Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

By AzWench

In 1709, a toll house was built midway between Boston and New Bedford. Ruth Wakefield and her husband converted the toll house into an inn in 1930, and it became famous for its food. One day Mrs. Wakefield chopped up a chocolate bar and added it to a colonial cookie recipe, assuming it would melt. It didn't, but customers loved the cookies. In 1939, Nestle introduced chocolate chips and, with Mrs. Wakefield's permission, put her recipe on the package. From that time forward, Mrs. Wakefield's "Toll House" cookies have been universal favorites.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

Details

Servings 5

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in morsels. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes or to desired degree of doneness. Let cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Pecan-Chocolate Chip Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring in toasted pecans with morsels.

Oatmeal-Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce flour to 2 cups. Proceed with recipe as directed, stirring 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats into dry ingredients in Step 2 and 1 cup raisins with morsels.