No electric mixer needed for these easy cookies!
This recipe makes 3-5 dozen cookies, depending on how big you make them.
I sometimes call these my Pandemic Chocolate Chip Cookies. My big electric mixer was on the fritz, and I was needing a chocolate chip cookie fix during that dull time. So, I was playing around with a couple of old cookie recipes and wondered what would happen if I melted the butter. Would it be a waste of butter or would it still create great tasting cookies? Well, you'll never know if you don't try, I figured. And, what better time to try it out than during the pandemic.
I also found an advantage of using melted butter. I found that I didn't need a big electric mixer to get the butter and sugar "light and fluffy." Have you ever dreaded lugging that heavy electric mixer out of the cupboard to the counter to make cookies? I have made soooo many different recipes for chocolate chip cookies and was finally able to work out an easy recipe that ONLY needs a spatula. No reason to have somebody lug that big mixer out of the bottom cupboard for me. I have limited counter space in my kitchen, so this is a pretty big deal. There's no room for me to leave the mixer out and the other big counter I have has no access to an electric outlet. So, discovering that I could use just a rubber spatula to make these cookies was a wonderful option for me.
These cookies are delicious! I've made them at least a dozen times during the pandemic. The cookie dough freezes perfectly. I have found that they come great even after I've frozen the dough for a couple of weeks. I like to experiment with recipes and save 1/2 of the dough or batter, if it's possible, in the freezer. Then I can pull a half recipe out of the freezer, for example, a half recipe of chocolate chip cookies, and bake them in a snap.
Try freezing and then baking these cookies:
These cookies are great frozen and then baked! To freeze, just form the dough in 1-3 short, thick log(s) separately in plastic wrap and seal in a plastic bag. To bake, take a dough log out of the freezer. First wrap it in a dish towel and thaw it for about an hour on the counter. The dough should still be cold. Then, unwrap the log completely, place it on a cutting board and cut it into cookie sized chunks with a large knife. Roll each cookie section into a ball between your hands and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place the pan with cookie balls in the fridge for 10 minutes and then bake at the same temperature for the same amount of time as if you had just make the dough fresh.
Or, another way to freeze the dough is to roll all of the dough into good sized cookie balls. Lay on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until all they are all frozen. Then seal the cookie balls into a plastic container or a double plastic bag to prevent freezer. When you're hungry for a chocolate chip cookie fix, take out as many of the dough ball as you like and bake them. Either way, it's a handy way to have fresh baked cookies when you like.
I have frozen this dough for one week to a month at the most. Any longer time in the freezer may create freezer burn or denigrate the butter in the dough. Whether they're baked fresh or after being frozen, I have found this recipe to produce delicious cookies every time.
Prepare your cookie sheets:
Line each pan with parchment paper to save on cleanup time after you're done baking.
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
Mix your cookies with a good sized spatula:
1/2 C + 2 T Butter, melted and cooled a little
1/2 C Brown sugar, packed
1/4 C Sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
1 t Vanilla extract
1 t Coffee extract (optional)
2 - 2 1/4 C Flour
1/2 t Salt
1 t Baking soda
1/2 C Chocolate chips, dark
1/2 C Chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1/2 C Butterscotch chips
1/2 C Pecans (optional)
- Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.
- Mix the melted butter and both sugars until well combined. This mixture not be hot.
- Stir in the beaten eggs, and flavorings.
- Slowly stir in the flour mixture until all is combined well.
- Add all of the chips and stir so they are evenly distributed.
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes so dough is solid.
- Use a 1-2 Tablespoon scoop to portion out the cookie dough and roll each for a good sized cookie, then place 2" apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Refrigerate the pans of cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes each.
- Bake at 350F degrees for 10-14 minutes. Make sure your oven is preheated.
How does your oven bake?
I normally bake these cookies for 8 minutes and then turn my pans 180 degrees so the cookies in the back are in the front and vice versa, so all brown evenly. Then I bake for another 2 minutes. If I need to bake them longer, I set the time for one minute intervals and check them through the oven window with the light on, without opening the door.
If you have found that your cookies bake darker on one end or on the backside of the pan in your oven, you may want to turn the pan 180 degrees so they bake evenly. Every oven can be a little different. After baking in my oven, I've figured out where the cooler spots are and adjust my baking accordingly. You may even want to invest in a small oven thermometer to test your oven to see if it truly bakes at the temperature you have set it for.
How do the (chocolate) chips fall?
I've made these cookies with a variety of chips and nuts. I'll mix milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, super dark chocolate, butterscotch chips, mint chips, toffee candy bar pieces, pecans and walnuts. They are all wonderful, but we like the mix of semi-sweet, dark and butterscotch chips. Yum!
Do not use:
I am usually open to trying almost anything in a recipe to make it better or more to my liking. But, in this case, I would not substitute margarine or shortening for the butter, which is something I do from time to time. They will not turn out as well as when you use all butter. I've tried that - not a good idea. Plus the flavor of the butter is much better than the flavor of the other fats. One time I substituted 2 T margarine for 2 T of the butter. They were okay, but not as good as when I used all butter.
Watch my site for more chocolate chip cookie recipes, and even double chocolate chip Bundt cakes! Be sure to "Bake your own Memories!