A must try for the kids: Sugar Blend Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe. Backstory>> from our recent Landers Superstore trip, Hershey’s chocolate chips are on sale! Eh ang tagal na nangungulit ng cookies ng mga bagets, sakto. Pagbigyan ang hilig. You may ask why we travel that far to go to Landers? On the way sya sa Valenzuela where my mother in law resides. We visit my mother in law every payday for her allowance sabay grocery na sa Landers sometimes.

Bonus sale at @landersph 😱😱 alam na this! Chocolate chip cookies time!! 😍😍 #landersph #landersphilippines #landerssuperstore

A photo posted by Mommy Blogger Pehpot (@mommypehpot) on Jan 6, 2017 at 11:44pm PST

Coincidentally, I received a message from my Facebook Page (Mommy Blogger Pehpot) from rep of Merisant (manufacturer of Equal®) and they want to send a sample kit of their products particularly Sugar Blend.

Sugar Blend is the newest product from Merisant that can be used to sweeten drinks, dishes and can be used for baking too!

Timing is everything. And Merisant came at the right moment.

Sugar Blend Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

When using Sugar Blend, you only need half of the sugar required. I was hesitant to try but you know I never back down from a challenge.

Ingredients for Sugar Blend Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe:

• 3/4 cup Sugar Blend
• 1 cup salted butter (I always use salted butter and skip adding salt)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 medium sized egg
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips

You will 2 cups of chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cup is used on the dough while the remaining 1/2 cup is used before baking the cookies.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 24 hours. From expereince, 48 hours will give you chewy cookies.

Sugar Blend worked well with my chocolate chip cookies! My usual recipe calls for 2 1/2 cup of flour and 1 1/2 cup of sugar. Since I am using less amount of sugar, I decided to add 1/2 cup of flour on my recipe. It turned out very well! Actually it turned out really really well that after baking it, I no longer buy my favorite dark chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks, kalasa na eh haha.

I also tried using Sugar Blend on my frosting for my pineapple carrot cupcake (also used the sugar with my cupcake) and it turned out good, but didn’t get the stiffness that I want.

I was aiming for a two toned rose frosting pero the frosting is not that stiff. It turned OK after refrigerating the frosting. It’s cream cheese frosting by the way. Thinking of using it again with buttercream frosting, bakas mas matigas na sya pag ganun. Or I will just stick to powdered sugar.

But all in all, Sugar Blend did a good job on keeping my cupcakes and cookies sweet with lesser calories.

So I got an invite to try out Contadina products. A few months back, top food and lifestyle bloggers got an invite for the product launching of Contadina (hindi kasali ang lola nyo, top mommy blogger lang ako 😛). But that event was super duper OMG! Contadina flew Nigella Lawson. Yup, the Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson. So when I got an invite for a Contadina Supermarket Run where we buy our Contadina supplies and cook a dish using those products (I choose Shrimp And Pesto Pasta Recipe), wala ng kyeme. I want to be a domestic goddess too. Feeling ko, just by using Contadina products, medyo ka level ko na si beshie Nigella.

Shrimp And Pesto Pasta Recipe Using Contadina Products

That’s the finish product. Sobrang sarap promise! It’s like eating in an Italian restaurant. But before I give you the recipe, let me just show you what happened during the Contadina Supermarket Run:

Contadina is originally owned by Del Monte Foods Inc., a company based in California, USA, Contadina is only distributed in the United States and Latin America where it is seen as a high-quality, authentic Italian brand. When Del Monte Pacific Limited, Del Monte Philippine’s parent company, bought the US business in 2014, they fell in love with the Contadina brand and decided to bring it to the Philippines whilst extending its portfolio of products.

The Contadina line now consists of an array of Mediterranean cuisine essentials:

• Olive Oils (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pure Olive Oil)
Made from the fine olives grown in Andalucia, Spain. The aroma is very distinct; one can really smell the notes of freshly-cut greens and fruits. The taste of olives is very pleasant and enhances the flavour of any recipe without overpowering the other ingredients.
• Pasta (Spaghetti, Linguini, Penne)
Made from 100% Canadian Durum Wheat Semolina known for its fine texture and ability to create firm pasta with the right bounciness and golden, creamy color.
• Pasta Sauces (Formaggio, Napoletana, Arrabbiata, Aglio Arrostito, Pesto Alla Genovese)
From Italy, very fresh and flavourful, like they were bottled yesterday use authentic Grana Padano cheese and fresh Italian herbs.
• Canned Tomatoes (Diced Tomatoes, Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs, Stewed Tomatoes Italian Recipe) 
From California, known for producing Roma Tomatoes with juicy and meaty flesh. The cuts, particularly for the Diced and Stewed variants, are very clean and the shape is preserved even after cooking.

Get to know more about Contadina and their products by visiting Contadina Philippines Facebook Page.

Here are the Contadina products I used for my recipe:

• Contadina Pesto Alla Genovese Sauce
• Contadina Pure Olive Oil
• Contadina Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Contadina Pesto Sauce
• 1/4 kilo peeled shrimp (best to buy frozen ones from the supermarket)
• Contadina Spaghetti*
• Kesong Puti
• Contadina Pure Olive Oil

Cook the pasta as instructed and yes, it takes only 7 minutes. While cooking the pasta, get ready with the sauce.

In a pan, put 2 tablespoon Olive Oil, then put shrimp. Add the Pesto sauce once shrimp is cooked.

Cook for 2-3 minutes and transfer the pasta when it’s done.

Add keson puti on top and you’re in pasta heaven!

This recipe is super simple and easy to do. Perfect pasta dish when you’re alone, needs a quick pasta dish or when your friends suddenly visits.