Homemade chocolate chip cookies are so good, I can probably eat 20 of them in one sitting. No, make that 30 😉 But seriously, I love them and have been baking them since I was a kid. And I’ve been using the exact same recipe because it’s awesome and never fails me. Drumroll please… it’s on the Nestle Semi-Sweet Morsels bag! You’re probably wondering, “then why should I read your blog?” Because I have tips and tricks to make your cookie amazingly good, and you will only find it here. Not on the bag. And I guarantee you, you will be coming back here when you want a chocolate chip cookie. So, let’s get to baking…

What you will need:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz. package, minus a handful because I always eat some) Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

Tip: Always use room temperature butter! I leave mine out for 1 to 2 hours before making cookie dough. It makes a world of difference in cookie flavor and texture. If you forget to leave it out, it’s actually ok to put it in the microwave. Just do 10 second increments 2 or 3 times. Do not melt the butter. This creates flat, greasy cookies. Soft butter is the goal.

To make the cookie dough:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes, up to overnight. If you chill dough overnight, take it out for 15 minutes before baking cookies. Trick: Chilling the dough helps the flour absorb moisture, so your cookies do not thin out when baking. It also makes all the flavors meld together. There’s a whole science behind this that I don’t understand so I won’t bore you with the details. Just chill your dough 🙂

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take dough out of fridge and try not to eat it all. Drop dough by large spoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Tip: Check them at 8 minutes to see how they are doing. 10 minutes seems to be the magic time for me, but if you like your cookies crispy, leave them in longer.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Enjoy!