My family actually believes that a cookie is not really a cookie unless it has chocolate chips in it. Unless you don’t like chocolate or are allergic to it, you can probably relate to this way of thinking. It’s not that they won’t eat other kinds of cookies and enjoy them, it’s just that they hold chocolate chip cookies in a class all their own! The truth is, I can make other cookies and they are gratefully eaten, but always followed with the question – “Where are the chocolate chips?”
To go a step further, some family members like nuts in them and other can do without them. My husband not only likes nuts and chocolate chips, he likes his mother’s recipe which is a moist, cake-like cookie. I, and some other members of the family, like a more substantial, crunchier cookie. We make both kinds at our house and, like I said, if it has chocolate chips in the ingredients, no one complains. Because there are so many good chocolate chip cookie recipes, it’s fun to have a few different recipes to try. You can have more than one favorite!
When I make cookies, I often make enough to fill up four one-gallon bags and then I freeze them. I love chocolate chip cookies so much I have even been known to eat them just minutes out of the freezer while they’re still frozen! I must admit that this statement is a dead give away that I just confessed to being a cookie thief.
There is a lot of stuff I don’t have a clue about, but I know my cookies. Recently, my daughter-in-law, Stephanie, who is a remarkable cook, asked me if I would come and help her make cookies. They never seemed to turn out right for her. So I went and watched her as she mixed the ingredients together. The dough was perfect, but when it came time to bake them, there was something definitely wrong.
We concluded that the dough was perfect, so we decided to check her oven temperature. And sure enough, the oven temperature was low by several degrees. She had to really crank up the heat to get the cookies to bake correctly. Cookies, unlike some baked goods, are not very forgiving when it comes to the temperature variations. If you are having trouble making cookies, I suggest that you get an oven thermometer and check your oven.
Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies have a light, cake-like texture. This is the recipe my mother-in-law used and is my husband’s favorite. They are wonderful cookies.
1 cup of butter (soft)
1 cup of packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
3 eggs
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all purpose flour
Walnuts (optional)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1- 12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter with brown and white sugars, and eggs. Mix in the salt, baking soda and vanilla. Add the flour one cup at a time to the creamed butter mixture. Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and as many walnuts as desired. This recipe makes about 48 cookies. I use a medium cookie scoop or spoon and place each cookie a couple inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
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Dee Ann’s Prize Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies
I always look forward to whatever Dee Ann brings to a gathering because she is such a good cook. Dee Ann entered these cookies in local contest and won.
1 cup margarine
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup white sugar
1 Teaspoon baking soda
¾ cups brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips (for a variety, use white or peanut butter chips)
2 eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Nuts (if desired)
5.9 ounce box of instant vanilla or chocolate pudding.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix in order, creaming together well after every 4 ingredients. Stir in desired amount of chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
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Niemen Marcus Cookies
This recipe makes about 110 cookies. They are a wonderful freezer cookie. I sometimes make this recipe without the Hershey bar and it works just fine. This is my personal favorite! Remember I confessed to eating them right out of the freezer. You can half this recipe if you want to.
2 cups butter
1 – 8 ounce Hershey Chocolate bar (grated)
24 ounces Chocolate chips
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 cups flour
2 Teaspoons baking soda
2 cups brown sugar
2 Teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
2 Teaspoons vanilla
1 Teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Measure oatmeal, and blend it in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, the grated Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
This is very thick dough. I sometimes add some white chocolate chips with the semi sweet chocolate chips. I really like the two flavors together. I think I would even like M&M’s in this one.
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Jill’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, this cookie will be a must have in your recipe file.
2 ½ cups flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
¾ Teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
2 Teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease or use parchment paper on cookie sheet. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, creamy peanut butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat in baking soda, salt and flour. Blend in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
The only thing that’s more fun than making a chocolate chip cookie is eating one. It’s possible that the best part of cookie making is watching the faces of those who get to enjoy a warm fresh cookie straight from the oven.
Download this recipe.
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