Day 28, 72 to go: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was put under a spell for much of the day by 2 cats who pinned me to the bed and forced me into a dreamscape I could barely escape. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Early this year, there was a pay-it-forward chain on Facebook that challenged people to make something for the first 5 people who signed up.  I have not forgotten.  I did have to look it up again to see who was on the list.  Some of those people will be getting a box of cookies.  The pumpkin chips are disappearing.  I need to make lots more cookies, or there won’t be any to mail out. 

File Photo

So today, I fell back on the oldie-but-goodie, chocolate chips.  I have been baking them for so long and so often, that I don’t need to get out a recipe.  I have it memorized and ritualized so that I only dirty one ¼ cup measure, a bowl and a wooden spoon to make the dough.  I also drop them by teaspoons, so a pair of spoons gets dirty too.  But those are easily cleaned by licking them, right? 

One key to success is to use Airbake ™ pans.  They prevent the bottoms from burning while the top is setting.  I like these cookies gooey and the chocolate melty.  I have found that putting them in an airtight tin to cool, (rather than on a rack) allows them to stay moist and the chocolate doesn’t seem to quite return to its original hardness.  (I also learned early on that you have to layer the cookies with wax paper when you put them in the tin, or you end up with a delicious, but ginormous clump of cookie-ishness. )

My youngest sister (Borg #8 0f 8) likes to bake things in an extremely uniform fashion and drops her cookie dough onto the sheet using a little ice cream scoop.  Her cookies are works of art.  Mine are much more free form.  As beautiful as her cookies are, she doesn’t bake often because perfection can be time consuming.  I, on the other hand, am free to just fling dough around and can make a batch from start to finish in an hour flat with almost nothing to clean up.   Of course if people are around when I am baking them, it doesn’t even take that long since they tend to eat about half of the dough before I can put it in the oven.

Of the things I know how to do, the one I have the most confidence in is my ability to make kick-ass chocolate chip cookies.  I know there are people who are  better at everything else I am good at.  Except the chocolate chips.  I have yet to discover any better than mine.  Just sayin’.  

Life-changing Chocolate Chip Cookies

Description:
In blind taste tests, these have been chosen over Mrs. Fields... They are soft, gooey, chocolatey and pretty much the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine
1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 Tbl real vanilla extract, no imitation or you'll be sorry...
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 1/4 c flour
1 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate morsels

(No skimping. They have to be real chocolate.)

Hint: to limit dishes to clean, measure all dry ingredients with the 1/4 cup dry measuring cup.
Airbake insulated pans or doubled sheet pans are essential to keep these gooey.

Directions:

1. In large microwaveable bowl, melt butter and margarine for about 2 minutes on high.
2. Preheat oven to 375 with racks in the middle of the oven
3. Remove butter from microwave and stir until melted smoothly.
4. Add salt, baking soda and vanilla extract.
5. Stir in sugar with wooden spoon.
6. Mix in brown sugar.
7. Add eggs and mix until smooth.
8. Add flour 3/4 cup at a time and stir until all flour is incorporated.
9. Pour in chocolate chips and mix in.   (Try to leave more chips in the batter than you sneak out.)
10. Drop by generous teaspoonfuls onto airbake pans or doubled cookie sheets. The airbake pans are great for preventing burned cookie bottoms.
11. Bake for approximately 6 minutes.   Check for doneness.   When done, the edges will be barely golden brown and the tops will be set--no longer mushy batter, but not golden.
12. Remove from pan with thin flat metal spatula and place into a waxed paper or parchment-lined airtight container adding sheets of parchment between layers. Put lid over the top gently to allow some steam to escape.
13. Put the next batch into the oven and re-set the timer.
14. When all cookies are in airtight container, seal tightly.
15. You should have a warm container at this point.
16. Something about barely baking the cookies to just done and then keeping them in the airtight container seems to retain the soft gooeyness of both the cookies and the chocolate.

Enjoy!

Number Of Servings:1, if you're greedy... Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies if you don't eat all the batter first!

Preparation Time:I can do it in an hour flat!