Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

This is the quintessential "American cookie!"  When I was a foreign exchange student in Finland, this was one of the many recipes I brought with me.  I made these cookies regularly for my host family...they loved them!  There was one problem, however.  Finnish markets and grocery stores, as in most other European countries, don't carry "chocolate chips!"  So, I would buy a huge Finnish milk chocolate bar and chop it up into chunks.  It worked brilliantly!  My host family was so intrigued with this “American cookie” my host mom, a newspaper writer and editor, featured this recipe and a photograph of me and the cookies in the newspaper!  The original recipe belonged to my own mother, originally scribbled out on a 3X5 card it, was entitled “Mrs. Field’s Fakes.”  There is no better chocolate chip cookie around, believe me, I’ve tried all of them!  This recipe makes a lot of dough however.  Which is great for giving to neighbors and still having enough for your family.  I love to freeze extra cookies for the kids' lunch boxes. I bag individual cookies in a small zip lock bag and freeze them.  Every school day morning I pull out a frozen cookie and place it in their lunch boxes. I always send extra cookies for Thomas' high school friends...they LOVE it! 

1 ½ cups sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 pound butter, (2 cups) softened

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons vanilla

6 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking soda

16 ounces milk or semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

In bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugars.  Lightly beat eggs and vanilla together and add to butter mixture.  Beat until light and fluffy.  In separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Beat flour into butter mixture in equal parts until well combined.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.  Using an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup drop on ungreased cookie sheet.  You can press a few chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie dough ball if you like the look of chips on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.  Remove cookies to rack to cool. Cookies don’t appear done until fully cooled.