Yummy Monday (Tuesday): Kai's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, maybe I should call these Betty Crocker's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, because her recipe is the base of mine.  You can find hers here, but I'll recap it here as well:

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12oz bag of chocolate chips

Mix up the sugars, butter, egg and vanilla together.  Double points if you can do it in a Kitchen Aid mixer, it makes life SOOOO much easier!  One major tip is to be very careful about how soft your butter gets.  Too soft & melty and your cookies will completely flatten when you bake them.  I tend to keep my butter on the firmer side (another reason for the mixer) and keep my cookies nice and thick. 

I add the salt and baking soda next, and while the mixer is going on slow, add the flour a 1/2 cup at a time until it's thoroughly mixed.  Add in the chocolate chips, dig your spoon for a nice big "taste test" and relax!  Funny how whatever the quantities they say it's going to make, it always makes so much less by the time I actually get around to baking them ;) 

Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees for no more than 9 minutes.  They may look a little undercooked when you take them out, but take them out nonetheless.  They'll continue to cook a little on the hot cookie sheet, and once they're cool, they'll be just a tiny bit crunchy on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside.  Perfection.