The Easiest, Tastiest Chocolate Chip Cookie You'll Ever Make...

The title is no joke. This recipe is on the very first page of the Nestle Tollhouse cookbook we have in our (somewhat large) collection. In fact, this recipe is so easy a caveman could do it.

Every time I bake these cookies I like to stray just a bit from the recipe and create my own little concoction. Typically this just means dumping in some oatmeal with mini chocolate chips or something equally uninspired like that.

This time around I was baking these for my best friend Katie so I held back from going too far with a new experiment. This time I simply swapped out my oatmeal for the addition of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and walnuts. I went to see her this past weekend and I wanted to take something delicious to snack on. However, I had a very limited amount of time in which to bake before I had to hit the road so I prepared all the ingredients the week before when I was home. It was so easy I wish I could bake like that all the time… Combining ingredients in plastic bags and just throwing them all in a bowl when you get an urge for something sweet.

So! As soon as I got back to my house I turned on the oven and proceeded to soften the butter and add all the ingredients from their respective baggies that I had them stored in. There is nothing special about this recipe. It uses very typical ingredients to create a cookie that is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth amazing. My mom told me this particular cookie was a little too sweet (but in all fairness she said this after eating THREE). I tend to agree with her on this one though and I blame the white chocolate chips. I love white chocolate but for some reason white chocolate chips just do not taste very good. If it’s white chocolate it better be Lindt, that’s all I have to say.

The point is, this is a very basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and can be played around with in many ways. Aside from adding or subtracting chocolate chips or something else, adding cinnamon or nutmeg (or both) can be really good (been there, done that). I am kind of curious how these would turn out if I changed the type of extract I use. Hmmm… next time!

Nestle’s Chocolate Chip Cookies Yield: 5 Dozen

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips (Naturally the Nestle version says you should use Nestle chocolate chips but of course it doesn’t matter!)

1 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts, my favorite. But again, using something else like peanuts might be just as good in this recipe.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. 

2. Beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts just until combined. 

3. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.

It doesn't get any easier than that folks.

Everything ready to go and waiting to made into something delicious!

Nothing I love more than this step. Stirring all the amazing chocolates and nuts into the dough.

The final product. I think they are pretty photogenic, myself.