Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ladies - It's FRIDAY! You know what would be wonderful for your husband, children, roommate...to come home too? Your home smelling like chocolate chip cookies!

I have wonderful childhood memories of coming home from school and seeing my Mom bake a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. The smell of chocolate filled up the house as I walked through the front door and searched for that plate on the counter with cookies piled high for my sister and I to eat!  "Save room for dinner," my Mom would say. You know my motto - save room for dessert! 

I love baking these cookies for my family and seeing the smiles of my husband and boys as they come out of the oven. Ed will snatch one right off the baking sheet as I'm pulling it out of the oven. Once my boys see Daddy eating a cookie, they want one too but teaching young children patience and that the cookies are "hot, hot, hot" is nearly impossible!

You can always use the good old Toll House recipe and the cookies will come out just as good, but I like my cookies being slightly cake and soft, yet buttery. If you like your cookies like I do (see the picture I took) - this recipe is perfection! If you like your cookies crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside don't put the dough in the refrigerator and leave out the extra egg yolk, and pop them in the oven.  I used an entire bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips but you can use milk chocolate, M&M's, reese's pieces, toffee, etc - the list and combinations are endless!

This recipe is great and easy to make! Just think of how happy your spouse, kids, friends or roomie would be coming home to smell these delectable goodies! It makes 20-24 cookies.

Ingredients

Makes about 3 dozen

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs plus egg yolk
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Use a 1-2 tblsp icecream scoop to Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Put cookies in fridge or freezer for 20 minutes before placing them in oven
4. After cookies set in fridge take out and Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.