Bake Sale Beauties

Tomorrow, our company is having the first of 4 bake sales to raise money for the Atlanta Food Bank - of which we are one of the largest contributors :)  So today, I've been baking a couple of my favorite things & thought I'd share the recipes :)

My aunt Penney makes the best chess pie you will ever put in your gourd!  The recipe came my from my grand-mother's sister, Mildred, and I've never attempted it until today :)  I was able to procure said recipe from the aunt last Thanksgiving after indulging in this yummy sweetness & have been waiting for the perfect occasion to try it out.  So after stopping at 3 different stores, I finally found mini pie crusts - a must for a bake sale and have now baked my cute little pies & am extremely pleased!

Without further adeiu, here is Aunt Mildred's Chess Pie

1 box brown sugar
3 eggs
1 (5oz.) can evaporated milk
1 stick butter or margerine (melted)
3 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
dash of salt
2 unbaked pie shells or 14 unbaked mini pie shells

Mix all ingredients together & pour into unbaked pie shells.  Bake at 350 for 35-45min for regular pies & approx. 30min for mini pies.  Let cool completely...approx. 2 hours.

Now for the chocolate chip cookies...I actually love the recipe that's inside the Crisco Baking Sticks Butter Flavor - I know, I know...not real butter, but I've come to realize that if you put real butter in chocolate chip cookies they tend to spread out way too much & be very thin & crispy instead of nice & chewy. The only change I made to this recipe was using a chopped bar of Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips & I'm so glad I did...super yummy!

Ultimate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. Crisco baking sticks
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (or 1 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate - chopped)

Heat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, shortening, milk & vanilla in large bowl.  Cream together until light & fluffy; beat egg into creamed mixture.  Combine flour, salt & baking soda; stir slowly into creamed mixture; then add chocolate.  Drop rounded tablespoons 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 for crisp cookies.  Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.  Makes 3 dozen smaller cookies or 1 1/2 - 2 dozen larger cookies.

So, from my kitchen to yours...bake something yummy & make sure to taste the sweetness :)