Whatever Day it is; Kitchen Quarantine, Old School Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I confessed in another post that cookies are my downfall---given an empty house, I would eat every cookie I could find.  One of my favorite store-bought cookies is Tates' Bakeshop Chocolate Chip cookies.  These are crisp chocolate chip cookies, that stain your chin with buttery goodness.  

The recipe for these cookies in the Tate's Bakeshop Bakery Cookbook doesn't produce a crisp cookie---I've tried my darndest to get them there, but they don't get to that crispy consistency.  BUT, the good news, I've finally gotten their recipe to a point that I love them (which is unfortunate since I can't stop eating them). These cookies are thin, with a crispy edge, but a chewy center.  The other night I made them, and even our son, who is the chocolate chip cookie monster said they were my best effort ever.  Cook's Note here, we are more partial to milk chocolate chips in these cookies, but you can use semi-sweet or white chocolate in them if you prefer.  The other note is that using salted butter gave me a more flavorful cookie---go figure after years of culinary school, and teaching, it seems that salted butter in cookies has resulted in Nirvana.  

Chocolate Chippers

Depending on the scoop you use, this should make 36 to 48 cookies

1 cup salted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

8 ounces milk chocolate chips (I've used Ghirardelli and Guittard with great results)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line baking sheets with silicone, aluminum foil, or parchment.  
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.  
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat till smooth. 
4. Add the flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips, beating on low speed until just combined. 
5. Using a portion scoop, or a tablespoon, form the dough into balls and place 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.  
6. Wet your hands, and press down on the cookies, bake for 10 minutes, reverse the baking sheets and bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the edges are golden brown, and the center are set.  
7. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks to cool and store in airtight containers.  
8. Cook's Note:  This recipe was adapted from the Tates Bake Shop Cookbook.
9. If you only have unsalted butter, add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to the recipe. 

So, I have no idea what day it is in our quarantine, but I do know that we are in, and when we go out we wear masks, and we social distance.  That is the only way we can flatten the curve.  After the 4th of July, I realized that we'd have 2 weeks till the next wave happened, and here we are in California, basically closed down again.  Stay safe and stay well.