Author Notes
When I was a child of maybe 8 or 9, making chocolate chip cookies was my first cooking obsession. I followed the recipe from the back of the Nestle's Tollhouse chocolate chip package to the letter. Over the years I have tweaked (with intent), mismeasured (too much flour?) substituted (at midnight) and even enriched (by adding chick-pea flour). But if I have a definitive version of my beloved Tollhouse, this recipe comes close. They turn out a little darker than what we see in cookbooks; this is probably due to the unbleached flour and the increased dark brown sugar.
P.S. I don't like a lot of chips in my chocolate chip cookies. —Sadassa_Ulna
Ingredients
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2-1/3 cups
UNBLEACHED wheat flour
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1 teaspoon
baking soda
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1 teaspoon
salt
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3/4 cup
butter (1-1/2 sticks)*
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1 cup
packed dark brown sugar
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1/2 cup
white sugar
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2 teaspoons
vanilla paste (or three tsps. extract)
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2
extra large eggs (maybe add a white if using small or medium eggs)
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1 cup
chocolate chips
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1 cup
toasted pecans, cooled and coarsest chopped (optional)
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1-1/2 teaspoons
cinnamon (optional)
Directions
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Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or prep with butter or cooking spray).
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In a large bowl, cream butter with sugars using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue beating.
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Dump flour over the mixture into a little mountain. Add other dry ingredients on top and stir lightly through just the dry ingredients with a fork (I skip the sifting of dry ingredients in a separate bowl). Mix thoroughly to incorporate the dry into the wet.
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Add chips and nuts, mix thoroughly. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared sheets. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, turning sheets around and switching racks at the 5 minute mark.
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Cool on a rack if they get that far. My family likes these warm out the oven. I like them best the next day when the chips have hardened.
Dough can made into balls and frozen for baking later; thaw before baking.
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* For softer cookies substitute 1/3 cup canola or other neutral vegetable oil for 1/2 cup of the butter.
Growing up I was the world's pickiest eater, that is, until my children were born. Karma. Neither of my parents were much into cooking; it was the height of eating fat-free or anything with oat bran added. I taught myself some basics, mostly baking, following the guidelines of a well-worn copy of Joy of Cooking. I was a ballet dancer and a teacher suggested I lose weight. As I began reading about diet and nutrition I became interested in natural foods, which led to a job at a macrobiotic natural foods market in Center City Philadelphia; this was way before Whole Foods came to the area. I learned a lot about food in general. I ate strictly vegan for a while, although I don't now, but I still like it when a recipe can taste great without butter or bacon! In short, my approach to cooking is idiosyncratic, and I don't know very much about cooking meat or proper technique. I love to bake and I am still working on expanding my palate and my repertoire. The hardest part is getting the whole family to try new things!
So aside from my food status, I am an architect who likes to garden and play music. I'm married with two kids, and I hope to get a dog someday.
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