Chocolate Chip Cookies - January 31, 2011

I don't know why I didn't start with this basic in my first week of recipes. Nothing is better than a perfect chocolate chip cookie. And now after experiencing some disasters in the kitchen I was nervous about making them. I mean I managed to mess up a brownie. A cookie to a brownie is like an apple to an orange. I was so nervous. So I did what any self-respecting woman would do... I asked for help.
A friend of mine had recently made some scrumptious cookies and based on the fact that EVERYTHING she makes is heaven I wanted to have her recipe for this delicious classic. Come to find out she used the Ghiradelli recipe straight from the back of the bag (with a few added special ingredients). After looking on the back of the chocolate chip bag I decided to look on the back of other packages, cans and boxes in my pantry. Turns out there have been hundreds of recipes just starring me in the face all these years. I even found a few that I'm going to try out in the next upcoming weeks!


Ingredients:
11 1/2 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla (add 1 more teaspoon of vanilla)
2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
Secret ingredient: 1 package of instant vanilla pudding with 1 tbsp of milk
(ghirardelli.com)

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven oven to 375ºF
Step 2: In mixer using whisk attachment mix together butter with sugar and brown sugar at speed 2 until creamy and lightened in color
Step 3: Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time
Step 4: Add in flour with baking soda and salt and mix until well blended
Step 5: Stir in nuts and chocolate chips
Step 6: Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets
Step 7: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown

Tips:
* Actually use a tablespoon measuring spoon when placing dough on the pan. I use to use a table spoon, as in a large spoon I eat with at my table. My cookies always looked like pancakes. This time they could have been sold at Mrs. Fields they were so perfectly shaped!
* My friend also suggested taking the cookies out just a minute before the timer went off. I did and the cookies were soooooo perfectly baked it was insane!