Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everybody needs on recipe they can depend on, a signature dish, so to speak.  This is my most trusted cookie recipe and it comes with a fabulous story that will explain why it's so good.

When I was working at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance camp in Mississippi in December of 2006 we shared the camp with a famiy from California.  In lieu of their traditional ski trip that year, their Christmas present to themselves was to help with the rebuilding from Katrina. The father was a fireman, they had two teenaged sons and the mom was one of those ladies who I could tell spent a lot of time cooking. I would bet money she was the PTA president.

For dessert one night Susan looked through the pantry of the kitchen to take stock of what was available.  She had a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe she had used so many times that she carried it around in her head.  She told me she could substitute a lot of ingredients if she needed to as long as she kept the same basic proportions. 

That was the day she discovered a secret ingredient I have always used in this cookie, an ingredient no one ever guesses and one that adds a certain "something" that makes all the difference in the world.  The ingredient?  One staple all the PDA camps had on hand:  Raisin Bran cereal. 

I have changed only one thing in the recipe Susan Schwaiger gave me that day.  Instead of Raisin Bran cereal I use plain Bran cereal because I hate raisins.  You can put them in your cookies.  I don't care what you do with your own cookies.

PDA Cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 or 350 degrees

1 cup of butter (2 sticks) set out to soften
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

cream the butter and add the rest mixing well

This is the basis.  You can get creative as you go along.  I would stay with the flour and oatmeal but from then on you can do what you want as long as you keep the same number of cups of "stuff".  I personally don't mess with  these ingredients here since they've never failed me.

2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups bran flakes
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cups chopped pecans

I have a cookie/ small ice cream scoop I got at Walmart.  It looks like it holds a Tablespoon.  I scoop out the cookie dough with that and this recipe will make exactly six dozen cookies using the scoop.

Watch the oven.  Sometimes it takes longer than 8 minutes, sometimes less.

If you use Mexican vanilla it really makes a difference.  The easiest way to buy Mexican vanilla is to go on a mission trip over the summer and buy some while you're there.