The Best Cookies On the Planet

- 1 c. salted butter, mostly melted (2 sticks)
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract (not Mexico vanilla... it changes the taste)
- 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour (maybe a bit more, if needed)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 bags of chocolate chips (or substitute filling)
- 1 c. chopped pecans (other nuts work, too, or you can go "no nuts")


Preheat oven to 375.  Line cookie sheets with foil (or use silicone baking sheets). 


In large bowl, stir together melted butter, eggs, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add vanilla. Stir.  In a smaller bowl, mix the flour and baking soda together.  Slowly stir the flour mix into the butter/sugar mixture.  The dough should not be too sticky or too dry.  Add the chips and nuts to the dough and mix until ingredients are spread evenly.  I usually have to use my hands to get the dough to absorb all of the chips and nuts. 


Bake for about 11 minutes, switching the top and bottom sheet about half-way through. 


Tips and Tricks:

• Be creative!  You can use variations of this recipe to make lots of different kinds of cookies.  I have substituted some flour for oatmeal and added raisins and nuts as the filler, used white chocoloate chips and macadamia nuts (a crowd favorite), made plain ol' chocolate chip cookies, used peanut butter chips and peanuts, mixed chocolate and peanut butter chips, etc.  I've even made M&M or Reese's Pieces cookies. 
• One of the most important things to getting these cookies right is making sure you underbake them a bit.  When they come out of the oven, they should be too soft to lift off with a spatula.  When they cool, they will harden, but still remain soft and taste fresher longer.
• Add as many chips/nuts as the dough can hold.  Two 11.5 oz. bags of chocolate chips and a cup of nuts is a whole lot of filling. And it's delicious.  Reducing the amount changes the taste dramatically and simply isn't as good.

Makes 2-3 dozen large cookies, depending on how big you make 'em. 


This recipe is similar to the one on the back of the Nestle package and very much like the recipe given to my mom at a church potluck many years ago.  However, over time, it has morphed into an Angela original, and between my mom and I, we take full credit for how delicious these cookies are.