I've found a couple different ways to make these cookies and switched it up every time...though mostly I skip the chilling, because who wants to wait a day for their cookies?! Also, excuse the photos, the whole post has been a lovely 6 months in coming up, since it was an impromptu, "I want chocolate, I want cookies!!!" by Andy while I was home. Then while we were cooking he said "you should blog about this!" not knowing where my camera was though, I settled for iPhone photos. So these will have to satisfy your craving till you make these for yourself.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of UNSALTED butter --- Lien, salted butter = salty cookies.
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flower
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 sm. bag (or less) of chocolate chips (you know some times I mostly just want the dough!)
1 cup of chopped pecans/almonds/etc.
1 cup of oats (optional) if you include this add before you add the flour so you can see if you should add less flour, based on the consistency of the dough after 2 cups of flour.
1. Melt the butter in a silver or light colored pan, this is ideal for seeing what color the butter is. Cook over moderate heat until it turns a beautiful amber color, whisking constantly. Now every recipe tells you this will take like 5-8 minutes, it always takes nearly twice that for me, so don't get discouraged. I'm always impatient and hate standing there whisking, so turn on some music or the tv and zone out for a little bit while you whisk since it makes it all the better. My brother stood there the whole time once whisking, and man, that was the best browned butter I've seen in ages. If you don't whisk while it does it's thing then it gets little burned bits in it. You can tell the butter is done when it has an especially nutty smell, and the color matches. I also go all out and get a flash light in there too to help with the color. :)
2. Now your supposed to let the butter cool to room temperature, I let it sit while I get the other ingredients ready, and then just dump it in even if it is still warm. Remember, impatient here. So combine the butter, sugars and whisk until smooth. Then add the vanilla and the eggs. Should look about like this:
3. Then add the baking soda and salt. Then the oatmeal, if adding. Then the flour. Mix after each addition, this is so the smaller and more important for baking/fluffing/rising all that chemistry gobbly gook, like the baking soda get evenly dispersed through the mixture before the flour goes in. Yes, I know most pro chefs just sift the dry ingredients in another bowl together, but again, impatience here, and one less thing to clean.
4. Then stir in the chocolate chips and the nuts.
5. Here's the part where you're suppose to chill it for 24 hours. Choose to do as you wish!
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then scoop nice spoonfuls on to ungreased cookie sheets. There's already butter in them, hence no greasing. Bake for about 8 minutes, in the center of the oven, I always rotate the sheets half way. Take out based on your desired doneness, i.e. semi gooey cookies the Ashlee/Rachel way, or harder crunchy cookies, etc. No matter what you want, always take it out when you think they are slightly underdone as they will continue to cook on the cookie sheet.
7. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then take off and put on a baking rack or a cut up brown paper bag, absorbs the grease.
8. Enjoy!
