Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is essentially the 'Toll House' cookie recipe, with a couple of slight variations that I think result in a more consistent cookie.

Wet ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Folding ingredients:
1 or 1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Hardware:
Stand Mixer with paddle attachement OR large mixing bowl and heavy metal spoon
2-qt mixing bowl and whisk for dry ingredients
measuring cups / spoons
cookie sheet
cooling wire racks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together butter and sugar (using the medium setting on your stand mixer for 5 minutes, or by hand until well creamed.) Add vanilla and eggs, reduce speed to low, mix until combined.

In separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients in several stages, mixing until combined (on the lowest 'stir' setting if using a stand mixer.) Once the dry ingredients are fully integrated, add the chocolate chips and stir until distributed evenly.

Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

For baking, place 1 inch balls of dough on a cookie sheet (most sheets will hold 12, or possibly 16 balls) and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden, risen, and beginning to darken around their outer edges. Turning the pan 180 degrees at the halfway point will ensure even cooking.

Pro Tips:

Use real butter, not margarine or butter-flavored-shortening. Better flavor and browning result. To 'speed-soften' butter, microwave it for 30 to 45 seconds on high in a microwave safe container.

Proof your baking soda by testing it with vinegar - I have had batches fail to rise from old baking soda, as Rebecca keeps it around for 'science experiments' with the kids.

When adding flour, you may find that slightly more or less flour than the 2.5 cups listed above is the optimal amount for your cookies. This is based on the humidity, altitude, exact size of your eggs, etc. Eventually if you make these often enough you will get a feel for the 'right' consistency.

I prefer cookies with around 1 cup of chocolate chips as the caramelized goodness of the cookie really comes through.