Time Out: Snacks For This Month's Group Meeting - Chocolate Chip Cookies & Snacks From Asiatown

So...what DID I do over the past few years, during the Pandemic, you may ask? Entertaining. Lots and Lots and LOTS of Entertaining. For roughly six months during 2020-21, every Sunday evening, a group of the same 3-6 of us, all very different in both personality and style. How did we all get along? Well, how does anyone? Shared Love - and a small collection of recipes that anyone (almost) will enjoy.

Here's one such recipe, which I made for our building/group meeting tonight (Above, and see the previous post - it's in that room). Just great ol' chocolate chip cookies (then the plates were dressed up with some treats from the nearby Asian market). The recipe is from a long beat-up booklet my mom gave me, correctly called "Cookies!" and it's edited by Marian Levine from The American Cooking Guild, 1989. it's one of maybe ten things I make for others that people request or get excited about. And, it's been nice to prepare these semi-fancy set-ups again, I gotta admit. 

Here Goes - exactly as written; edits follow:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract*

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon sat

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the white and brown sugars. Add butter and cream together with the sugar. Add vanilla and eggs, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add dry mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix well; the dough will be stiff. Add the chocolate chips. Add nuts, if desired.

Line cookie sheets with baking parchment or wax paper. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto the cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes.** Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

Yield: 2-3 dozen.

* I like Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract...Sandy Says to use Ghirardelli chocolate chips, only.

** It really takes @20 minutes. 

Lastly - this recipe BEGS for variation and experimentation, a few of which the booklet also includes. Try butterscotch, Raisinettes, Reese's Pieces (Butterfinger does NOT work).