THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

No cookbook (at least not one of mine) would be complete without a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They were the very first thing I ever prepared back when I was just a little boy and Mom allowed me to stir the ingredients that came from a recipe on the chocolate chip package. I remember those cookies as being extraordinarily good. Still, these live up to their name; they are the best!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

makes 4 dozen

 

1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 C granulated sugar

1/2 C light brown sugar

1/4 C unsweetened hazelnut paste or peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped out

2 1/3 C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

12-oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

 

1. Heat oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the hazelnut paste (or peanut butter), beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla bean pulp, scraping down the bowl as needed.

 

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and combine at low speed until the dough comes together. Mix in the chocolate pieces and the nuts (if desired). Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets, flattening them slightly by hand.

 

3. Bake until lightly browned, 9-12 minutes. Cool the cookie sheets on a wire rack before removing the cookies.

 

Note: if you make a lot of cookies, it's worth it to buy a small ice cream scoop, which I use, instead of tablespoons, for almost all cookies. It's easier to scoop out of the bowl and the cookies are all the same size.