Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Some are cakey. Some are gooey. Some are thin and crispy. Some are “perfect.” But what is a perfect chocolate chip cookie? Everyone has an opinion. My opinion is that none of them are bad. I want a chocolate chip cookie that is easy and doesn’t require a big fuss. I want a cookie that is crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I don’t want it too sweet and, oddly enough, I don’t want it so full of chocolate chips that it is hard to find the cookie in the midst of melted chocolate.

This recipe started from a “healthy” cookbook my mom gave me for my first apartment. It used margarine and only egg whites. Over the years I tweaked the recipe a little at a time that it now is far from the original. Is it a perfect chocolate chip cookie? Maybe…… It really depends on your idea of perfection. But, this cookie is a super simple and reliable recipe perfect for a little weeknight treat.

I like to divide the batter in 3 parts and wrap 2 of the parts in plastic wrap. I freeze two parts to pull out for a quick dessert. Plus, my family has a way of eating all the cookies I bake, no matter the quantity, so this helps me ration it into reasonable portions.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Butter at room temperature

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Vanilla

4 Cups Flour (I use white whole wheat.)

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt (Use table salt for best results.)

1 12 oz Bag Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, beat the butter with both sugars. You can do this with an electric mixer, or manually with a potato masher. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until mostly combined. Add the chocolate chips and finish mixing.

Using a large spoon or cookie scoop form into balls about 1 1/2 Tablespoons each. Place up to 12 balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-13 minutes until just slightly browned.

Let the cookies cool slightly to firm up on the cookie sheet before serving.

Serve warm. If there are any left over, let them cool completely and store in an air-tight container for up to three days.

**Note**

If you freeze a portion of the dough. When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the freezer. Using a sharp knife, cut the frozen dough into squares and place on the cookie sheet frozen. Bake squares at 350 degrees for 13-14 minutes.