The Best Damn Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever [Recipe]

There was a time in my twenties where I could leap like a gazelle -- a really heavy gazelle -- and play ultimate frisbee until the sun plunged into the horizon.

After all that running, I was famished and needed something -- anything -- to curb my hunger until I got a reasonable meal. After one game, one of my teammates brought out a humble container of chocolate chip cookies and handed out cookies to our team. There was an awkward amount of shock and moans from our bench after tasting the best chocolate chip cookies. Forget the crappy cardboard cookies from the grocery store, and don't even begin to talk about those charred sliver cookies some person who claims to have a command over their kitchen has brought to a potluck dinner.

These cookies were perfect.

They were soft enough that if you grabbed one and looked over your shoulder, the other half of the cookie would slowly pull away and fall into the dirt. They were still warm and the chocolate was melted and as stringy as fried mozzarella sticks.

I proceeded to take the last bite of my cookie -- aka melted heaven -- and I realized I had made a grave mistake. I didn't save one for my wife.

She would know that something magical happened that night because I normally don't smile and glow after 2 hours of ultimate, and I wanted to live to tell the tale.

The dealer of these delectable baked goods said his wife used a recipe. I thought of what I would offer in exchange for this prized recipe, and realized 16 ounces of my handmade honey roasted peanut butter would make a fair trade. Back then I didn't just make crunchy or creamy. I included several sized bits of crushed peanuts to make every spoonful of peanut butter a memorable moment. I made the offer and the cookie dealer accepted.

After I handed him the container of peanut butter, he emailed me this recipe.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups of sugar (I mix 50% turbinado with white or brown sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I use my own vanilla extract now.
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chip cookies (highly recommend Guittard's Super Cookie Chips)
• 1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup of oats (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix melted butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs and vanilla then stir.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and stir. (add optional ingredients if you want)
5. Add chocolate chip cookies one quarter cup at a time and stir vigorously.
6. After the mix has been taste tested several times, spread it out in parchment paper as a 2 inch diameter log.
7. Freeze the cookie dough log wrapped in parchment paper for 20-25 minutes.
8. Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and chop half inch cookie discs.
9. Lay these discs two inches apart and bake for exactly 10 minutes.
10. Step 9 is extremely important. It ensures the cookies are chewy. Place the perfectly baked cookies on a cookie rack and let them cool.
11. If you are feeling particularly impatient, eat the cookies warm and enjoy.

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image source:wikimedia.org