POSITIVELY THE ABSOLUTE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES by
Ingredients
8 ozs. (2 sticks) butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs(large or extra large)
2 1/4 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water
8 ozs. (2 generous cups) walnuts, cut or broke into medium size pieces
12 ozs. (2 cups) semi sweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
1. Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375 F. Cut parchment paper to fit cookie sheet.
2. In large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add salt, vanilla, and both sugars; beat well. Add the eggs and beat well. On low speed, add half of the flour and scrap the bowl with rubber spatula, beat only until incorporated. In a small cup, stir the baking soda into the hot water to dissolve it, then mix it into the dough. Add the remaining flour, beating only till mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the walnuts and morsels.
3. Now although this dough can be and usually is simple dropped from a teaspoon, I think the cookies are much better if you roll the dough between your hands into balls. The cookies will have a more even shape and a more even color. I think they taste better.
4. Spread out a large piece of wax paper on the counter next to the sink. Use small cookie scoop of the dough for each cookie and place the mounds on the wax paper. Then wet your hands with cold water, shake off excess water, but do not dry your hands. Pick up a mound of dough and roll it between your wet hands into a smooth, round shape, then press it between your hands to flatten it evenly into a round shape about 1/2 inch thick, place in pan.( If you refrigerate the dough overnight, it is not necessary to wet your hands, just roll a mound of dough between your hands, flatten it and place on pan. If you do not refrigerate the dough, and do not roll it between your hands, but simply drop it from the cookie scoop, at least flatten the mounds by pressing them with the back of the bowl of a wet teaspoon.) Place the flatten rounds of dough 2 inches apart on pan.
5. Slide cookie sheets into oven, cooking 2 pans at a time, reversing the pans top to bottom, front to back as necessary during baking, to insure even browning. Bake for @ 12 minutes or a little longer until the cookies are browned. ( If you bake only one sheet at a time, bake it on the upper rack.) They must be crisp! Do not under bake.
6. Let the cookies cool for a few seconds on the pan until they are firm enough to be moved. Then with a wide metal spatula, transfer them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
2. In large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add salt, vanilla, and both sugars; beat well. Add the eggs and beat well. On low speed, add half of the flour and scrap the bowl with rubber spatula, beat only until incorporated. In a small cup, stir the baking soda into the hot water to dissolve it, then mix it into the dough. Add the remaining flour, beating only till mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the walnuts and morsels.
3. Now although this dough can be and usually is simple dropped from a teaspoon, I think the cookies are much better if you roll the dough between your hands into balls. The cookies will have a more even shape and a more even color. I think they taste better.
4. Spread out a large piece of wax paper on the counter next to the sink. Use small cookie scoop of the dough for each cookie and place the mounds on the wax paper. Then wet your hands with cold water, shake off excess water, but do not dry your hands. Pick up a mound of dough and roll it between your wet hands into a smooth, round shape, then press it between your hands to flatten it evenly into a round shape about 1/2 inch thick, place in pan.( If you refrigerate the dough overnight, it is not necessary to wet your hands, just roll a mound of dough between your hands, flatten it and place on pan. If you do not refrigerate the dough, and do not roll it between your hands, but simply drop it from the cookie scoop, at least flatten the mounds by pressing them with the back of the bowl of a wet teaspoon.) Place the flatten rounds of dough 2 inches apart on pan.
5. Slide cookie sheets into oven, cooking 2 pans at a time, reversing the pans top to bottom, front to back as necessary during baking, to insure even browning. Bake for @ 12 minutes or a little longer until the cookies are browned. ( If you bake only one sheet at a time, bake it on the upper rack.) They must be crisp! Do not under bake.
6. Let the cookies cool for a few seconds on the pan until they are firm enough to be moved. Then with a wide metal spatula, transfer them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.