Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ahh, chocolate chip cookies. Fills us with childhood memories...mostly the dough 😏🍪

Many moons ago, when I was a newlywed, I had my sights set on making the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Honestly, I wanted to eat more of the dough than my mom had allowed me to..and I was an adult now in my own house and I was gonna make myself some dough. I thought I could do it, I mean I had watched my mom make countless batches! I literally watched her, how hard could it be? Apparently harder than I thought. I followed my moms recipe. But...the results were definitely not the same. Why?! I could not understand it! I am a reader, I love reading..and I read that darn recipe! The dough tasted...grainy. Weird. Ugh. I went ahead and baked them and they came out flat, super crunchy..again, weird. What in the world!! This was frustrating! I mean come on, it is a chocolate chip cookie. This should be a starter recipe, I thought 🤦🏻‍♀️ My new husband came home from work and tried one. Politely smiled, “good try, babe”. I kept trying. Except, I didn’t really change the method that I was using. They kept turning out the same. One Sunday in church there was a request for a show of hands for volunteers to make cookies for an upcoming shower (or some similar event) and my sweet new husband quickly grabbed my hand, leaned over and begged me, “please don’t raise your hand!” The look on his face! It was true then, my cookies really suck! 😭😏

Thus began my ridiculous quest to master the dad-gum chocolate chip cookie. I searched and read a ton of recipes. I don’t get it, I am doing these things! Until one recipe said to cream the butter and sugar for 10 minutes before adding the eggs and vanilla. What? 10 minutes?? Oh. I am not doing that. Guess what? It. Worked. Praise hands!!! I finally figured out what was wrong and it was so simple! Sheesh.

Since then, I have discovered some more chocolate chip cookie truths that I feel strongly about:

• good quality butter, real butter! Please put down the margarine! 😬

• unbleached good quality flour

• good quality vanilla (do you see a theme? I feel so strongly that good ingredients make the final product, well, good!) I make my own vanilla and it is so simple!

• softened butter, not melted

• cream that butter and sugar for 5-10 minutes when using a stand mixer, it should be super creamy and you shouldn’t be able to see sugar grains easily

• add room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing well in between additions

• then add the vanilla and mix again

• combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl while the butter/sugar is mixing

• add the flour mix slowly, only mixing until combined, don’t over mix now!

• use parchment paper or a silpat mat on your cookie sheets to avoid using non-stick spray

• use an ice cream scoop to put cookie dough on the pans to keep them uniform in size. This helps them bake evenly

• bake for 9 minutes (or until starting to brown on edges but not looking done in middle) take out and let finish cooking on the pan on top of the stove for 2 minutes. Then take off the pans so they won’t get too crispy

I truly feel like these tips are the game changers that made cookies enjoyable at our house again! 😊

Which is a good thing because when my kids were smaller and had friends over, my favorite thing to do was to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies and let them have some dough. Such a fun splurge! Thank goodness I figured out how to make cookies for real! 😁

Summer’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

• 3/4 c brown sugar

• 3/4 c granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 1/2 c unbleached flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 1/2-2 c semi sweet chocolate chips

• 1 c pecans (optional, of course)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the softened butter and the sugars for 5-10 minutes if using a stand mixer, until very creamy and you can’t really see the individual sugar grains. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl while sugar/butter creaming. Add eggs to butter/sugar mix one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add the flour mix, only mixing until combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). Put on baking sheets (lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat) and bake approximately 9 minutes, when edges are beginning to brown but the middle does not look done. Pull out of oven and continue cooking on top of stove for 2 more minutes (set a timer! You don’t want them to get too crispy). Move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!! I hope you love these cookies!

With love,

Summer ☀️