My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies


   Pre-warning, these cookies are dangerous. They're so good, you'll want to eat them all. They make the perfect sweet and salty treat. Plus, they're great for sharing. I  am picky when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, if they aren't soft in the middle and chewy, I don't want them. If they aren't crispy on the edges I'm not a fan either. Chocolate chip cookies are not supposed to be like cake cookies. See? I've got my cookie standards. I remember getting a big chocolate chip cookie from a certain most magical place, and being severely disappointed. It was overly sugary and uniformly textured, almost like a crisper biscuit. It just made me want to work on this recipe all the more! I've changed a few things here and there over the years, but this is the one I've happily settled on.   


Ingredients:


2 softened salted sticks of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp espresso powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp flaked sea salt (for a topping, can be omitted, but you don't WANT to leave it out)
2 1/4 + 1 T of unbleached flour
 1 cup of dark chocolate chips or chunks
*Optional 1/2 cup of walnuts or another kind of chocolate. I like to mix dark and white chips or milk and toffee too. The cookie base stays the same. 


Directions:


-Cream together butter and sugar.
-Add in one egg at a time and mix together.
-Add in espresso powder, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix together. 
-Add flour in 1 cup at a time and mix. The extra T of flour is important, trust me you don't want a melted pile of cookies. 
-Add in chocolate and nuts if you so choose. You're the cookie master taster, it's your cookie world. I love walnuts in the cookies, but my little minions don't, so they usually get left out. 
-Now your dough is done, but it's CRUCIAL to chill this dough. It has to go into the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. 4-6 hours is best, but it's up to your timing. You can also make ahead for the next day...or make and freeze dough balls for whenever you need them. 

-When you're ready to bake and the dough has been chilled, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
-Make dough balls about 2 inches wide and sprinkle each top of dough with the flaked sea salt. 
-Bake for 11 minutes. Chill the rest of dough while baking the first batch. 
-Cool cookies on the pan for a minute or two before transferring to a cooling wrack or plate. 

*Sharing tip- If you double the batch, it freezes well in individual balls. Then whenever company surprises you or you see a neighbor outside you can run a plate to, you'll have cookies ready in minutes. Bless someone with a sweet treat today! 




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