Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's nothing like a really good chocolate chip cookie.  I use one that's been in my family for a long time. Of course, I've tweaked it a little to better suit my tastes.  The fact is, the recipe is less important than the techniques.  If you have the basics down, you can turn any recipe into something fabulous.  This recipe makes about 10 dozen cookies, but it can easily be cut in half and still have the same flavor results.

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp
1 1/2 sticks margarine, room temp
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
4 eggs, room temp
1 TBSP water
2 tsp vanilla
5 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c dark chocolate chips
1 c white chocolate chips

Eggs take a long time to come to room temperature.  (The FDA says it's safe for them to be un-refrigerated for 24 hours.)  I place mine, with the butter, on a cooling rack and let it sit overnight.  Then, both are ready to use.  Room temperature items blend easier, creating a nicer dough. 

Sift together your flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.  I just run it through a colander.  This removes the lumps and adds some air to the flour, creating a lighter texture in the dough.  Set aside.

Combine the butter, margarine and sugars in a mixing bowl.  I use a mixture of butter and margarine because I like a soft-textured cookie that holds it's shape.  If you like crisper cookies, use all butter; if you like soft cookies, use all margarine.  (One warning:  margarine contains water.  The higher level of moisture will cause the cookies to spread out while baking and be very thin.)

Start on low until sugar blends in, then increase to medium.  You want to cream the sugar into the butter. That means you're going to incorporate air into the butter while dissolving the sugar.  This will take about 5 minutes and is the most important step in this recipe, or  cookie making, in general.  To test if it's done, rub a small amount between your fingers.  You should not feel any grit.  If you do, keep mixing it.

Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each.  Add the vanilla and water.  Mix well.  With the mixer on low, slower stir in the flour mixture.  Blend just enough to get the flour incorporated.  Over mixing will make the gluten in the flour bloom, creating a tough cookie.  Get ready for the chocolate chips!

The old family recipe calls for just semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I really like this combination.  Every bite is full of chocolate, and no two bites are the same.  Mix the chips into the cookie dough, just until mixed.  I usually stir them by hand at the end to make sure the dough at the bottom has as many chips as the top.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour, up to overnight.  This allows the butter to re-harden and helps the cookies keep their shape.

Preheat the oven to 375.  I line my cookie sheets with parchment.  This helps the cookies to brown more evenly, but is not necessary in order for them to turn out right.  I normally use a medium-sized cookie scoop, but a table spoon works well, too.  Give the cookies some space. On a normal tray, I put about 12 cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, switching trays halfway through.  The cookies will be light brown and slightly puffy. Let cool on the tray, or a wire rack for 1 minute before removing from the trays.  Cool completely on the wire rack.

Enjoy!