Magnolia Table - Cookbook Review + Recipe

Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines

I somehow missed the whole Chip and Joanna Gaines Fix It Upper craze.  They had become super popular before they were even slightly on my radar and I don't think I ever even watched an episode until after it had already been announced that it was ending.  I like the show well enough and I like that it's different styles of house each time and that about sums up my feelings about it. 

So for some reason when this cookbook came out I absolutely had to have it.  So I bought it.  Flipped through it.  And then stuck it on a shelf without ever really experimenting with it.   But lately I've been feeling like cooking again so I dusted this one off and decided to get to work.  So far I've made Jojo's Biscuits, Country Potato Soup with Crumbled Bacon, Chicken Spaghetti, Mina's Lemon Bars, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Today I thought I'd share the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cookies with you.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I think I only used 1 cup)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer (this is what I did)), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat until blended.  Add the vanilla and beat until blended.

Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture to the bowl.  Mix on medium just until the flour is mixed in, then turn the mixer to high speed for a few seconds to pull the dough together; it will be chunky.  

Add the chocolate chips and beat on high for about 5 seconds to thoroughly and quickly mix in the chips.

Drop by large spoonfuls on the lined baking sheet; don't flatten them.  Bake until lightly browned on top, 10 to 11 minutes.  Cool on the pan on a rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely  Repeat with remaining dough.

 

My Thoughts:  I almost didn't make these because the recipe breaks my main rule of cookie making which is pretty much more butter less sugar.  However, I'm so glad I took the chance!  They're so delicious and a bit different than my usual chocolate chip cookie recipes.  There's almost a caramel-y quality to these that make them a bit addictive.  In fact, just thinking about them makes me want to make these cookies again!

My Thoughts on the Cookbook as a Whole:  After playing around with this one a bit I really like it.  Out of the recipes I made the only flop was the biscuits.  While the flavor was very good the texture was way too loose and the biscuits just fell apart.  I have a friend who subscribes to a magazine that also had a Jojo's biscuits recipe in it and it was completely different and the results were way better.  The lemon bars were delicious but weren't quite as lemony as I'd like.  The chicken spaghetti and the potato soup were both absolutely delicious.  Both recipes made quite a bit but thankfully reheated incredibly well.  Don't forget the bacon on the soup it really takes it up a notch.

The cookbook itself includes a wide variety of recipes from breakfast to snacks to light meals to more substantial main courses.  There's pretty much something for everyone - from the pickiest kid to more adventurous eaters.  After cooking from this book over the last couple of weeks I'm excited to keep playing around with it and there are so many other recipes that I'm looking forward to trying.  This is one I'd recommend.