This recipe is for the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe found on packages of Nestle's® semisweet chocolate chips. I have some minor variations you might want to try but the basic recipe is great.
What variations? Well, think of some bananas mixed in with the batter, possibly with some added banana flavoring. Or think of some small English toffee pieces with the nuts instead of using chocolate chips. Also, I'm sure raisin lovers might like to add either dark or light colored raisins to the nuts and chocolate chips.
My sweetheart, Peggy, bought a package of 62% high cacao chocolate chips by Nestle® and I will be using them today, along with some regular semisweet chips, mixed separately into different batches.
Enough of my prattle. Let’s get on with it.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups of flour, sifted
1/2 lb. softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup of shelled walnut halves or pecans, chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Mix the eggs using an electric mixer.
Add the sugars and the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Add the softened butter and again mix thoroughly.
Mix the flour, salt and baking soda separately in a one quart bowl.
Add the mixed flour, salt and baking soda to the egg mixture and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips and mix briefly on a slow to medium speed.
Add the chopped nuts and mix briefly on a slow to medium speed.
Put the dough in rounded tablespoons (I make mine larger) on an ungreased cookie sheet, allowing an inch of spacing on all sides.
Bake the cookies for five minutes, then turn the cookie sheet 180º around to assure even baking and bake the cookies for an additional four to five minutes. Think this way ... the best chocolate chip cookies are slightly chewy, right? So don't overbake them until they are crisp.
Remove the cookies from the oven, let them cool for one minute, and then put them on a wire cooling rack.
When the cookies are completely cooled to room temperature, store them in a sealable container with the layers separated by the sheets of waxed paper.
Enjoy!