Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
So, Which is Your Favorite?

"Favorite of all easy chocolate chip cookies?" Chocolate chips always have my attention, whether it's melting them, molding or simply making the best chocolate chip cookies.

When it comes to favorites, I am all over a simple chocolate chip cookies recipe that you can make in a few easy steps.

Tender buttery chocolate chip cookies like these are so easy to make, but I must say that my definition of "Easy" may be different than yours.

That's because it is all about the process I use to make them.

I can't tell you how many times I made a so called "easy chocolate chip cookie" recipe, only to find out the cookies were either:

dry in a day
cakey and dry out too soon
chewy like taffy
just plain crumbly and dried out from the get go.

So, why? What happened?

Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Easier With Less!

One really good reason for a perfect chocolate chip cookie to go south, could be simply leaving out one or more ingredients.

Leaving out ingredients might make the recipe look as if it were easier or quicker to make.

But that's kind of like implying that you will make a great classic chocolate chip cookie with only 5 ingredients or less. Maybe!

Some folks like them that way, and that's okay.

However, I must say I'm biased to a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that stays soft and pliable for days after. Or, at least until they are gone.

Sometimes folks choose to leave out baking soda. It may be that they prefer them to be made this way, or they simply have none in the cupboard.

So, Can I Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Baking Soda?

You see, although simple chocolate chip cookies can be made without it, baking soda will make the cookies rise and have a nice tender texture most of us look for.

That's because baking soda will create a reaction when combined with acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, lemon juice and yes, even chocolate.

Without baking soda, the cookies won't have that puff to them.

So, if you like a tender chocolate chip cookie, you may want to keep the baking soda ingredient with that easy chocolate chip cookies recipe.

Sometimes we have none, so we need to use baking soda alternatives as substitutes.

Baking Soda Substitute

If you have no baking soda on hand, a great substitute for baking soda, is baking powder measured in an approximate ratio of 3:1 ratio.

That's three teaspoons baking powder will substitute for approximately one teaspoon baking soda.

The reason we need to use more baking powder is that baking soda is much more powerful than baking powder.

So, is that why those easy chocolate chip cookies turned out totally different than what was expected?

Maybe, but I've made mistakes also by adding too much flour!

That alone made the chocolate chip cookies too cakey and I have found them to even become hard right away.

You Be The Judge!

How I Make My Favorite Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Easy Stay Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stay Soft and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375 °F, (190.5 °C).

Whisk all the dry ingredients into a bowl - Set one-third aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, blend butter, eggs, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy, then whip mode for one minute and slow to blend.
Slowly "blend" in about a third of the dry ingredients until evenly blended then on whip mode and let the flour beat in for a minute. Don't skip this part!
Stop mixer and hand-stir (fold in) in remaining dry ingredients.
Fold in chocolate chips

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar (packed)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg yolks (or 2 large eggs will work)
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts, raisin, etc. (Optional)

Baking

Use a 1/4 cup ice-cream scoop
Drop cookie dough onto un-greased baking sheets.
Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

Let cool on the baking sheets or transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Prep Time 10 min - Bake Time: 11-12 min each session - Yields about 3 dozen cookies - Simplicity Easy

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Recipe
To use this recipe as a chocolate chip cookie bar recipe, use a 9"x13" pan, lightly greased with butter.
Spread the cookie batter into the pan. Bake on middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown around the perimeter - rotate pan after 15 minutes.
Cut into preferred bar sizes and serve.

Enjoy!