Chocolate Chip Nostalgia on the First Snowy Night of the Season

To the best of my knowledge, last night's 'snow shower' was the first of it's kind in 2010. In the spirit of coziness, I decided to bake up some chocolate chip cookies.

I believe that chocolate chip cookies may have been over looked in recent years due to the availability of gourmet recipes and inspiring cooking shows. While 'Algerian Almond Tarts' are sure to please a crowd, there is something classic about a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dziriat-Algerian-Almond-Tarts/Detail.aspx).

There are a multitude of chocolate chip cookie recipes to be found, but I played down to the lowest common denominator... I used the recipe on the back of the chip bag (gasp!). Consistent with my mother's practice to make the dough go just a pinch further, I opted for 1 1/2 the recipe. Feeling badly for the poor sap who might receive fewer chips than his neighbor, however, I circled back and added some peanut butter chips for a little zest.

The scent of uncooked dough brought the Rubber City Homestead dog to my side, gazing longingly for a small smackerel of something delicious. I declined him for the moment, knowing full well that I would give into those adorable brown eyes before the evening was up.

As the cookies baked, I was brought right back to days gone by. Running off the school bus, dropping our jackets and book bags at the door and tucking into a chair in the cozy kitchen of my childhood. THIS. This is what chocolate chip cookies did for me last night. They brought back a slew of wonderful memories of simple times. And yes, the dog went to bed happy, as well!

Baking some cookies tonight? Here is the recipe I used/conjured to my liking. ;)

TollHouse Recipe (with my changes/additions in Navy)

• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C butter (I opted for half butter/ have crisco to offer a little more rise to the cookies)
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 pkg chips
• 1 C chopped nuts (I elected to leave these out)
• 1t cinnamon
• 1 C peanut butter chips
• I also added 50% more of the main ingredients listed above

Bake in a preheated oven at 375degrees for about 9 min

mmm. mmm. goodness!