1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 2½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
- Gather your ingredients, making sure your butter is softened, and your eggs are room temperature.
- Beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl for about 4 minutes. (This is the most important step.)
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
- Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt.
- To measure the flour, spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling off with knife (rather than dipping your cup into the flour). Scooped properly, a cup of flour should weigh 4.25 ounces. Stir in the flour, one cup at a time.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, and walnuts (if using).
- Chill the dough about 2 hours before baking, to prevent spreading. This is essential if you want a cookie that’s still a little gooey in the middle.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll dough into walnut size balls. Place the balls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets
- Put baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake in the preheated oven until they just start to get a light golden color on the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully at the 8 minute mark, as the cookies will flatten and broken very quickly at this point. Be careful not to overbake. Best to bake just one cookie sheet at a time and leave the rest of the dough in the refrigerator until you use it.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes after you take them out of the oven. This step prevents tearing and keeps each cookie in one piece. Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Note: these cookies are very thin and sweet. Not my favorite recipe.