National Chocolate Chip Day - May 15th

did you know??
May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day
here's a recipe to help you celbrate... ENJOY!!

The real, the original, the authentic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Judy from St Louis Missouri, remembers her favorite childhood food memory... I was about 5 years old when I started helping my mother make her Christmas Cookies. I got assigned the task of mixing the chocolate chip cookies. For many years I helped eventually making them all by myself. The year I was ill and couldn't help, my favorite Uncle Jerry told my mother the cookies tasted different and he just knew I didn't make them. After that nothing could keep me from helping just so my Uncle could be happy. He has since gone to the Lord and I still miss him dearly... Thanks Judy.. Here a recipe for Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies.. with a "few" considerations for making it even... "better"

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Spread into greased 15"x10" jelly-roll pan. Bake in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (>5,200 feet): INCREASE flour to 2 1/2 cups; add 2 teaspoonfuls water with flour; reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each . Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookies for 17 to 19 minutes.

recipe: from back of Toll House Chocolate Morsels package.
.. here are some considerations for improving the "Original... better..."

1. always use real butter.
2. TRIPLE the amount of vanilla extract recommended. Use pure vanilla extract.. not imitation. (Incidentally, vanilla is a wondrous and versatile substance. Click here to find out where you can obtain fresh vanilla beans.. and how to make your own pure vanilla extract.)
3. and this can make a big difference, don't just let the butter sit out at room temperature to become soft. Instead, melt it, very carefully, so that it doesn't burn (you can use a double boiler -- or else a microwave oven that is set very low and which you are watching like a hawk).
4. add a little milk, maybe just a tablespoon or two, when you are mixing the dough. This will make it less stiff and the cookies will be less hard and crunchy when they are done.
5. make sure the dough is nice and cold when you spoon it onto the cookie sheet.
6. if you like, try leaving out part of the sugar. I find sometimes that these cookies are easier to take if even 1/8 cup (two tablespoons) of the sugar (white or brown) is omitted.

... for photo and printer-friendly recipe go to: http://www.homebakedmemories.com/pf_pages/pfChocChpCookie.htm

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