Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's always a happy mail day when my Taste of Home Special Delivery Box arrives! The Spring box was particularly well-timed because we'd been having a stretch of cold, rainy weather, and it was an instant mood booster.

I'm always amazed at the variety of kitchen items that are included, and despite having a good sized gadget collection, I rarely get an item that I already own. The big standout of this box was the rinse and store colander, since we are expecting another huge crop of blackberries this year. I'll definitely be picking up more of those!

After I oohed and ahhed over all the goodies, I sat down with a cup of coffee and the cookbook and got to marking recipes I want to try. One of the ones that I put on the menu right away was the Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies.

You do have to plan ahead a bit if you want to make these, the dough needs to chill over night. I omitted the nuts and still got 22 cookies. My week actually played out so they sat a few nights in the fridge, patiently waiting to be baked up.

These are my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie! They baked up beautifully, huge and full of chips. They're thick and chewy through the middle, and just a little bit crunchy around the edges. I let a tray of six go for just a bit longer than the recipe calls for so that they were the exact doneness I like for dunking in milk.

Thank you so much to Irene Y. for sharing her recipe! Do you have an amazing recipe you'd like to submit to Taste of Home? Follow this link and learn how! Want to apply to be a Community Cook? Check out the requirements and apply here!

Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 21, omitting nuts

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package semisweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (omitted)

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Shape 1/4 cupfuls of dough into balls. Flatten each to 3/4-in. thickness (2-1/2-in. diameter), smoothing edges as necessary. Place in an airtight container, separating layers with waxed or parchment paper; refrigerate, covered, overnight.
To bake, place dough portions 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400°.
Bake until edges are golden brown (centers will be light), 10-12 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.