I have Z on full ahead holiday prep this weekend. She wrapped presents for me which means that they all look like I hired a one handed drunk monkey to do it. She says that I have cheap wrapping paper and that is why they all look funny.

We are doing the baking this weekend because I am too cheap to buy presents for the people I work for. I probably spent more in supplies than I would have on presents though. We went to the store last night to buy enough sugary stuff to put everyone I know in a permanent diabetic coma and I already know that I’m going to have to go back soon.

The first thing we made was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge. A now defunct blog that I used to read always had a great cookie list. This is from 2003’s but I’ve never made this one. Thanks Stephanie wherever you are now.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 t salt, divided
1 1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 pound powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 t vanilla

Line a inch square pan with buttered foil.
Combine butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir in flour and 1/4 t salt. Stir in 1/3 cup chips. Form dough into a ball. Place on plastic wrap, flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 10 minutes.
Place powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and 1/4 t salt in large bowl. Beat until smooth. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave. Add to mixture and beat until combined.
Cut frozen dough into 1/2 squares. Stir into fudge. Place into foil lined pan and refrigerate until firm.

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Notes on baking with a 7 year old:

1. “Can I lick the spoon?” is her mantra. “Not yet” will be yours.
2. If you send her downstairs to get the dough out of the freezer and she comes back and says she can’t find it, she doesn’t mean the dough. She means she can’t find the freezer! Explain that it is the large white refrigerator looking thing in the middle of the floor.
3. Watching her try to open a cream cheese packet is almost as much fun as watching a dog trying to get peanut butter off the roof of his mouth.