The Perfect Chocolate Cookie

This will be my last recipe for a couple of weeks. We are packing up our house and preparing to leave California for the D.C. area. I am beyond excited to live somewhere new, yet at the same time, I am feeling pretty sad about leaving. We’ve lived here for almost a decade. Our children’s lives began here, our education was completed here, and this is where I became Catholic. Please pray for us as we embark on this cross-county drive within the next week or so to arrive at our new beginning.

As I bid “farewell” to California, I think about all of the beautiful time spent in my kitchen surrounded by friends, family, new babies, big kids, little kids, dogs, and whoever else happened to walk in the door for a meal. I have to say, out of all of the food I have prepared, cookies are probably the most popular item. We’ve had a couple friends live with us over the last several years, and they will testify that I am a cookie monster (a.k.a. connoisseur). To celebrate this new beginning, and to also cherish the time here, I put together this absolutely perfect (oh yes, perfect) chocolate cookie recipe. It is one of those recipes that you will want to make over and over and over again. The outside is crispy, and the inside is soft and fudgy.

Chocolate Cookies

You will need:

4 sticks of softened butter (2 cups)
2 cups of sugar (1 1/2 white, 1/2 brown)
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

To begin, preheat your oven to 350*F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I like to beat this on high for 30-45 seconds with the whisk attachment (if using a stand mixer) until combined. I then scrape the bowl down and beat again on high for another 30-45 seconds until it is really light and fluffy. Go ahead and switch to a paddle attachment and add in the two eggs and vanilla. Give it a good mix on medium speed until everything is well incorporated.

Next, add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt all at once. Mix on low to medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix again until you can’t see any of the white butter/egg/sugar/vanilla mixture. Add in the 2 cups of chocolate chips and mix on low until well incorporated. It will look quite inviting at this point… but hold back. There’s still more to do! *self control*

Scoop out 1 tbsp dollops onto the parchment lined sheets. This recipe will make 24 cookies, so aim for no more than 12 per sheet. Make sure there is enough space between each cookie. When cookie recipes have just butter, and not shortening, they tend to spread out more.

Bake at 350*F for 11 minutes exactly. When the timer goes off, take them out and let them cool for a full 20 minutes. They will come out of the oven fluffy, but as time goes on in the cooling process, they will flatten significantly. The longer you let them cool, the more they will firm up. The outside will be crispy, and the inside will be delightfully fudgy and soft.

I had so many beautiful photos of them I just decided to put them all here. They are really the best cookies. You can also substitute half of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips. It is amazing! Beware- these are easy to eat. You have been warned.

I am looking forward to cooking in my new kitchen and sharing my recipes along the way. Thank you so much for your support. If you try one of my recipes, I would love to hear any feedback you may have! Follow me on Instagram @thecatholickitchen if you would like to keep up with our cross-country trip. We will be stopping at beautiful sites along the way. See you in a few weeks!

Lots of love and many blessings,

Chelsea

I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.

John 16: 7