Todd's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has a chocolate chip cookie recipe, and everyone's is almost the same. I mean, in all honesty, there are only so many things you can mix together to turn out a chocolate chip cookie. I used to make this recipe quite often on Sunday afternoons when I was growing up, and I learned that while the ingredients don't change much, the way they are mixed changes things. So, here's the recipe:

1 stick butter, softened (I usually microwave it to about 50% melted)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 egg

At this point, I mix that up really well. You could use your Kitchen-aid or Bosch if you need to, but I prefer the old wooden spoon. You want to mix this really well. It will start to become lighter and fluffier as you keep mixing. Usually, after a minute or two of rapid mixing, you can notice the the stuff sticking to the sides of the bowl is a darker brown than the stuff you are mixing, which should be a light tan color.

Then add the following:

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp maple extract (optional)

I mix this up some more. I really like the flavor that just a little bit of maple extract adds - not enough to overpower. I mix this all in, and then add:

1/2 bag chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet, because the cookies are pretty sweet to begin with)

Mix them around well so that the chips are evenly distributed, and then add:

1 3/4 cup flour

When you add the flour, add 1/2 cup, then mix it in, then another 1/2 cup, mix it in, and so on. I stop adding flour when the dough starts to stick in a ball more than it sticks on the sides of the bowl. I'm usually pretty close to 1 3/4 cup, but sometimes a little less. If you do too much, you end up with bigger, cakier cookies.

Don't stir too much after you add the flour. Basically, you just want all the flour to be mixed in, but not overmixed.

Now is a great time to refridgerate the dough overnight. When the butter has a chance to cool, it makes the cookies cook even better. But, I usually can't wait that long, and the mortality rate of cookie dough in our fridge is surprisingly high, so I usually cook it up right away.

Spoon it out on ungreased cookie sheets in 1-1.5" balls, and then cook at 375 for 11 minutes. Another tip is to seal all of the cookies in a ziplock bag or an airtight container overnight with a half piece of bread. The next morning, you will have the softest cookies ever. Enjoy!