“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand”

We do a lot of cookies at Casa Giraffy. Sadly, they are almost always the same... chocolate chip. It's a good thing they're awesome, because... one could get super tired of them if they were just okay.

I usually make a batch, and bake them throughout the week for dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 c chocolate chips

Construction...

Add sugars to the softened butter, and stir until combined and slightly fluffy. Like so....

Add 2 eggs....
Stir until combined thoroughly... This is the part that always gets me. It's all gooey and yummy.

Add the vanilla to this and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon).
Mix together. Then, add in thirds to the wet ingredients...
...until totally incorporated. It'll be pretty stiff... Add the chocolate chips... I buy mine from the bulk bins at Sprouts. They're cheaper (WIN!), and soooo much yummier than the bags. I'm not sure why, I mean.. they're just chocolate chips, right? But. They really are.
Combine...

Drop on spoonfulls if you're lazy like me, or prettily constructed balls if you're impressed by symmetrical cookies.
Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes. Maybe 9, depends on your oven and cookie size. I'm stingy, so mine take less time.

Rest for a few minutes on the pan, then move to baking racks to cool.

Sunday, I only had a bit of dough left, and was tired of cookies, so.... I did this mess.

Packed a bunch of dough into my ramekins...

...and baked at 400 for about 12 minutes... Then topped with Trader Joes mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Holy. Hell.