According to my Facebook feed, it’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week. Is it me or is every week National Something or Other Week? I don’t usually get on board with these but it’s flippin’ Chocolate Chip Cookies! I’m crazy for CCC’s (how lame is that abbreviation?!) so I felt like sharing my current favorite CCC recipe. I say “current” because I go through phases where I prefer one recipe or another or find a whole new one on Pinterest. I haven’t yet tried the few that I’ve seen using some secret ingredient or another – cornstarch, pudding mix, etc. but this one has a bit of a secret ingredient flair, and method.

It produces deliciously soft, chewy, tasty Chocolate Chip Cookies that are super scarf-able. I do have to note that these don’t do well longer than a few days. I think it has something to do with the gluten or use of bread flour because duh, bread gets stale after a few days. Either way, I don’t think these will last too long anyway. They never do in our house (but they do freeze well just in case).

Bake up a batch, raise a cookie high and toast with a glass of ice cold milk…. Hurrah for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Week!

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from a blog or website or somewhere I cannot recall! (please don’t sue me, it’s an honest forgetful omission)

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ½ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup white sugar
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (1 pkg.) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prep 2 cookie sheets. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in a large bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream/whip the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for about a half hour (do not skip this step – it helps develop the gluten in the bread flour), then scoop onto parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning, if needed. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.