Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really wanted to post these in time for Father's Day because I knew my Daddy would be having them that night.  But when I opened up the draft for the post, guess what picture I had greeting me at the top?

I'm feeling a little Christmasy--aren't you??  

So I had to make some to photograph again.  Darn!

Here's the thing about these cookies.  They are perfect.  I use different chocolate chip cookie recipes for different things.  Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies for taking on picnics and packing in lunches and keeping stocked in the freezer for Dr. S to munch on while he works on his dissertation.  Party Chocolate Chip Cookies for when I need to feed a crowd--they're for parties.  Obviously.

But these.  These are the cookies you write Mama about because you haven't had them in so long it makes your tummy hurt out of pure homesickness, and you know the only thing to make it better is a fresh-from-the-oven, fudgey, gooey, crispy, perfect cookie.  

The chocolate chip cookie has a long history in our family.  Mama made them almost every Sunday for as long as I can remember, with very few exceptions.  Our tradition was to play board games and eat cookies together--and that was as complicated as it got.  I really looked forward to it every week, even as a teenager.  My kids are little still, but I really hope to get this tradition rolling in our house as soon as we have more than one kiddo big enough to actually follow the directions for Chutes & Ladders.

Enough from me.  Let's get baking.  A few ground rules, from the heart of Mama's well-loved wooden recipe box.  You must use real butter.  Our dirty little secret?  Use salted.  Softened butter gives a little when pressed, but doesn't squish and melt in your hand (think about an hour out of the fridge).  And by golly, when I say "cream butter and sugar" I mean cream it--just keep on mixing until it's pale and light and...creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.  Don't over do it.

Add the dry ingredients.  Under-shooting on the flour a little is definitely recommended.  Mama makes it fool-proof by sifting.  You can do that, too.

Beautiful.  Stick in your finger and take a bite.  I won't tell.  Then stir in some chocolate chips and do it again.  In high school, my best friend and I used to make a whole batch of cookie dough every Friday night just to eat it raw.  True story.  

For my favorite neighbor I ever had, I started mixing in half semisweet and half bittersweet chocolate chips, and now I'll never go back.  Definitely go for the high quality chocolate.  You won't regret it.

Chill the dough if you want.  It makes for a delightfully caramelized crispy surface.

In this photo I dropped by heaping tablespoonfuls, but here's another wonderful tip to make them even more naughty (if that's possible, which it is)--drop by heaping quarter cupfuls.

Press them down slightly.

Here's another trick!  Drop all of your dough balls onto a tray lined with wax paper and freeze!  Then thaw for about 15 minutes (while the oven preheats) to have fresh baked cookies whenever you want them.  That favorite neighbor of mine was the beneficiary of some in this form after she had a baby.  New mamas need warm, gooey chocolate.

Otherwise, bake them until the edges are golden and the center is still a little gooey.  Trust me.  Eat them warm.  Cool the rest on cooling racks.

Make them for Christmas to give to your friends, on Sunday night to accompany games with your family, or today just because you want to.  And, as it states in the children's book given to my boys from my Daddy, (yes, these cookies are now multi-generational) "the best cookie is the one you share with a friend."  So spread the love.  

Mama's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 lb salted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

6 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

4 cups chocolate chips 

Cream butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Refrigerate or freeze dough if desired.  Drop onto ungreased baking sheet and press down slightly.  Bake at 350 for 6 to 9 minutes (heaping tablespoonfuls) or 8 to 12 minutes (heaping 1/4 cupfuls), or until edges are beginning to brown and centers are still slightly soft.  Cool on wire racks.