a mom stumbling and falling along the way trying to figure out what to serve my daughter. If I make a mistake I apologize. I try and read every label, but there may be times when I mess-up! I advise you to check ALL labels of the brands of products you are using to ensure that they are Dairy-Free and/or Gluten-Free
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I LOVE Linky Parties, what a great way to mix and mingle with lots of bloggers!

This post also linked to: Sweet Sunday, Mouthwatering Monday, Meatless Monday, Making the World Cuter Monday, Made by You Monday, Sweet and Tasty Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food, It's a Blog Party Delicious Dishes, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Show & Tell , Creative Share Wednesdays, Homemaking Link-Up, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Ultimate Recipe Swap, Transformation Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, Recipe Swap Thursdays, Foodie Friday Valentine's, Sister Saturday and Hearth and Soul Hop

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Here is a complete list of the past weeks and a list of what's coming up on This Week's Cravings!

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Please only link recipes with this theme!
This week's theme is: VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIES & TREATS

The SIMPLE Rules: (Click for complete list of guidelines for This Week's Cravings)

1. Please stick to the THEME and only link up recipes that go with our theme for the week. 

2. Add our button and/or a DIRECT link back to this post, inside of your post (not just on a wall of linky parties, this doesn't allow YOUR readers to come back to the linky party and see all the fun recipes! Which this is the intent of a linky party in the first place).

3. Also we'd love for you to hop around and visit the other link-ups! After all it's a BLOG PARTY and it's not fun for everyone linking up if you don't hop around and say Hello!!!


PLEASE follow the simple rules, so everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to link back or add a button IN YOUR post you will receive a gentle reminder to add it, before we delete your post! THANKS A MILLION!

This Week's Cravings Past & Future Recipe Links

January 10 - Pizza - Pizza - Pizza

January 17 - Pies (Dessert or Dinner)

January 24 - Soup

January 31 - Potluck Item for Super Bowl Sunday

February 7 - Valentine's Cookie & Treats

February 14 - Potato and/or Sweet Potato Recipes

This is a BLOG HOP PARTY so please hop around

and read some GREAT recipes!