Chocolate Chunk Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup softened unsalted butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional )

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Slowly beat in the

eggs and vanilla. Sift in flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Drop

by tablespoons onto un-greased pans. (Use a silicone cookie sheet if available)

Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are browned.

Pizza Dough

Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups bread flour

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:  

In the large bowl add the warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.

Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Mix in the olive oil, flour, salt and sugar on low speed for about a minute. Remove the mixing paddle and replace with a dough hook. Knead using the mixer and dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour. Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, then place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.