Monday, November 12, 2007

The Mixer


I have a special chocolate chip cookie recipie that I have been making for the past 16 years. I started making it when I was expecting my daughter. She is now a teenager but has raved about the cookies to her little brother since he was three. He's now nine.
The thing about the cookies though is that I make a big batch and then freeze the rest so that there aren't too many cookies out there for them to eat at once.
However to make a big batch you'd have to pump iron mixing it by hand. I did once and my shoulder hurt forever. I switched from my electric hand mixer I got at a discount store to mixing it by hand because I couldn't get my hand mixer through the dough after adding the flower.
Last week my children hinted that warm chocolate chip cookies would be nice for Thanksgiving. I said, "O.K." and then I forgot about it. Today, while shopping with mom, I saw this gorgeous Hamilton Beach® Mixer that was available in an array of colors like licorice, sterling, pineapple, apple, sugar and Ultra Marine. I swooned.
With 400 watts of power on my side, I could mix even the toughest jobs--like 9 dozen cookies at once or dough for a huge loaf of bread.
I read about some of the features. It has a professional 2-way rotating head for thorough hands-free mixing (someting anyone who cooks can apprecieate--and don't you hate scraping the bowl when you have a lot in it?), high-performance electronics ensure constant power--I burned out the motor in a couple of hand mixers in my day and 12 settings so that I can really take care of business in the smallest amount of time possible. The stainless steel bowl locks in so it's secure and it has a handle. It has several types of beaters, a splatter sheild and a three year limited warrenty. Another plus is that it's modern so it isn't waking the neighbors with a loud motor.
How much easier would I have it if I had a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer in sugar sitting on my counter. I'd invite people over just to see it. I could place all of my ingredients in the mixer bowl and not have to hold on to the bowl for dear life when I put my hand mixer into it. And I'm tired of that mixing spoon. It's like having one of those old-timey potbellied roller washer (that you could see dotting many porches back in the day down South) and everyone else has the new modern washer.
I mean, I kind of really need the mixer because I do an awful lot of baking--besides cookie dough.
Here is the recipie if you want to give it a try. I triple mine. If you do that too, please use the Eclectrics® Mixer and you will not be sad.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Chocolate Chips or favorite candy



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