Holiday Cookie Recipe by Francine Rivers

December 11, 2015

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I don’t know about you, but I LOVE hearing new holiday recipe. Today, author Francine Rivers is sharing her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with us!

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I’ve made — and eaten — all kinds of cookies over the years, but my personal favorites, as many of you may already know, are chocolate chip cookies.  My mom baked them on a regular basis when I was growing up.  Later, when I had children of my own and we all went north to visit my folks in Oregon, Mom made sure the cookie jar was full.  As soon as the car was in park, we’d stampede into the house and head for the kitchen.

cookies

Now, I make chocolate cookies once a week for our Tuesday evening Bible study.  So far, no one has complained about having the same snack each week.  I use the same recipe my mom used (from the back of the yellow Nestle’s Chocolate Chip bag), but I’ve added my own personal touch.

RECIPE

2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter (softened on a window sill – not a microwave)

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla

¾ cup of white granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar (pressed down firmly so that it comes out in a ¾ cup lump!)

2 large eggs

Put the above ingredients together and mix with a wooden spoon until creamy.

2 and ¼ cups of Golden Medal flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pour flour on top of the creamy mixture, sprinkle salt and baking soda on top of the flour and then mix everything together. 

Add chocolate chips.  I usually buy those big bags from Costco, cup both hands together and add two “scoops” to the dough.   In other words, don’t be stingy with the chips!

Add Heath Bar toffee chips.  I cup one hand and fill my palm with these chips and sprinkle them over the dough, then stir everything together. 

I bake the cookies on stoneware (Pampered Chef) at 345 degrees until golden brown around the edges.   (If they’re golden brown in the center, you’ve burned them.)  I’ve learned there are lots of people like me who prefer their cookies slightly UNDER cooked.  Maybe it’s a throwback to our childhood when we wanted to eat the dough before Mom pushed the cookie sheets into the oven! 

Once baked, leave the cookies on the stone, allow them to“relax” and cool before you move them onto a cooling rack.  You must be warned.  If you remove them too soon, the cookies will be very gooey and then you will just have to eat them all yourself because they won’t look pretty enough to put on a plate for company. 

Last step:  pour a nice tall glass of cold milk and take a cookie break! 

Keep up with Francine Rivers on her Facebook page.

Happy baking, friends!