Chocolate Chip Cookies

Greetings from the worst blogger ever!

It's been one month and one day since my last post and I've baked at least a dozen things since then. Which means my only excuse for my absence is... my laziness!! Gahhh!!! I need to do something about this. Has anyone got any pointers on how I can discipline my butt to get off out of the kitchen once in a while and onto my dang computer chair? Seriously. Please leave suggestions in the comments section, my faithful readers which only consist of my sister and husband! Hahaha!

Now back to business as usual...

When it comes to chocolate chip cookies things get a little messy. It may just be the easiest cookie to bake up in a jiffy but for some reason it has stirred up quite the controversy over its delectable goodness of qualities. For instance, most people I know love the soft, chewy variety. I, on the other hand, love the crunchy, crispy bite that a toasty cookie with perfectly browned edges offers. I think that was somewhat of my mom's influence because when we were little she would always purchase the bags of miniature chocolate chip cookies by Mother's (remember those??) and take the already crunchy cookie and pop them in the toaster oven to bake some more! I always thought it was a quirky, sometimes annoying habit she had (maybe because half the time she forgot to take them out of the oven in time and they got extra crispy in a cancer-provoking kind of way!) but now I realize that some of that rubbed off on me! Forever, because of my weird mother and her weird Mother's obsession, my sister and I will crave crispy, crunchy, hard chocolate chip cookies.

I could eat a whole bag of those dang things in one sitting. Anytime. Do you dare me??

But do you know what I love even more than a chocolate chip cookie? An oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. *drool*... I've made a couple batches in the past month but they seriously never survive past a couple of days. They're that addictive. Half of my most recent batch went to my mentoree at church, D., because I love her so <3 and this is the only picture I have of them, all packaged up behind that little pastry window. The other half,...well... let's just say not a crumb was wasted. >: )

I will make some more soon and hopefully tame my greedy little cookie monster self and take some pictures of them before they're devoured. But, for now I shall leave you with my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. This one is a crowd pleaser with crispy edges and a chewy center. I like to bake them pretty big so they require an entire hand to hold them up to my mouth. It's just more fun that way : )

Oh, and here's a cute way to package them.

Aren't they cute?? I got the idea from Intimate Weddings. They show you how to put together this adorable little party favor using homemade chocolate chip cookies, paper CD sleeves, and sticker paper. Easy Peasy! And so, so cute, too. The ones pictured above were ones I made for our church's Barnyard Bash last year, a Halloween alternative event for kids. You can download the labels for free here.

Hope you enjoy the cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. fresh baking soda
2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars for about 4 minutes until light yellow and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking powder in hot water and add to batter. Add salt.
3. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if desired. Drop by tbspfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until edges are nicely browned.

Notes: You don't need to have a mixer to make this recipe. But it may make your life easier. And less messy : ) Also, make sure you change out your baking soda often because it often loses potency in about a month's time. Old baking soda can cause your baked goods to turn out flat and deflated. They only cost about 50 cents per small box so stock up on several months' worth so you will always have fresh baking soda on hand! There's nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into baking only to end up with a disappointing product. Sadly, I speak from experience : (