Thanks. I fell asleep right after I posted this so I will rush it out this morning. I will try your dough Lou, I want to make pull aparts so I'm sure I can just put the topping at the bottom of my pan? Anyways, Linda, I don't usually put in too warm of water so I am wondering if there is defect with my breadmaker now? I do find when I do dough a lot of times in has a crust on on it. I guess it's possible it is just getting too hot and cooking the dough/yeast instead of proofing it? Grr, I have no receipt as it is about two years old now. My old lasted my about five years and I used it all the time. This one - I'm disappointed and I probably should have returned it the first time I tried making dough. I always figured it was me though.

Here is the one for CCC: Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Episode: The Cookie Jar Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting. Makes 16 cookies 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces) 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note) 1 teaspoon table salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note) 3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional) See Illustrations Below: Don't Bake in Batches 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. 2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. 3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain. 4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.) 5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

What a pain in the patootie!!! I added about 1/3 cup flour total and it never firmed up in the fridge, so I put it in the freezer. I'd reach in and grab a handful and work as fast as I could before the dough started to "melt" and stick to my counter. Used lots of flour for rolling too. There are many that don't look much like hearts, but they baked up nice. DH says they taste good...I can't try any until tomorrow because I'm low carbing and tomorrow is a planned carb day(then back on plan). If DS, DIL and kids could stay all day I would have the kids ice and decorate them, but they'll only be here a short time so they can get on the road before dark(they're 90 minutes away in the Twin Cities). So, as soon as they finish cooling I'll throw some pink icing on them and call it good(well, maybe some chocolate icing too). I think I need a different cookie recipe...I don't want to fight with this stuff again! Thanks for the help, Ladies!

There is a LOT of science on this subject of chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator. When you leave the dough in one total amount (bowl, plastic bag, etc.) there are a lot of interesting things that happen, and results because of them. -The flavors have a chance meld together. -The flour has a chance to hydrate. -The fat has a chance to solidify. -You will get a darker color because the sugars (which are hygroscopic) have a chance to absorb liquid, leading to more Maillard Reaction (browning) when baked. -There are also changes to the texture of the dough. Chill it too long and it will dry out. The drier the dough, the more concentrated the sugar will be; which can mean the higher percentage of sugar can make that soft texture attribute turn to chewy or crispy. -If you make the dough balls in advance (which is a good choice), rather than chilling the whole recipe of dough in the bowl/bag, you won't require as long in the refrigerator because of the smaller amount of dough. The longer you chill the dough balls, the more you risk the dough drying out - especially in a frost-free refrigerator - which is a naturally dry environment. So shorten the time when you chill the dough in small portions. -Be sure to cover the dough or portioned balls well so they don't absorb any odors from other items in the refrigerator. Be mindful not to store potentially smelly foods in the refrigerator the same day you are chilling your cookie dough. [As an aside, be sure to taste a fleck of any butter you are using in cookies. If you happen to store a strong-flavored food close to where the butter was stored, it can absorb the odor and affect the flavor of the butter. I once judged a "perfect" cookie, until I tasted it. It tasted like onions, which had been stored, cut and uncovered, in the refrigerator next to the butter she used to make the "perfect" cookies.] -Even as little as 30-minutes in the refrigerator can make a difference. You'll get more browning and less spread the longer you chill the dough. As the dough dries out even more, the longer you chill them, you'll get more concentrated flavors. -Chilling also allows the gluten to relax. Too much gluten development in cookies = tough cookies, so the chilling will aid in preventing that. -Due to the presence of raw eggs in dough, refrigerator dough can also become a place for bacteria to grow, especially if you don't have a refrigerator that keeps the temperature colder than 40°F. Refrigeration only slows down bacteria growth, it doesn't prevent it. So it will be important to make sure you don't add large amounts of warm/hot foods to the refrigerator because it will cause the temperature to warm to an unsafe food temperature for a prolonged period of time. It takes a long time for the internal temperature at the core of a large portion of dough to reach a food-safe temperature colder than 40°F, so I would suggest dividing the dough either into smaller portions like cloudy_christine suggested above, or into individual portions. And definitely, don't be sampling the raw dough if you have it refrigerated for several days just because of an increased risk of bacteria growth due to raw eggs and potentially poor temperature control. -Grainlady