Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ball Bites


I'm taking a Digital Media class right now and loving it.  I'm learning so much.

We have to "make a blog" for an assignment.  Unfortunately, when someone asked "Do we have to make a new blog if we already have one?" my professor said yes.  So I have to create a new blog.  My idea is to make a blog that relates to this one and have a tab that sends you to my new one.  The only problem is that I have no idea what I could do that would relate to this.  Please give me ideas! :)

Today, we talked about keywords and I found the lesson really helpful for bloggers who use advertising on their sites, so I'm going to give you a few tips that I learned today.
  1. Be general, yet very specific.  How helpful, right? Ha! What this means is that when using a label or keyword, use more than one and make one super broad and the other super specific.  That way, you'll (to  put it how my professor put it) "stand out as the bright fish in the millions of fish caught in the net." 
  2. Use Google's Keyword Tool.  Use your resources!  This is an easy tool that helps sort which keywords you should use and which ones you shouldn't.
  3. Use the keywords in the labels/keywords section and in the header, body, and even your URL.  Don't just save the keywords for the keyword section.  Use them as much as possible!  
  4. Realize how important keywords are.  Without keywords, your blog won't get recognized.  You may have really good content, but no way to get recognized because your keywords aren't very good.
  5. Use keywords with a high CPC.  CPC is the cost per click.  The more clicks you get on your ads, the more money you make, so the CPC is something you should be checking out.  You can check that here and here
  6. Use this site to analyze what keywords other websites are using.  Use the URL's of big websites to see what they use to get recognized.
If you all have any ideas for a "sister" site to What Katie's Baking, I'd absolutely love to hear them!


What other keyword tips do you have?



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ball Bites
Adapted from: Joy the Baker

Ingredients: 


2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (i know we’re not baking them, it’s for flavor)
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Greek yogurt or applesauce or peanut butter
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted for dipping
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and a wooden spoon) cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes in the machine.  Beat in yogurt or applesauce or peanut butter along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine. (I used applesauce, but peanut butter would be so good!)
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Add all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Scoop large spoonfuls or ice cream scoops onto a  waxed paper lined cookie sheet.  Spear each dough ball with a cute plastic fork, Popsicle stick, or cut-up straw.  Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen, at least three hours.
  4. When ready to dip the balls, melt chocolate chips in a small saucepan over a low flame or in the microwave.  Remove balls from the freezer and dip into warm chocolate.  Return to the lined cookie sheet and return to the freezer to harden.  Serve cold from the freezer.

21 comments:

  1. Those chocolate chip balls look so delicious! 

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  2. hmm your new blog..if you are a cookery book fan you could start reviewing them, or maybe just a site to showcase your food photography? Tough one though! This looks like a scrumptious little recipe i have to say, so so cute and simple too, would go down a storm with my housemates in Uni come september :)

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  3. Great! Don't forget to tell us about your new blog!
    I'll take a few of these bie bacause I loooove cokie dough^

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  4. These look way too tempting! Anything that can be eaten straight from the freezer is dangerous food around here. YUM!

    I think a photography site would be link well with what you have already done.

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  5. I'm currently in a love affair with these!

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  6. I'm not sure what a sister site is.  Is it a new blog you will do, or is it another person's blog?

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  7. Looks yummy with aromatic scents.

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  8. I am new to your site - I found it via tastespotting.com and pinterest.com... I am a huge baking fan and really love your look, your topic and the recipes you have posted! I read your bio to find out more about you so I could give you a thoughtful suggestion for your sister blog. I think there are a few ways you could go - photography seems like a natural choice, you could also do a regular food blog since you must cook sometimes too, you could just do a straight blog about yourself and take some of that off of this blog or another thing I thought of was a simple exercise blog - let people know what sort of workouts you do during the week. Hopefully you will come up with something fabulous. Good Luck.

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  9. hi emily!
    i'm really flattered by all of your kind words! :) thanks so much for going the extra mile to help me out.  i agree that photography is a really good idea!  i'm a little unsure because i've never ventured outside of the food photography realm, but it would help me branch out.
    cooking would be great, too!
    thank you so much again! i'll keep you updated :)

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  10. thanks mom... it's a site that i will do.

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  11. they're SO tempting!
    thanks for that idea! i think photography might be it.. i'll let you know though :)

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  12. thanks gen! i will have a link to the new site when i get it up and running :)

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  13. reviewing is an awesome idea!
    so is photography... i think that might be the winner! :)
    do iittt, it's so delicious and easy!
    thanks for your ideas, girl!

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  14. how about a blog about "how to create a successful food blog" and then you could link it back to yours?  Food blogs are soooo popular these days but it's a little bit daunting to imagine sitting down to make one of your own.  There are so many questions, such as how often do you have to update it?  Do you have to have a "good" camera for the pictures or can you get away with a point and shoot?  Advice, tips on how to write recipes, etc., etc.!  

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  15. hi ally! thanks for all of the tips... those are all so great! i really appreciate it.

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  16. These look awesome! I love the little straws.

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Key to my heart? Comments. :)