Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve tried many, and this is my favourite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I remember my grandma teaching me that they key to the perfect cooking was the “under-bake”.  I was about eight years old when she accused me of burning the cookies (which were slightly over baked by her standards).  That's the only time we ever baked together. Harsh, perhaps, but I have never over baked another cookie!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 c. butter
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • ½ c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2¼ c. flour
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 pkg. of chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cream butter and sugars really well. This should take at least 5 minutes with a stand mixer. Beat and scrape down the sides several time until the butter mixture is very light yellow.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on high until fluffy.  I usually beat the vanilla into the eggs with a fork before adding.
  3. Mix all the dry ingredients together (including the chocolate chips) and then add to the butter about ½ c at a time until just incorporated.
  4. At this point, I recommend covering the dough and letting it sit in the fridge overnight or at least for several hours to let the flour hydrate - I'm not sure what that means, but that's what the "pros" say!
  5. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
  6. Bake at 370° F for about 8 - 10 mins. – watch them closely so you don’t over bake and piss your grandma off.

TIPS & HINTS

To achieve the perfect consistency, pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges just start to brown and they still look puffy (even slightly raw).  Let them cool and settle on the hot cookie sheet.

For the lake, I often make and freeze the dough in the city and then bake them at the lake.

I conducted a taste test with this dough - changing only the size of the cookies. Everyone preferred the consistency of the larger cookie.