Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you don’t like chocolate chip cookies, then you are not my friend.  That’s a lie.  I like everyone who can tolerate me.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 3/4 c white sugar
• 3/4 c tightly packed brown sugar (pack that sugar like you pack your carry-on luggage.)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/4 c all purpose flour (No need to sift it.)
• 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp water to make a slurry
• 12-16 oz. chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Using a stand mixer, cream butter. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer.  If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can use a wooden spoon and end up with muscles the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Or you will pass out from exertion, whichever comes first.)
2. Add sugars, salt, vanilla and maple syrup
3. Mix until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix.
5. Add the flour.  Now don’t add this with the mixer at a high speed or you are going to make your nice clean kitchen look like a hot mess. (And just try to wash flour out of your hair.  It ain’t easy!)  And don’t add it all at once either.  About half first and half after the first half is mixed. (Say that three times fast).
6. Once combined, add the baking soda slurry and mix.
7. This is where the standing mixer is done with its job.  Now the workout begins.  (Unless you have been mixing this by hand, in which case, if you are still breathing, I’m impressed.) Add the chocolate chips.  I don’t measure the chocolate chips.  I eyeball it as I’m mixing.  I’m not one that likes a ton of chocolate chips in their chocolate chip cookies.  I don’t care if chocolate chip is in the title.  If I wanted a ton of chocolate, I would eat a Hershey bar (with almonds).
8. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined.
9. Place dough in your refrigerator for 2 hours.  The cold dough will help it cook evenly.  I bet you didn’t know that.  (I didn’t know either until I found this recipe).
10. Go watch a movie.  You need the break after mixing those chocolate chips in the cookie dough!
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
12. Grab your Tablespoon measuring spoon and scoop out the cookie dough.  Now, make sure your hands are coated in cold water.   I don’t know why, it was never specified in the recipe, but I’m assuming it’s needed.  (Or whoever created this recipe wanted to freeze your fingers to the bone.)  Just do it.
13. Form the dough into a ball and then flatten until about a 1/2 inch thick.
14. Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
15. When baking sheet is full, bake at the second to top rack in your oven for 12-14 minutes.  But it’s always good to check.  Some ovens are hotter than others.  My oven would put Hell to shame so I keep a careful eye on it.
16. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.  If you only have 1 baking sheet, like I do, put the dough back in the refrigerator to keep cool until you are ready to scoop out more.  I let my first batch of cookies cool first and then start my second batch.  Probably because I’m on my second glass of wine by then and I’m getting lazy at this point.  I can’t help it. I don’t like baking.  But these cookies are so darned delicious that I find it sufficient to suffer through the process.

Let me know how you like them!