The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies You'll Ever Eat (Not Hyperbole, Fact!)

I must say that my favorite type of cookie is chocolate chip. My vision of the perfect chocolate chip cookie is one that is slightly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. (If you like hard, crunchy cookies like my sister does, then stop reading right now. Such heresy shall never grace the pages of my blog, so take your sweet tooth elsewhere!) The perfect cookie must have plenty of chocolate chips and a flavorful cookie base. I've kind of been on a quest to find this perfect recipe. Every time I made chocolate chip cookies I tried something new, but every recipe was missing something. Some were too crispy, some too doughy or cakey. And some had too much cookie and not enough chocolate! And all of them were lacking some specific taste that I just couldn't identify. (I'm not a chef or a foodie, so I've never been able to taste something and say, "This needs a touch more cumin." Not that you would put cumin in chocolate chip cookies, but you get my point!)

Use the paddle attachment to mix.

Then my friend Verna brought chocolate chip cookies to our ladies' Bible study. And everyone went crazy! All the women in the group demanded the recipe. My search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie was over! And that taste I was searching for? Salt. These cookies have more salt than your average recipe, and the combination of salty and sweet is amazing! I've since made these for several different groups, and each time I make them, I get rave reviews. My husband and my son like them, too. The last time I made them, I caught my son (who is a toddler now) standing on his tiptoes to snitch cookies off the kitchen table!

So here is the recipe! (drum roll, please!) The parenthetical insertions are mine. The only real changes I've made to the original recipe is that, as usual, I recommend using parchment paper, and that I employed my method for guaranteeing chewy cookies. (You can see the blog post where I discussed this method here.) I promise you won't be disappointed. (Unless you're like my sister, but in that case, why are you still reading this?)

Verna's Chocolate Chip Cookies

When the cookies first come out they should look pillowy!

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2. Mix butter (using a stand mixer or hand mixer) until creamy. (If you're like me and you always forget to set out your butter ahead of time, use this method to soften it up in the microwave.)
3. Add sugars and beat well. 
4. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. 
5. Combine dry ingredients (in a separate bowl).  
6. Add dry ingredients to wet a little at a time until well mixed. 
7. Add chocolate chips. (Mix well.)
8. (Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.)  
9. Put onto pans in one inch balls (no larger or they will be under-done!) and bake for about 7 minutes (or until just slightly brown around the edges but still doughy in the centers.)
10. (Let sit on pans for exactly 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.)

Makes about 4 dozen.

I promise you won't be disappointed!!