The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love a warm, gooey, buttery chocolate chip cookie?  They make you feel better on a bummer of a day; they help you celebrate a good day; they make a mediocre day more delicious... While they may not be your favorite cookie they are probably your most remembered cookie.  Whether it was an after school snack, a lunch box treat, or the snack after a losing soccer game (my team always lost!) these were there to be munched on.

These cookies are a recipe my mom gave me when I moved out.  I believe the recipe was my Great Aunt Marcia's recipe and must have usually been made for a village as the original instructions would make about 8 dozen cookies!  Well over the years my mom sized it down (and then back up when my brothers became hungry teenagers). In our house there were always cookies of various sorts but the one that was always available was the chocolate chip cookie.  My mom would make a huge batch and freeze the dough in balls in a plastic bag.  Anytime we needed a cookie we were just a pre-heated oven and 10 minutes away from warm, chocolaty deliciousness.  That is if my brothers didn't eat them all first of course!

I made these cookies all through college; even when I lived an a house without an oven I would make the batter sans eggs and we would all sit in my room, watch Friends re-runs and eat the dough.  Now that I have a place with an appropriately sized kitchen I still make the full batch even for just Nick and I because I know I can freeze the dough balls and have fresh cookies anytime we need them be it for a bad day or surprise guests.  Everybody loves a girl that can have a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies ready in just 10 minutes. Best. Hostess. Ever.  :)  

I honestly believe this is the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  It makes giant cookies that hold their shape even through baking.  No flat boring cookies here.  These are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside which to me is the best of both worlds!  The trick to their shape is using an ice cream scoop to place the dough on the cookie sheet.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients
yields 18-36 cookies depending on the size of your scooper

1 lb (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
5 cups flour
1 t. salt
2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy (in a stand mixer this takes about 2 minutes).  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

2) Add the salt, baking soda, and flour and stir until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

3) Using an ice-cream scoop place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet with a few inches of space in between.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to brown.

*If you have leftovers and want to freeze them take the ice cream scoop and scoop them onto a greased cookie tray and place it in the freezer (you don't have to leave much room between them as they aren't cooking).  After about 20 minutes they will be solid enough to remove from the sheet.  Place in an airtight container with wax paper between each layer.  When you are ready to bake them remove them from the freezer, place back on a cookie sheet and pop directly into a pre-heated oven (350 degrees).  No need to defrost.  Add an extra 3-4 minutes to the baking time.