Chocolate Chip Chookies

Ok, so I made chocolate chip cookies--I decided to try to get a little creative with the name since the cookie isn't the most creative. I LOVE chocolate chip cookies! I can't seem to get enough of them. Tonight after eating dinner, I couldn't think of anything else but chocolate chip cookies. Warm and oozy from the oven. Since I am trying (rather unsuccessfully thus far) to eat healthier, I tried to talk myself out of making the cookies. I thought that I could run over to Safeway and get one cookie. Ok, well probably more than one cookie, but far fewer than a whole batch. And since Darrell is no friend of the baked good, I knew I would eat way too many cookies if I made them. But I didn't want to go to Safeway a second time today. And even though their bakery produces a good cookie, it wouldn't be the same. So I broke down. The good news is, I only made half a batch. I make a modified Toll House recipe. Here is the recipe that makes a half batch. Which is perfect for when I am jonesing for A cookie and not 5773 cookies.

Stephanie's Chocolate Chip Chookies

1 stick of butter*
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg**
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips***

Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter until smooth and creamy; add sugars and cream until light (in Color and Texture) and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat for about 5 minutes. The texture should look a lot like a butter cream frosting. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add chocolate chips.

Drop in large blobs (about 1/4 cup) on ungreased and cool cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15-16 minutes for a light cookie and 18-20 minutes for a darker cookie. Allow to rest on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack (yeah, right--eat quickly).

*Butter should be at room temperature. I was in a rush and the butter had been in the freezer. I let it sit out for about 30 minutes and then microwaved it for 15 seconds. This seemed to be perfect. You want it so it is no longer cold, but not melted. I think I read that this will help make an emulsion. (Thank you Alton Brown!).

**Egg should also be at room temperature. I don't have a shortcut for this--definitely NOT the microwave. I guess you could place the egg in some room temperature (or slightly) warmer water. I have not tried this and cannot, as of yet, recommend this. I may get more desperate in the future, so stay tuned. Again, I believe this helps with the emulsion and creaming of the wet ingredients.

***Semi-sweet, bittersweet or dark chocolate are all options here. Milk chocolate is NOT! It is too sweet and not quite right. In addition to chocolate chips, you can use chunks or large pieces broken from a larger bar. I guess Dark M&M's are another option. Try to avoid the mini-chips or too small of pieces, as they don't give you the right texture.

I always use 2-3 times the amount of vanilla called for--it helps the chocolate stand out from the cookie. I also really like to taste a little bit of salt, so I use 1.5 times the amount called for in typical recipes.

Although I didn't put any nuts or additional add-ins to these cookies, I do think they can add something extra. I hate walnuts--they don't taste that good and always give me canker sores, so I can't recommend them. I do like pecans or even macadamia nuts. Another yummy option is dried cranberries. Dried cherries would probably be good, but I am picky and won't try them. (P.S. -Darrell and I are both extremely picky and there are so many things that one of us loves and the other hates--it's a wonder we ever decide on something to eat!).

I usually need to eat 2 cookies right away and then am good to go. I will then wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. If I don't think I will make the rest of the cookies by the next day, I then wrap it in foil and place in the freezer. Out of the fridge, the dough takes another 1-2 minutes to cook; out of the freezer, if you can cut it into chunks, it takes about 3-5 minutes longer. I try not to eat too much of the dough prior to cooking--not because I am afraid of salmonella or food poisoning. Once, in college, I ate so much dough, I couldn't eat the cookies I made. I don't want to get to that point again. Not yet, at least.

Happy baking!