I have had a request for chocolate chip cookies. You may be anticipating a somewhat archaic recipe, however the fact is chocolate chips are fairly recent. And so you will simply be getting a classic recipe. However as usual I will be accompanying it with a gluten-free recipe, for as you know one of my humans has a severe gluten intolerance. It upsets me that so often gluten intolerant or celiacs our own mid from all of the delicious treats that are so ubiquitous this time of year.

For the following two recipes, assume that these tools are necessary:

• Mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• A small bowl or cup
• Mixer
• A good silicone spatula or spoon for scraping the sides of the mixer

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 3 c all purpose flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 c 1 sugar
• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 1 c softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp hot water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water, inside your small bowl
3. In your mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time. Add the vanilla. Add the baking soda mixture and salt. Incorporate the flour slowly. Finally added the chips.
4. Form into balls using a spoon and space on the cookie sheet a couple inches apart
5. Bakes for about ten minutes.

To make these into “chocolate chocolate chip cookies, you would simply reduce the flour by a cup and add about 3/4 cup cocoa powder to the mix at the same time you add the flour. I personally like to make a chocolate cookie with chopped up mint chocolate as the chips, but that is because I much prefer a chunky cookie.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour (avoid blends that are mostly rice flour or that contain bean flours. These can become quite grainy)
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (or 1 1/2 tsp of the chia seed blend we learned to make for our sugar cookies)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ounces cream cheese (allow this to sit out until it comes to room temperature)
• 3/4 cups unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, baking soda, xantham or chia, and salt in your bowl
2. Cream the cheese, butter, and sugar together in your mixer. Incorporate the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla. Add the flour a little at a time. Add the chips.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a few hours. This will help the dough set up, so that the cookies are moist and chewy
4. Preheat the oven to 375F
5. Spoon the dough out onto the sheet (you may need to let it soften a bit) and bake for about 12 minutes, though you want to remove the cookies when the edges begin to crisp. The centers will seem soft, but as they sit on the sheet, they will set. Leave them for a few minutes before removing them.