I was feeling rather industrious (i.e. I had major PMS and needed chocolate therapy) the other day, and baked about four dozen chocolate and chocolate chocolate chip cookies for my little munchkins. I only ate five or six or the little lumpy mounds of goodness, just enough to ensure my children's safety - I wouldn't want an errant egg shell or bit of coagulated brown sugar to hinder their digestive processes.
When I tell you that these are the world's best chocolate chip cookies, it's the absolute truth. These cookies are so good that they're sinful. One bite into these little pieces of ooey, gooey, goodness, and you'll be hooked forever on his recipe. I consider myself to be a cookie snob when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. They must be chewy and soft, with just the right amount of dough to chip ratio. These cookies fit the bill. Not only will I provide to you this secret recipe of cookie magic, but I'll also give you a few tips on how to ensure success. First, here's the recipe:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (make sure and pack that brown goodness down)
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding (you can use chocolate pudding instead)
1 cup unsalted butter (don't be cheap - use real unsalted butter - and leave the two cubes on the counter to soften. I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in my recipes.)
1 tsp. real vanilla (yes, use the stuff you can also drink to get a buzz while baking)
1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate is o.k., but the semi offers a nicer contrast)
1 cup of walnuts (I only like female cookies, but should you prefer male cookies, you can add the nuts)
Preheat your oven to 375 degress. You must preheat or your first batch of cookies will not cook perfectly and I'll be sad. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda, and set it aside. Walk away from this bowl. You did not need it now. It's OK. In a mixing bowl (using a hand or stand mixer - don't prove your worth and get carpal tunnel using your own power - no one to impress here), combine the mushy but not melted butter (melted butter will give you flat, uninteresting cookies) with the sugars and dry pudding mix. Do not cook the pudding in advance. This will make for cookie yuckiness and defile the recipe.
After this is sufficiently mixed into a gritty, peanut buttery texture, add the eggs in, one by one. And then the vanilla can go in as well. Be generous with the vanilla. We like vanilla. Take a swig of the vanilla so that you can appreciate its wholesome goodness. Mix until combined and then slowly add in the flour combination, about a half a cup at a time. Once this is all mixed in, you can add your chocolate chips and boy parts if you'd like. Make sure to sample at least a quarter cup. Again, eggshell control and chocolate chip evaluation is an imperative part of chocolate chip cookie making. Screw salmonella, I can take a little bloody diarrhea with my cookies.
On a greased baking sheet, drop by rounded teaspoons giving each cookie about an inch and half space. Don't crowd your cookies. They don't like having other cookies all up in their grill. That's how they roll, yo.
Bake for about eight minutes. Do not leave the kitchen while they are baking lest you allow them to overcook and turn an improper shade of brown. When the cookies are somewhat flattened and look like they are not quite done, remove them from the oven and allow them to rest. Do not try to wake them by prematurely by removing them from their resting place. They just worked very hard and deserve to get some beauty sleep.
And beautiful they will be, when you do eventually place them on a sheet of waxed paper or plate. Repeat the process of baking and cooling, until you have approximately 1/2 cup of cookie dough left in the bowl. This is what I like to call the "bottom of the barrel" dough and should be consumed by the baker. Again, this is for quality control only. You're looking to make sure that your dough was consistently good throughout.
If you try this recipe, do me a favor and let me know what you think. I assure you that it's worth the time and energy.
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