Big, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie

You know how sometimes, you don't know exactly what you're looking for until you find it? That's how I felt years ago when I stumbled onto a book called Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies at the local library. This was back in the day when I firmly believed that the tall, dark, and handsome man in my life was perfectly attainable - I just needed the right recipe. Because everyone knows that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe the perfect chocolate chip cookie would do the trick.

Well, a couple hundred cookies later, I discovered that the Almighty had different plans for me, and that tall, dark, and handsome men were not part of my destiny. That's okay. I didn't end up with the perfect man - just the perfect plan. And the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Since good things that make us happy must be shared, here it is. The title of the book says it all: the cookies are satisfyingly big, meltingly soft, deliciously chewy. The recipe calls for classic, simple ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar, flour, milk. And the procedure is easy enough to do on a weeknight. Get the kids to help, and enjoy them together as an after-school or bedtime snack, with glasses of cold milk.

Or....try them on the next tall, dark and handsome you meet....maybe there's one of those in the cards for you.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies by Jill Cleave
makes twelve large cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Jill Cleave prescribes a combination of 1 cup APF and 1/2 cup cake flour; I don't always have cake flour on hand and find that straight APF works just as well.)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla. Blend well.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, turning and stirring lightly with a wide rubber spatula.

When the dough starts to come together, add the chocolate chips and walnuts and give it a few final turns to blend well.

Use either a 1/4 cup measure or a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to portion out the dough onto greased cookie sheets. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart.

Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, about fifteen minutes. Serve warm.

You can use the dough immediately, or wrap it up with plastic wrap and refrigerate for five days, or freeze for up to three months.




Big, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie