Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the "core" baking recipes (at least in my opinion) is chocolate chip cookies. That melt-in-your-mouth, gooey chocolate, warm soft center yumminess brings a smile to my face. I can't be sad while munching on a freshly-made chocolate chip cookie (with a glass of milk!). I'm actually surprised that I haven't yet posted a recipe for this treat. It just seems like one of those recipes you can find in any general cookbook you pick up.

So I'll rectify that now. Since we are coming up on the holiday season--during which many of us bake and share sweets with friends and family--here's a great chocolate chip recipe to add to your goodie basket. I actually just made some this last weekend. The original recipe says that it will make about 60 cookies. I don't know what universe the original authors are living in, but those 60 cookies must have been made for mice (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie just popped in my head--great children's book). I would estimate that you'll more likely get between 2-3 dozen. If you make super big cookies, obviously you'll get less.

What you'll need:
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 12-oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips

What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Continue beating with the electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Continue to use the electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla until completely mixed. Add the flour and use the mixer to combine the batter as much as possible.*
4. Use a spoon to stir in the chocolate chips. You can also add 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.) if you like nuts.
5. Use a teaspoon to drop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I find that my cookies form better if I also smooth the dough into a rough ball shape. My cookies come out slightly fatter when I do this.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are a light brown. More time will be needed for larger cookies. It's ok for cookies to be soft in the center; personally, I like them better that way. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes or however long you can resist the smell of fresh-baked cookies (and be careful when handling/eating hot food!).

*Here the original recipe noted that you may not be able to use the mixer to mix in all the batter, however I didn't have a problem using my mixer the entire time. If you can't get it all combined with your electric mixer, just use a spoon to stir in any remaining flour.

Fear not if you're only making these for yourself and you think a full batch is too much. You can store the dough in the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days. Or, you can store extra cookie dough in the freezer in sealed air-tight containers until you want more (but use it within 1 month). Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Scooter and I are hosting our first ever Thanksgiving dinner next week. We're gearing up this weekend for all the cooking we need to do. I've been asked to take pictures, so I'll likely post some here after all the fun.