The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ever

With the holidays coming up, I wanted to give you one of my favorite, all around, recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Are you ready?

First you need to buy a package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I've used the good brands, and I've used the store brands. I buy whichever is cheaper at the time--the good brand if it's on sale and I have a coupon, if not, then the cheap brand.

Start off with the basic cookie recipe on the back of the package. It should go something like this:

• 1 c (2 sticks) of butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 c of self-rising flour (or add 1 t salt & 1 t baking soda to regular, all-purpose flour)

Cream together the butter & sugar; add eggs & vanilla; add flour.

And now for the secret--add only HALF the package of chocolate chips, and only HALF of the amount of nuts called for on the package recipe. That translates to this:

• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c chopped pecans

Bake as usual, 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the baking sheet and place on a rack or plate to finish cooling. (If you can keep your family out of them long enough.)

Don't tell anyone what you've done, just sit back and wait for the compliments.

This is not just to be cheap (I prefer frugal, thank you); it actually makes a better tasting cookie. It gives a better proportion of cookie to chunky stuff. I've done this literally for years, ever since a cheap frugal friend told me about this. She started it to save money, and got so many compliments that she just continued to do it. Luckily, she believed in sharing!

Good baking, and good eating; until next time...

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