Sorry for the lag... I think all of us are kind of in different slumps right now

I have been trying to make good chocolate chip cookies all year and I have tried a variety of recipes and always failed (cookies not soft/chewy, too sweet, etc.) This is the BEST recipe I've ever found, right on the back of a bag of Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips! Not only the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made, but probably the best I've ever eaten!!


Ingredients

• 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips [or Semi-Sweet works too]
• 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar [I used light brown, I think it would work with dark brown too, but will probably be a little sweeter]
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) [I used almonds and it was divine]

Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375ºF for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.


If you use 1 tbsp of dough per cookie, you end up with like 70+ small cookies... I think you could probably do about 2 tablespoons for each. The recipe is supposed to make 4 dozen cookies.

The original recipe is from a book called Everyday Chocolate.

Ingredients:
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (depending on how sweet you want this to be)
2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur or orange-flavored liqueur
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup grated chocolate (optional)

Directions:
1. Melt the chocolate with the liqueur in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, stirring with a rubber spatula until well combined.
2. Add the butter and stir until it has melted. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and the ground almonds. Let the mixture stand in a cool place until it is firm enough to roll into 24 balls.
3. (optional step) Place the grated chocolate on a plate and roll the truffles in the chocolate to coat them. Chill and serve.

Makes 24 truffles.