Good Cookies

You're gonna love these chocolate chip cookies! I adapted the recipe from Sunset Magazine many moons ago. They are big and rich with butter, bumpy with nuts and oatmeal, lightly enhanced with cinnamon and oh, so good!

I only made them every now and then as the recipe, even halved, makes a huge number that we two couldn't finish by ourselves. Sometimes, I took the rest into work but now that I'm retired I no longer have hungry colleagues.

Lately I read a kitchen tip in this book that suggested that one can freeze the extra cookie dough in little cookie-sized blobs on a flat pan lined with parchment and then transfer the frozen future cookies to an airtight container to keep until it's time to bake them up. Then, you just thaw as many as you want on a baking sheet and slide them in the oven! Is that a brilliant idea, or what? Fresh cookies in a flash! I know frozen dough has been available in stores for many years but I didn't particularly like the recipe they were made from. This one, however, is my gold standard. Hope you enjoy them, too!

Chocolate Chip Cookies at their Best, from Sunset Magazine

1-1/2 cups butter (the original recipe calls for one cup solid shortening and 1/2 cup butter)
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons soda
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 large packages (12 oz. each) semi sweet chocolate baking pieces
2 cups chopped walnuts

In a large mixer bowl, beat together on high speed the butter, granulated and brown sugars until thoroughly combined, about 5 minutes. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice.

In a bowl, stir together the soda, salt, cinnamon, oats and flour. Beat dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until well combined; mix in chocolate pieces and nuts.

For each cookie, drop a scant 1/4 cup of dough (I use a small ice cream scoop) on lightly greased baking sheets; make cookies about 3" apart. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.