Wow! I don't even like sugar cookies, but these were great! I followed the recipe almost exactly (I forgot to cream the shortening with the butter and sugar, but I mixed it in right after, and I also added more vanilla) and they turned out very soft and tasty! Two points: 1) The dough is very moist and sticky, so be sure to flour your hands and tools well between each cookie, and/or refrigerate dough for a while before; 2) They puff up while baking, but turn out about the same thickness as they're pressed to, so press them about as tall as you want them to end up (they do widen, though). Thanks for a very enjoyable dessert!

Reviewed On: Mar. 23, 2009

This is the best green bean casserole I've had! I'm surprised it doesn't have five stars. I love the addition of the almonds, which gives it a great texture. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't add the bacon, but when I made it for my dad and I, I crumbled 3-4 cooked pieces into just his bowl and he kept "mmm"ing and saying how "bacony" it was. I've never added the cheese on top, because I like it so much without it, and I usually just use regular canned mushrooms, not Portobello. I also just use regular pepper. My tips: I buy almonds in the bulk section at my local store and dry roast them in a pan on low-medium, stirring semi-frequently, and they taste great in the casserole, as do the sugary, salted slivered ones you buy for snacking (Sunkist?). Also, get all of the water out of your green beans and mushrooms! I grab a small handful - less than half a can - and squeeze it as hard as I can, move it around in my hand, and repeat for about a full minute, letting the juice leave through my fingers. Otherwise the casserole, like any other, can get runny. Second, the kind of almonds and cream of mushroom soup you use seems to make the most difference in the taste (more than the green beans and mushrooms). I don't normally like Campbell's soup, and I hate to use brand names in my review, but so far I've found theirs to be the best. I don't find the amount to be 10 servings. I normally double it for just my dad and I to eat and have a good amount of leftovers with.

Reviewed On: Nov. 28, 2008

These are pretty good! My father had a stroke recently, and even though we already eat pretty healthily, I've been looking for healthier alternatives to some of our indulgences. I wasn't sure how much egg substitute would equal 3 egg whites, so I put one egg white in a 1/2 cup, saw it filled about 1/3 of it, and then filled the rest of the 1/2 cup with egg substitute. I couldn't justify using all of the sugar, so I replaced the granulated sugar with Splenda and kept the brown sugar as called for. The batter didn't taste as chocolatey as I wanted, so I dumped in extra cocoa (probably equal to a small 1/4 cup), and next time I'll use even more. For the chocolate chips, I cut up regular sized ones, some into fourths, and some into very small flakes, hoping this would add some 'real' chocolate taste to each bite (it did). I also used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. It seems that, whether in dough or cookie form, these need to sit a while to taste their best. The first time I made them I let the dough sit in the fridge for only about an hour (1 1/2 tops) first and they didn't taste well about 10 min. out of the oven, but tasted better later that night and even better the next morning. The next day, after the dough had sat in the fridge overnight, they tasted pretty good right out of the oven and not quite as good after. I'll update when I figure out if this was just a fluke or not! Also, these puff up a LOT, so be sure to flatten them good first! Editing to add: I tried

Reviewed On: Sep. 25, 2008