Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Everyone has their own opinion about what makes a chocolate chip cookie "ideal". Some people like them crunchy, others like them barley cooked, and heck, some people just eat them BEFORE they're even baked. Then there are chocolate choices... Mini chips, chunks, dark or milk chocolate etc. Then there are the extra add-ins like oatmeal, chopped nuts, coconut, cinnamon... Basically the options are endless. That being said, for me, a perfect chocolate chip cookie is crunchy on the outside but still soft in the center, has dark chocolate chunks, and last but not least, has just a touch of sea salt to balance out the sweetness. It's taken me a very long time to come up with my perfect cookie but after lots of experimenting I think I've finally figured it out! So without farther ado... here is the recipe for MY ideal chocolate chip cookie.

Makes: 24 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
2 eggs
1Tbs. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 3/4 flour
6 oz. chopped dark chocolate bar
2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand up mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the next four ingredients and beat until smooth. Lastly, stir in the chopped chocolate and sea salt. Roll batter into 2inch balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden around the outside. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack for at least 4 minutes just to let them set but these are best when eaten warm with a nice glass of cold milk.

                                                                              Cheers!