Gigi’s Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best stress-reducer ever. I have made them a gazillion( I know that’s not a real number) times to the delight of little and big boys over the years. The faces of the grandchildren eating them and getting chocolate smeared all over their faces while they attempt to break them apart just to get to the chips only to discover the cookie part is tasty too!
In the past, after a hard-fought loss to a town rival in a lacrosse game, silence would be expected upon entering the house instead of discussing the results. Quietly, I prepared a batch of chocolate chip cookies. The smell would permeate every room in the house and it would draw the player out of his den of silence. All it would take was one bite, actually a few cookies, to open up the conversation. The burn of the loss still there, but the reward of. hard fought game in hand, literally. A hug and a thank-you always made the effort worth it, for both of us.
The next generation now looms in my kitchen awaiting the release of these from the oven’s hold. Today, we not only made the regular sized cookies, but someone whiffed out the smaller scoop in the kitchen drawer to assist me. Weston, who is 3, thought it was cute because of it’s size, somewhat commensurate with his own size. In his taste-testing session, I announced, “These are the best chocolate cookies!” He chimed in at the end and said ,”Ever!” Of course, we agree that he is right. Below, you can see his little ones to the right. Aren’t they cute? Just like him.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5½ dozen
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 1 c. white sugar
- 1½ c. dark brown sugar
- 1 T. vanilla
- 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
- 4 c. All Purpose Flour or 4½ cups White Lily Flour
- 2 t. baking soda
- 1 pkg. (12 oz.)Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees(convection) or 350 degrees (conventional).
- Soften butter in microwave for 10-15 seconds, if needed.( It should be soft enough for you to make impressions with your finger tips.)
- Mix on medium- high speed of Kitchen Aid mixer until soft.
- Add in both sugars and continue to mix until well blended.
- Whisk together the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then mix into batter until well-blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
- Increase speed when all flour is incorporated and beat on med-high speed for about 1 minute.
- Stir in chocolate chips on low speed until evenly distributed in batter.
- Drop onto parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart using a 1-1/2 inch diameter cookie scoop (1-1/2 T.).
- Bake for approximately 12 minutes in convection oven. If using settings for conventional oven, it may take a couple of more minutes, Monitor closely.
