Life is full of ups and downs, but chocolate chip cookies will always be there for you.
…that’s my philosophy anyway. I mean, really: can you imagine a more comforting, reliable treat from childhood? Chocolate chip cookies are the great equalizer.
I was recently having a hard time, wishing I could pick up the phone and talk to my mom. So you know what I did instead? I dug out her old recipe for her *perfected* chocolate chip cookies and made them and let me tell you…it didn’t fix anything that was going wrong, but it sure did make me feel better about everything.
And coincidentally, less than a month ago I was gifted something really special by a family friend. A sweet lady asked for my help in getting a sample of my mom’s handwriting for a crafty gift she was making for my sister. I gave her a couple of my mom’s old handwritten recipes to use. And you know what this wonderful person did? She had them printed on kitchen towels as a gift for me! I was utterly speechless; it was such a special gift. If you’re reading this, Amber Merril, thank you SO much! And – you guessed it – one of the recipes that she put on a towel was mom’s chocolate chip cookies! (There was another towel with a different recipe...I'll save that one for later!) So obviously, I have to show you all how beautiful it is:
Ok, now onto the recipe! Now, granted, there isn’t anything particularly mind-blowing or different about this cookie recipe. Probably a lot of you out there have one similar to this! But this recipe is special because my mom made cookies a lot and was always tinkering with the recipe. This is how she finally perfected it and made these cookies the Best Ever!
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl.
The next step is *supposed* to be done in a stand mixer, but if you don’t have one (like me), it can still be done by hand. Just make sure your butter is nice and softened if you do it by hand! Beat together the butter and sugars, then add eggs and and vanilla and mix well.
Combine this with your dry mixture from earlier. Add in your chocolate chips! Now, even though mom didn’t include it in this recipe, I remember her telling me it’s best to use a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. That’s what I did and I recommend it!
And that’s your batter! Now, I definitely don’t recommend eating any cookie dough raw because it’s bad for you and I would never suggest something that’s bad for you and it definitely doesn’t help cheer you up if you’re sad. Not at all.
Ok, now drop the cookie dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. I started out with 8, but it wasn’t enough, so I added another minute and a half, and that seemed to do the trick. But your oven may be different! Just watch for that slight browning along the edges of the cookies.
Remove the cookies from the oven. And now here's a *pro tip*...if you want your cookies to look extra yummy and chipaliscious, press a few into the soft, hot tops of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cook, and enjoy!!
I hope you make these cookies and that you love them and that maybe they help you through a tough time. If you do make them, let me know how they turn out in the comments below! XOXO
Amy's Extra-Good Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 8 -10 minutes
Total: 18 - 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of butter (softened)
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 Tablespoon of vanilla
12 oz. of chocolate chips (I recommend 6 oz of semi-sweet and 6 oz of milk chocolate)
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda
In a mixer, beat butter and sugar
Add eggs, vanilla, and mix well
Mix in chocolate chips
Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes
Let cool and enjoy!