April Cooking Assignment: Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the month of April, I made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I used the creaming method. The creaming method is when you beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and then you add in the dry ingredients mixture. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I did change a few things. First, the recipe called for light brown sugar, which I didn't have. I used dark brown sugar instead. The recipe also called for room temperature butter and the butter I ended up using wasn’t nearly room temperature. The final change I made was the amount of chocolate chips. I added a little bit extra chocolate chips because I like extra chocolate.

When the chocolate chip cookies came out of the oven they smelled perfect. My mom said the smell reminded her of when her grandma used to make cookies. They smelled warm and sweet, but looked even better. They were golden brown on the edges and the inside was filled with gooey chocolate chips. The color of the cookie was a darker brown because of the dark brown sugar I used. When I bit into it, it tasted sweet and chocolaty. The cookie was crispy on the edges and soft on the inside.

I would definitely make these cookies again. Not only did they taste amazing, but my entire family loved them. I did learn something from this experience, the type brown sugar you use doesn’t necessarily effect the taste, but it will effect the color.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
• 1 12-ounce package milk chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend.
4. Using electric or stand mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
5. Add white sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended.
6. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy and well blended.
7. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until blended.
8. Pour half of chocolate chips into the bottom of a large bowl and then add half the dough on top of the chips.
9. Stir dough and chips together, then add more chips and more dough until all is mixed together.
10. Cover and place dough in refrigerator for 24-36 hours.
11. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet, giving each cookie plenty of room.
12. Bake for 14-15 minutes until brown around the edges and pale brown in the middle.
13. Cool slightly on cookie sheet.
14. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely.