Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I’m old school. I prefer a good old Toll House cookie to the new fangled  giant half raw cookies popping up all over Utah. There are cookie/soda shops on every corner. Not one of them has a decent cookie, although there are lines that wind around the building indicating not everyone shares my opinion. A good cookie has a crunchy edge and a soft center. It tastes buttery and not too sweet.  And it is warm, or at room temperature, not straight out of a refrigerator. This recipe is close to the Tollhouse version.  I’ve tried many many cookie recipes, and I still come back to this one.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, directly from refrigerator

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, cold, directly from refrigerator

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups flour - if you live at high altitude use 2 1/2 cups

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Whisk together to combine. Set aside. 

Cut the chilled butter into 2 tablespoon chunks. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low for a few seconds

Add sugars and vanilla extract to the butter and mix on low just until combined.

Add eggs and mix on low just until combined. 

Add 2 cups of the flour mixture to the butter mixture along with the chocolate chips. Top with remaining flour. 

Mix on low until combined. Do not over mix. 

Use a large ice cream type scoop. (Mine is about the size of an apricot). Drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I end up with about 10 cookies on a standard cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie a little using your hand.

Bake for 9-11 minutes if you like a raw gooey cookie. Bake 12-15 minutes if you like a golden brown cookie. The cookies in the picture up at the top of this post were cooked at 14 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies depending on the size of the scoop you use.