Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, I did restrain myself… barely.  I had only one cookie today.  I was making them to give away… and somebody needed to make sure they were edible… right?  And when they are warm out of the oven… you would have to have more self control than me to not have at least one.  Since I needed 5 dozen cookies to give away, I doubled the recipe and had enough left over for my family.  And lucky too, I would have been in big trouble if I’d given them all away.

I love these chocolate cookies right out of the oven.  They are classic served with a glass of milk.  They just what a chocolate cookie should be:  chewy and soft on the inside, and slightly (perfectly) crisp on the outside.  And did I mention buttery.  And chocolaty.  They’re my favorite.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 lb. cold butter, cubed
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups flour (bread flour)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
  
• up to 2 cups walnuts or pecans (optional)
  

Cream butter cold with sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, eggs, and baking soda. Add flour in small amounts until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 375°. (Don’t over-bake—the cookies should appear slightly wet on top)

Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe is great doubled to make 6 dozen cookies.  (When doubling use 3 whole eggs.)

1. Cube up the cold butter.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

3.  I always crack my eggs into a separate bowl, just in case I have shell go into the egg, it’s easier to grab it out. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. Mix in the soda.  Then add the flour a little at time until mixed in.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add in the chocolate in carefully… again don’t over mix.

4. Grease your cookie sheet.  I spray it with a little cooking spray.  I love using a small ice cream scoop.  It’s fast and the cookies are more even.

Because I am making 6 dozen, and am always in a hurry, I place 15 cookies to a baker’s half sheet.  Mostly it’s recommended to cook 12 to a sheet.  What are rules, but to be broken?

I cook them until they are a little golden around the edges.

Make sure to eat one while they are still warm.  The next day (if there are any left) and you want a warm cookie, you can put them into a preheated oven for a few minutes or into a microwave for 5 seconds or so.

One note about altitude.  I have a friend who mentioned she hasn’t been able to make a good cookie since she moved to our town of Alpine, Utah from Austin, Texas.  Here we live at close to 5,000 feet.  And that is the problem with her cookies.  I find I often have to add more flour to my cookies than a recipe states or I wind up with pancakes.   For this recipe I add about 1/4 cup more flour than the recipe calls for to compensate for high altitude.