Vegas or Bust

This week my friends are moving from Northern Oregon to Las Vegas, Nevada in hopes of finding more sunshine than rain.  They planned to make a roadtrip down the coast stopping to see friends & family along the way.  She is originally from SoCal so that's why the route has a "hook" in it because she could not plan a road trip without stopping in her hometown.   I bought a USA cutter last month and thought it would be cute for many occasions...going off to college, moving across the country, traveling, etc.    Their move gave me a great excuse to make my very first USA shaped cookie with LilaLoa's Chocolate Cutout Cookie recipe (it's sooooo good!)    The recipe is at the bottom of this post but please visit her website.. it is fabulous!!

 

Key representing a new home

and of course, my version of what that home will look like

even though I'm sure it's better than my version!

BEST OF LUCK TO THE SCHAD FAMILY!!

If you love chocolate, try this recipe... it's one of my favorites.  I made it with all butter.

The End-All Chocolate Cookies Recipe by LilaLoa

(print here)

1 cup butter 1/4 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 2/3 cup cocoa 3 or 3 1/2 cups flour Cream butter, shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add baking powder and salt and mix again. Stir in the cocoa until well blended. Add flour 1 cup at a time. IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE COOKIES RIGHT AWAY, ADD 3 1/2 cups flour. If you are going to "chill" the dough, or just wait for another day to make your cookies, STOP AT 3 cups. It will be totally soft and look all wrong, and you will want to ignore me completely and add more flour, but I'm telling you -- DON'T DO IT. Practice self-restraint. You will be glad you did, and I will be proud of you. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Bake at 375 F for 6 1/2 minutes. LilaLoa's tips: *** I don't have conversions for the metric world. I'm sorry. Please don't leave me hating messages. But I will tell you that this may be the most forgiving cookie recipe in the world. You can just google conversions and anything that's remotely close to being right will work for these cookies. *** You don't have to add shortening if that grosses you out or you hate it on sheer principle or you can't find it where you live. It just makes the cookies a little softer. You can omit it entirely or substitute it with butter. *** If you find that the dough has cracks in it when you try to roll it - don't freak out. It's okay. Just knead it for a minute and it will be ever so smooth and wonderful.