Cookie-a-day: Divine Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ivy says:

I know Heather already posted chocolate chip cookies, but a couple of times a year, when I was a kid, my mom would make these cookies and they were fabulous. Not just good, not just great, fabulous. Divine, even. I never understood why Mom only made them every once in awhile, and I resolved to make them all the time when I was a grown-up.

Once I was an adult and Mom finally gave me the recipe, I found out why Mom only made them every once in awhile. They’re a tremendous pain to make. And these are the kind of cookies that if you skip a step or take shortcuts, they’re good, but not fabulous. Also, all the ingredients except the one that is marked optional are imperative that they be added exactly as written. No substituting, no leaving anything out. Like I said, they’ll probably still be good, but they will not be fabulous.

With those disclaimers out of the way, here are the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever eat:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C unsalted butter*
• 3/4 C white sugar
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract**
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 C sifted flour***
• 1/3 C old-fashioned oats****
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 C milk chocolate chocolate chips*****
• 3/4 C walnuts (OPTIONAL)

To read the long, drawn out directions, click to

About an hour before you even want to make the cookies, set out your butter so it will soften. Part of the reason I’m writing this so late is because I totally forgot to set the butter out to soften. There’s nothing worse than trying to cream straight-from-the-refrigerator butter and sugar.

Once the butter’s softened, cream the butter and white and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add lemon juice and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, stir the dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing well. Add chocolate chips & (optional) walnuts, combine thoroughly.

Drop cookies by spoon or medium scoop on parchment lined baking pans, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350F for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes then move to wire racks. Then grab a glass of milk and enjoy.

(Makes about 24)

*Not regular butter. Not margarine. Not shortening. UNSALTED butter.

**Not imitation vanilla.

***Yes, you do have to sift the flour.

****Not the quick-cooking kind. The old fashioned kind.

*****This is actually one of the few you could substitute. When I was a kid, mom used the regular semi-sweet kind, but I tried this a couple of years ago with the milk chocolate chocolate chips and it actually makes the cookies better. So if you just have semi-sweet chocolate chips, go for it.