Chocolate Chip Cookies

All measurements are in Imperial units. If you don't like that, you can find a nifty conversion calculator below this section.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make the cookies and how much cookie dough you eat. My personal notes in red.

2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) softened butter (or margarine, for cake-like cookies, or some of each if you want to split the difference)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 large chicken eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (yes, you can use the imitation stuff, but it doesn't taste as good)

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

(optional for chewier cookies) 1/2 cup rolled or quick oats (not steel cut)

(optional for double chocolate cookies) 1/2 cup cocoa powder (add an extra 1/2 tsp of baking soda as well)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (semi-sweet chocolate chips will result in better cookies than milk chocolate because the cookies already have so much sugar in them that if you use sweeter chocolates, you lose the flavor of any actual chocolate. Yes, you can use other kinds of chips or even raisins if you want to. This is a good base for many kinds of cookies)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then grease your baking sheet with oil or shortening, or place parchment paper on the baking sheet.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix white sugar, brown sugar, and butter until smooth

3. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then mix until smooth again.

4. Mix in baking soda, salt, and flour (and cocoa powder, if you're using it. You may want to mix in the flour 1 cup at a time to avoid a mess)

5. Mix in chocolate chips

6. (optional) pinch a little cookie dough out of the bowl and have a taste. You may repeat this step up to three times, but then you must regain control of yourself and actually bake some of the cookies.

7. (optional) Mix in rolled oats for chewier cookies.

8. Roll dough into balls about 1-1/4 inch in diameter and place on baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. (If you are using margarine, you'll also need to flatten them a bit so they're about half as thick as they are around. Cookies made with butter will spread out evenly, but cookies made with margarine won't spread much)

9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. If you check halfway through, you'll see the cookies have a wet "shine." Cookies are done when the shine becomes dull and the edge of the cookies has become golden-brown.

10. Remove from oven. Wait 2 minutes then remove cookies from pan to a cooling rack. (Repeat steps 8-10 until you run out of dough)

11. Serve cookies warm with cold milk (I prefer whole milk with cookies, personally)