Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 4 dozen
Total Cost: NY $4.42
Cost per cookie: NY $0.09


As you’ve probably heard by now, Nestle has recalled all of its refrigerated cookie dough products, including Toll House. And. . . all this talk of chocolate chip cookie dough has made me crave cookies. Because yes, I am weird like that. So, no time like the present to make our own cookie dough!*


This recipe includes a neat trick that the LBUH picked up from a college roommate about how to keep your cookies chewy. Another great thing about this recipe is that it lets you satisfy your cravings for fresh chocolate cookies both now, and later. We always make a baking sheet (or two if we’re being honest . . . .) immediately, and store the rest of the batter in the freezer for later on in the week.** Later, just put frozen chunks of cookie dough on a baking sheet, and increase the first cooking time slightly.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature (NY $1.50)
• ¾ cup white sugar (NY $0.26)
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar (NY $0.35)
• 2 eggs (NY $0.33)
• 1 tbsp milk (staple)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (staple)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (staple)
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (NY $0.49)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (staple)
• ½ teaspoon salt (staple)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (NY $1.49)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degress. Using an electric mixer or by hand if you prefer, cream together the butter and the sugars. Add eggs one at a time along with the milk and the almond and vanilla extracts and beat until well-blended. (If doing this by hand, whisk the eggs just to blend in a separate bowl before incorporating into the butter mixture.)

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. When thoroughly mixed, slowly stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Place teaspoon-sized drops of cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake. After the cookies have been baking for about 5-7 minutes, remove the tray, and quickly slap the tray down on your counter. This should cause the bubbly cookies to quickly deflate and flatten. This is a good thing! Deflating the cookies helps them stay chewy after they have cooled.


Place the tray back in the oven and bake until the cookies are beginning to brown, approx. another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until they start to harden slightly (approx. 2-5 minutes), and then transfer cookies to a baking rack to finish cooling.

* So, you may be wondering, what’s the “healthy” angle on this recipe? Ummm, not loaded down with E. Coli? That’s sounds healthy to us! Not good enough? Then we’re going to have to go with “all things in moderation”.

**Or later in the month or season if you, unlike us, possess some of that “willpower” stuff they’re always babbling about.

*** Our oven unfortunately has a draft, alas, so it usually takes longer.


Nutritional Facts
Amount Per Cookie

Calories 108.5	Vitamin A 2.9 %	Iron 3.1 %
Total Fat 5.7 g	Vitamin B-12 0.5 %	Magnesium 2.5 %
Cholesterol 17.8 mg	Vitamin B-6 0.4 %	Manganese 5.0 %
Sodium 74.1 mg	Vitamin C 0.0 %	Niacin 1.8 %
Potassium 44.8 mg	Vitamin D 0.3 %	Phosphorus 2.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 14.2 g	Vitamin E 0.8 %	Riboflavin 2.7 %
Fiber 0.5 g	Calcium 0.8 %	Selenium 4.0 %
Sugars 6.5 g	Copper 3.2 %	Thiamin 3.2 %
Protein 1.1 g	Folate 2.8 %	Zinc 1.2 %