Shortly after I moved back from Italy and moved in with my husband, I baked him cookies.  Little did I realize this would unleash the inner cookie monster he had kept hidden from me for all of those years of long-distance dating!  

I found this recipe in the Kitchenaid Best-Loved Recipes cookbook that was given to my husband by his mother for Christmas one year as encouragement to use a Kitchenaid mixer she got him that same holiday.  Funny story, she thought he wanted a Kitchenaid mixer, when really he was looking for one for ME for Christmas!  That was his main gift that year, but I like to think that the is pretty happy with the way things turned out (lots of cookies!).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 eggs

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies (fewer if you make them larger…)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla in bowl of electric stand mixer.  Turn on low and mix about 30 seconds.  Stop and scrape bowl (if not using beater blade).  Turn on medium-low and beat about 30 seconds.  Stop and scrape bowl.  

Mix baking soda, salt and flour in a separate bowl.  Turn mixer on low.  Gradually add flour mixture to mixer bowl 1 cup at a time.  Once all flour mix is incorporated, mix 2 minutes.  Stop and scrape bowl.  Add chocolate chips.  Turn on low and mix about 15 seconds.

Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove from baking sheets immediately.  Cool on wire racks.

Note:  I make my rounded teaspoons more like rounded tablespoons. If you choose to do this, bake a bit longer (1 – 2 minutes) until light brown on edges.  A few years ago I discovered the wonders of parchment paper instead of “greasing” baking sheets.  Makes cleanup SO much easier!  

Also, I’ve added chopped nuts to these, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips (husband’s favorite), white chocolate chips, and ALL of them turned out delicious!  Just a great basic cookie recipe.  What can you make them with?