Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've posted this recipe on here once before a few years ago, but Saturday night I finally perfected the recipe. That's a pretty big deal over here. This was my go to recipe when we were living in Utah, and then when we moved to NC, the elevation was different, our oven never worked right, and everything got thrown off. Since moving here, I've tried literally about 10 different recipes, all of them a fail. Saturday night I was so bored and Derek was doing homework all night, and he suggested I make cookies to keep myself busy. I was mad when he said that because I thought he was literally mocking my complete inability to make a simple chocolate chip cookie. However, I was pretty bored, and my chocolate chip cookie fails are always humorous, so I thought I'd give it another go.

I have a lot of voodoo steps and measures that I take to ensure good cookies (sometimes even praying over the cookie dough before going into the oven), and Saturday night I applied them all at once to this recipe and they came out perfect! Something that hadn't happened since probably the first time I made this recipe when we were in Utah.

I should note that a perfect cookie for Derek and I is one that is semi thick and puffed a little, with the pretty perfect cookie cracking on top, and a smooth flat bottom. The inside texture is chewy, but cooked all the way and not gooey.

Trick One: If starting with a cold stick of butter, microwave it for 4 seconds on each side and then it will be room temperature, and should not be melted. (I think butter on the colder side is way better than the melted side).

Trick Two: When measuring flour, just scoop it straight up with the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. This I think was my biggest problem. I used to be so worried about using too much flour that I would spoon it into the measuring cup and then level it off, and it wound up never being enough and my dough was always "soupy-ish", as Derek puts it. Don't pack the flour in there at all, just a simple scoop and then level off with a knife.

Trick Three: Make the cookies all the same size. I use a rounded tablespoon of dough for each cookie and then roll it like a meatball and then put it on the sheet.

Trick Four: Don't let the cookie sheet sit on the stove while the oven is heating up. Set it on the counter so it doesn't get hot and affect cooking times.

Trick Five: Don't over mix the flour. Stir it until it's just combined and then mix in the chips real quick, and just stop. Too much mixing can get too much air into the dough, and then the cookies will be cake/biscuit like.

Trick Six: If needed, say a prayer.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the egg, mix until combined, and then the vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda into the hot water and then add it to the mixture. Mix in the flour until just combined, and then add the chocolate chips. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, using a rounded tablespoon scoop and rolling into balls. Bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown. Mine took about 12 in my oven. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack.