Want a Cookie?

(above) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are by far, my favorite cookie. There's something comforting about them, especially warm with a glass of milk. The thing about them though is that they are so subjective - some people like them soft and cakey, others chewy and some crisp. Personally, I prefer mine soft with a decent chew factor.

For the past how ever many years of my life, I have always used the traditional Tollhouse recipe. I've used it for so long that I don't ever need to look in a cookbook for it. However, this time I was ready for a change. So, I tried Good Housekeeping's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. And how do they compare? That's tough. Tollhouse cookies are sweet and buttery, with crisp edges and soft insides. These cookies, while having almost exactly the same flavour profile as Tollhouse, were more chewy. However, I admit that they were slightly doughy. It's a tough call, but I think that Tollhouse wins. I might tweak Tollhouse later to have a higher brown-sugar ratio - perhaps that will give me the chew I am looking for.

(above) Cookie dough

(above) Rounded tablespoon-fulls of dough, flatted slightly with the back of a spatula.

(above) Cookies cooling on a rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes around 24 cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Into large bowl, measure all ingredients except semisweet and white chocolate chips. With mixer at medium speed, beat ingredients until blended and smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With spoon, stir in chips.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Immediately transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container up to 1 week.

Adapted from Good Housekeeping's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.