The Secret to Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

I am going to brag a bit.  I make awesome chocolate chip cookies!  They are crisp around the edges, soft and chewy in the middle, and ohhhh so good!  At 7:00 last night I made 6 dozen.  It is 10:00 this morning and they are all gone.  Not a crumb left.  They are that good.  (Well, there is also the fact that I have seven people that live in my house.)

I have talked to a lot of people about making cookies and there are two common problems, they are either too cakey or two crunchy. 

The secret to good cookies -
1. Make sure you are using a recipe that is known for it's success.  I use the Toll House Cookie recipe.
2.  Use REAL butter and make sure it is SOFT butter.  The day you want to make cookies, set the butter out a few hours before you start.  I also let the eggs come to room temperature.
3.  Do NOT use self rising flour in place of the plain flour, salt, and baking soda.  Make sure you measure the flour into the cup with a spoon and level with the backside of a knife.
4.  Preheat the oven before you put the first cookie in there!
5.  Make sure your pans are cleaned and cooled between batches.
6.  Take your cookies out when they are slightly under done.  They will continue to cook for a minute after you pull them out.  The instructions say bake 9 - 11 minutes.  My oven cooks a bit hot, so I leave them for 8 1/2 to 9 minutes.  That is it.

If you use margarine, it contains water.  This will make your cookies cakey.  I also had great success with the smart balance 50/50 blend.  It has some water, but it did not really make a difference in the finished product.
Do not overcook.  If they look set and done in the oven, they will be crispy when they are cooled.  They have overcooked. 

Happy cookie making!