Mary’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am editing this November post to state that we just found out Mary passed away last week.  We are heartbroken. Mary, every time I make these cookies I’ll think of you and now that piece of paper with your handwriting of this recipe will be even more treasured. (May 2015)

Everyone has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Everyone thinks their cookie is the best.  Everyone is an expert in everything.  It’s exhausting.

I’ve tried more chocolate chip cookies than I care to admit — even though I’m not a fan of chocolate — I am a fan of the chocolate chip cookie — homemade only or a piece of a cookie from Levain – will get me every time.  Who can really eat a whole one?  Oh yeah, Andrew can.

The  recipe I’m sharing today is one of our favorites.  To us, it’s the perfect size, texture and taste.  I’ve made thin and crispy, thick and chewy, thin and chewy, thick and crispy, chewy and crispy combined, Levain knock offs, the New York Times cookie, Tollhouse and on and on – and this recipe is our favorite.  If I can’t get a Levain cookie fresh from the bakery – which is impossible now that we have moved to Colorado — I make these.  It’s my go to recipe.

This recipe comes from my friend, Mary.  Mary is someone we have grown to love from our church back home in New York.  She is married to Tom — and we love him too — even though we tease that we love Mary the best.  They have become such an important part of our lives — we shared a wonderful weekend with them in their home in the Poconos and had the best time.  Andrew adores them–and would sit next to them at church instead of us.   We wish we could see them more often.

I don’t have any hand me down recipes from family – so when someone hand writes a recipe for me — it is very special.  I will always keep Mary’s handwritten recipe in my family cookbook that will someday go to Andrew.  Thank you Mary, we love you (Tom, we’re fond of you).

Mary’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dry ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Wet ingredients:

2 sticks butter (softened)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of cold water

12 ounces (or more if you prefer) of chocolate chips  (use the best quality you can find)

Mix all the wet ingredients well.

Combine dry ingredients into wet being careful not to over mix.   Fold in chocolate chips.

Refrigerate overnight.  (To be honest — I don’t do that — I try to refrigerate for a bit — or I’ll roll into the one inch balls — and place the tray in the fridge or freezer for a bit before baking.)  We just can’t seem to wait.  I do refrigerate the dough that I don’t use — I bake a tray or two and save the rest to bake fresh when those disappear.

Roll into one inch balls – and bake at 350 or 10 to 12 minutes.

(Since making these last – I have adjusted the recipe – I use a two tablespoon scoop, use dark brown sugar for the brown sugar component and bake at least 12 minutes — the photos in the post have been updated to show these changes.)