My pearl metallic KitchenAid Professional 600 series 6-quart stand mixer. I've wanted one for years (and I've always kicked myself for not registering for one as a wedding present), but have more recently become somewhat obsessed with the idea of getting one. I mean, I cook and bake quite a bit, so it only makes sense, right? Luckily, my birthday is coming up and this particular mixer -- the one I was considering anyway -- came up on sale at Amazon for a really good price, so I just had to get myself an early birthday present. And my mother-in-law -- who is an avid baker and cook herself, and undestands the importance of having a stand mixer -- sent along some "mixer money" (thanks, Julie!).
The thing is really pretty big, and it took quite a bit of kitchen rearranging to figure out where to keep it after we learned it wouldn't fit underneath the cabinets. But I think we figured it out, and it has a prominent spot in the kitchen.
Because Nate was the recipient of a random text from me mid-day last week saying "I bought a KitchenAid mixer. Hope that's OK!" I told him the first thing I would make would be for him. After settling on cookies rather than beer bread, I turned to the Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe in the instruction and recipe booklet that came with the mixer. I followed the recipe very closely (see p. 43) because I wanted to be sure I used the mixer just as the recipe intended. But I subbed in 1 of the cups of flour with whole wheat flour, added some mixed chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds and pecans, probably 1/4 cup) and didn't measure the chips I threw in, but rather used up the three partial bags (milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch) I had in the pantry.
Rather than using a teaspoonful of dough, I used closely to a tablespoon, so I ended up baking my cookies for closer to 15 minutes. The cookies were fantastic -- they had a bit of a crunch on the outside, but were still soft on the inside. The butterscotch offered a nice burst of flavor.
It was a great first experience using the mixer, and I can't wait to use it again ... and again ... and again!
congrats my sweet. you have made a wise choice for a love substitute. (Nathan, you are still loved). chocolate chip cookies are a fine place to start, as that is my most used recipe of all. good luck and enjoy your mixer. believe me, the fun has just begun... happy birthday!!
ReplyDeleteBrenton got me a stand mixer for our anniversary and it's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten - I loooovveee mine! I use it all the time and now I'm coveting the pasta attachments.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know the cookie you left me was from the new mixer. Yum! You do know you'll have to bake a lot more, now, right?!
ReplyDeleteYes! I forgot to mention that. I made the cookies the night I got the mixer! Oh, I will definitely be baking more now that I have it! Thankfully, the Junglers are good guinea pigs. :)
ReplyDeleteAlysha, what's your favorite thing to make with yours? You do a lot of baking, so it must get used quite a bit! :)
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