Friday Five: Chocolate chip cookies

Hey, look at that -- today is the first Friday of October!  Yet, somehow, I'm wearing a skirt sans tights/leggings and my neck is naked (a.k.a. scarf-less).  How is this possible?  Because Mother Nature seems to have missed the fall memo thus far.

However, the local weathermen and GMA's Ginger Zee (love the new low-lights, girl) have promised me cooler more seasonal temperatures for this weekend, and I plan to hold them to it!  I feel like I said a proper goodbye to summer last weekend and am more than ready for autumn.  Changing leaves, a chill in the air, and scarves for miles.

We're headed to a local orchard for its annual apple festival, which means this girl's going to go off the deep end and buy 20 pounds of apples (half Honeycrisps for her, half McIntoshes for him).  Yes, 20 pounds, really.  Homemade apple pie, here we come!

Thankfully, I've been giving our oven a good workout for the past week baking dozens of cookies.  I made chewy banana chocolate chip cookies (have you made them yet?!) and smells-like-Heaven-and-tastes-even-better orange chocolate chip cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate crowd-pleasing dessert, but sometimes it's fun to shake things up.  For today's Friday Five, here are some of my favorite variations of the classic.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Happy baking and happy weekending!

1. Chocolate chip, pretzel & potato chip cookies - Once upon a time, I was all, "What's the deal with putting salt on desserts?"  Now, I can't don't want to remember that time.  These cookies will make even the most ardent skeptic a card-carrying member of the salty-sweet club. 

2. Mint chocolate chip cookies - One awesome things about posts like this is that I get a chance to look through the archives and rediscover recipes I may have forgotten but love so, so dearly.  These cookies!  I  need them in my life ASAP.  Mint and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations.  With ice cream season over in my brain, I can satisfy my mint chocolate chip craving with these.

3. Thin crispy chocolate chip cookies with sea salt - Another treat made for a tailgate as something new and experimental that turned out to be a huge hit.  Enjoy them at home with a tall glass of milk (or hot chocolate!) because these are totally made for dunking.

4. Chocolate chip meringues - Light as air and perfectly sweet!  Cooler fall temperatures (and lower humidity) are ideal for making these little gems.  Oh, and fair warning -- it's impossible to just have one.

5. Chocolate chip cookie cake - This cake is basically one giant delicious cookie.  It's up to you to decide how many it serves, whether 1 or 10; you'll find no judgement here!  I love how the surprise addition of almond extract makes it extra special.