A Taste of the World: Chocolate Chip Cookies

There has never been a better excuse for overindulgence than the holidays. Worried about the permanent lipstick stain your great aunt Margaret is going to leave on your cheek during your family's big Christmas Eve party?

Drown your anxiety in sweets and treats without an ounce of guilt! You may be worried about your mom's traditional tuna casserole, but you can always count on warm, soft homemade chocolate chip cookies.

So, for my conclusion to this cooking endeavor which I know you have been patiently following all semester, I present to you the recipe for the most perfect chocolate chip cookies you will ever make.

To start, let your butter sit out so it gets to room temperature and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the brown and the white sugar with the soft butter. If you don't have time to let the butter come to room temperature, put it in a small bowl and heat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. It's important not to melt the butter completely because this affects the consistency of your cookie dough and will result in flat crispy cookies.

Mix the butter and the sugar until it forms a cream. Lightly beat two eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture.

Next, in a separate medium sized bowl, sift in the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add this to the creamed mixture. Your dough will start to get stiff, but have no fear! stiffness of the dough is exactly what you want.

Be warned: the softer the dough, the flatter your cookies will bake. Remember, the dough is going to melt a little in the oven, but the flour and egg combination is what holds the cookie together.

Once you have finished adding the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, you can add the chocolate chips.

The best type of chocolate chips to use are semi-sweet ones specifically labeled for baking. Market chain Ralph's has some good, cheap chocolate chips, perfect for baking.

Now that you are ready to bake, lay a sheet of tinfoil onto the baking pan. For the perfect sized cookie, use an ice-cream scooper to scoop up the dough, and mold it with your palm into a little ball. Put this down on the tinfoil and flatten the ball a little with your palm. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes.

Once you start to see a golden brown ring around the bottom edge of the cookies, they're just about done! I like my cookies gooey in the middle, so I take them out of the oven after exactly 12 minutes, but if you like them a little bit cagier or crispy, let them cook for about three to five minutes longer.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 c Granulated sugar

1 c Brown sugar

1 c Butter

1 tb Vanilla

2 Eggs, slightly beaten

3 c Flour

3/4 ts Baking soda

3/4 ts Salt

3 c Semi-sweet chocolate chips

There you have it, the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  However, no cookie recipe is complete without  a glass of milk, so pour yourself a tall one and enjoy!

I must say, it has been a pleasure cooking for you. I hope you all have a happy holiday season, cooking or not, and enjoy your winter break.