A plate of warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is an offering of love in our family. Whether shared with a neighbor, a friend, or enjoyed with a cup of tea on a quiet Sunday, these cookies embody the sentiment that some things are just meant to be shared.
This is a recipe we have been using since I was a child. It originally came from a cookbook I received as a child called More Kids in the Kitchen. My Mom, being an avid baker, adjusted and adapted the recipe and eventually we found the perfect combination of ingredients. I still have a snippet from the page of that old cookbook, all marked and inked with my Mom’s hand written notes.
Making Chocolate Chip Cookies Your Own
Initially it had only chocolate chips in it, and certainly, if you are not a fan of coconut or raisins, then you can simply leave them out, but my family loved these extra treats and so they were loaded up with whatever nuts, seeds or dried fruit we had on hand. I think this was likely my Mom’s way of making these cookies slightly healthier, but I love the additions none the less.
There are plenty of choices you can make to adapt this recipe to better suit your own families tastes and needs. You can substitute the chocolate chips, raisins, or coconut with equal amounts of any filler ingredient your family might enjoy. Here are a few ideas:
- Currents
- Dried apricots (finely chopped)
- Dates
- Trail mix
- Dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries
- Different types of chocolate chips, try dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter chips etc.
Alternately, you can leave out some of the ingredients for a slightly less full cookie, just omit the raisins and coconut entirely
Final Thoughts
Our family’s classic chocolate chip cookie recipe is more than a delightful treat; it’s a taste of home, a connection to our roots, and a reminder that the simplest ingredients can create the sweetest memories. As you embark on baking these cookies, may they bring as much joy to your home as they have to ours.
Grace’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1⅓ cups chocolate chips
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
- ¼ cup raisins or currents (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cream together the butter and sugars. We do this in our stand mixer but you can do it by hand of course.
- Add in each egg, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut and dried fruit.
- Use a teaspoon or cookie dough scoop to place small drops of dough onto a cookie sheet. The sheet can be either ungreased or lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Let them cool for 1 minute before removing them to a cooling rack.
Notes
Unbaked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Just pull a few out and pop them in the oven to go with afternoon tea or when you have guests over.
