mom's chocolate chip cookies {this recipe goes back 4 generations + cookie pops}

Do you have something you're embarrassed about? Like if someone were to know this about you, you'd be ashamed? I have several. Lemme spill one of them:I cannot, CANNOT have chocolate chip cookie dough in my fridge or else I will bake a few cookies for every meal.You heard me.A cookie for breakfast? Check. Oh how about lunch? Oh what's that son you want a cookie? (*whispers* He never asked for a cookie) I'll go ahead and bake a few.Welcome home husband let me bake you a few fresh cookies! *Plops cold dough on parchment and begins preheating the oven. No wait, the oven's been ready for an hour.*We don't need to talk about it? Unless you want to? But let me get to the good stuff and why we're really here.These cookies. These are the cookies of my childhood. Like if I had to sum up my mom, and her love and how amazing she was and how magical she made things - it's these cookies.Like not only did mom bake me warm chocolate chip cookies on a rainy day (or any day really, let's be honest) - but she went a step above and beyond and put those cookies on a stick. A cookie pop! WHO DOES THAT? My mom. The bar is high for me my friends. lolIn fact these have been so memorable that one day I told my mom - "I think I'm gonna make cookies on a stick" - have you ever tried using another CC recipe? She told me she hadn't - but me, being ME, had to try another chocolate chip cookie recipe to see if it would work (it didn't) and when I finally made mom's recipe for my son - he said: "Oh! That's nice mommy!"You have to make these. I adore them.Yes yes, make them for the kids but I have yet to meet a grown up that doesn't love them.I daresay if you have to make one cookie this holiday season - make these. I promise you, everyone will be talking about them for days... like in a good way!(ps. And just in case you were wondering, no there's no cookie dough in my fridge at the moment because I've already eaten it all. 😑 ) Happy baking my friends. Oh how I love you! xo

mom's chocolate chip cookies

This secret recipe goes back 3 generations all the way to great grandma - and with my mom’s permission, I’m giving it to you now. I’ve yet to find another chocolate chip cookie recipe quite like it; it’s sturdy and simple and purposefully gooey if slightly underbaked (which is the way I like them) and just a classic, no-fuss cookie. Salted butter is a must. (In fact my grandma and mom ALWAYS used salted butter in their baking, it wasn’t until I worked for a pastry chef that’d found out most bakers use unsalted butter.) If I could sum up my childhood in one recipe, it would be these cookies. They're also the perfect cookies to put on a popsicle stick; which isn't entirely necessary, but I promise you, will be appreciated by everybody. Kids, adults and the adults who still act like kids. ;)

• 1 pound / 4 sticks / 2 cups / 454g salted butter (room temperature* see bakers notes if you need to bring it to room temperature)
• 1 ½ cups / 300g granulated sugar
• 2 cups / 440g brown sugar (packed)
• 3 eggs (preferably pasture raised)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 6 cups / 750g all purpose flour ((buy a high quality, organic all purpose flour if you can, spelt flour also works beautifully - but yields a more delicate cookie)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 23 ounces / 652g dark chocolate chips, or disks, or a mix of both ((friends in the states - this is two, 11.5 ounce bags of chocolate chips) (see resources for recommended brands) )
• colorful candies (for pressing into the tops of the cookies, optional (see resources for recommended candies))
• course flaky sea salt (optional, for sprinkling on top)

1. If you are baking these right away, preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I recommend chilling the dough overnight - or at least for a few hours, before baking. The dough only gets better with time. See bakers notes for more tips. 

2. Measure out all ingredients. Put all dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) together in a big bowl. Eggs + vanilla in another bowl. Butter + sugars in your electric mixing bowl. Chocolate chips measured and set aside. 

3. Using a standing electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars for about 8 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. (bakers tip! Do not skimp on the beat time here - it’s super important that the butter + flour gets time to blend together!)

4. Slowly add your eggs + vanilla. Whip together for another 5-7 minutes.

5. Slowly add all dry ingredients - adding about 1 cup of the dry mixture at a time. bakers tip - I usually have my mixer on super low (the “stir” setting on a Kitchenaid)

6. Scrape down the sides + bottom of the bowl after you add your dry ingredients, making sure it’s all mixed together.

7. Once the flour mixture has all been incorporated, put your mixer on low and add chocolate chips + disks .

8. Chill dough overnight, tightly wrapped. (I like to take my dough out of the mixing bowl, wrap it in parchment paper and keep it in a ziplock bag). 

9. Bake at 350 F / 180 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If making cookie-pops, form dough balls and stick a popsicle stick all the way through the cookie ball - you want the stick going all the way through to the top of the dough ball - just make sure the stick isn’t sticking out. Does that make sense? 

10. bakers tip - make the dough balls about 50-80g in weight, or about 2-3 tablespoons.

    Press colorful candies and sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of each dough ball. (This is optional!) 

11. If making cookie-pops (cookies on a stick) space the cookies on the baking sheet accordingly, you don’t want any sticks touching other dough balls.

12. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges of the cookies are golden brown. 

13. Make sure the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before serving - probably a bit longer. If the cookies are too warm, they’ll fall right off the popsicle stick. 

14. Cookies keep tightly wrapped for about 5 days in the fridge tightly wrapped before getting wonky and keep for about 1 month (fully baked) in the freezer. 

resources: 

I love and use the naturally dyed m+m like cookies from trader joes. 

I love maldon sea salt. 

I love the dark chocolate chips and disks from guittard. (They both come in a red bag). 

bakers notes: If you forgot to soften your butter to room temp, just cut the butter up into tablespoon-ish slices and whip the butter in the mixer until soft (takes about 5-10 mins). Scrape down the sides and  proceed with the rest of the recipe from there.

Try to let your dough chill overnight before baking these cookies. I like to have cold dough balls going into the oven. I find that cold dough balls yield more perfectly baked cookies - meaning they’re crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.