COMING OUT HOT! Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Don’t you hate it when a random craving hits and takes over your life? I started craving cookies several days before I finally caved and looked in a cookbook for something that sounded tasty AND I had all of the ingredients on-hand. I was perusing a small town cookbook (because, let’s face it, small town moms have the best recipes!) and picked a cookie, Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies. I later discovered the recipe was submitted by my mom. Who knew? I’m not a chocolate fan, especially chocolate chips, so I left them out. My dad said there are lots of cookies he wishes didn’t have chocolate chips in them, too, and he’s a chocolate fan. So I figured maybe someone else would like to try these bad boys!

Sweet, un-chocolatey deliciousness!

So, what’s the secret with these cookies? Stay tuned…

Mixing the dry ingredients. With a fork, of course.

Creaming butter, sugars (granulated and brown – I LOVE brown sugar, it’s a few steps away from caramel), vanilla and lemon juice.

After everything’s creamed together, add the egg.

My KitchenAid Mixer in action. Get it, KA Mixer!

Adding dry ingredients to wet. It’s actually really hard to pour and snap a picture simultaneously….

Mmmmmmm….. Cookie dough. Yes, I did eat some. No, I didn’t get salmonella. Or worms (as “the monella” was lovingly known when we were kiddos).

It’s hard to tell here, but these are REALLY big cookies (normally you do a heaping spoonful, so probably about 2 Tbs – these are 1/4 a cup, or 4 Tbs!). Don’t worry, they don’t spread much when they cook. I was worried they’d spread out and be more bar-like.

Gigantic mound of cookie dough. Again, it’s hard to appreciate.

Mmmmmm… Cookies.

Hey, that’s my line!

These cookies were soooooo good! I’m not a cookie connoisseur like my sister, but I know what I like. As you’ll see below in the recipe, the secret ingredient is the lemon juice is supposed to activate the baking soda and make the cookies softer and chewier. And let me tell you, they were. So delicious. They didn’t spread at all during cooking. They puffed up. I barely browned them, and I think that made them even more yummy.

Obviously because I’m not a chocolate fan I didn’t miss the chocolate. In fact, a chocolate chip-free chocolate chip cookie is one of my favorite cookies. Just the plain, boring recipe off the back of the chips. But since I don’t buy chocolate chips, I never make them… There’s the rub. Anyway, my point is I didn’t miss the chocolate but figured everyone else would. Nope. Took some to work and the guys said they didn’t seem like they were missing anything, and adding chocolate might make them seem too much. Although, I’m sure if they had them with chocolate they’d think taking the chocolate out would make them boring.

Recipe

1 c. rolled oats
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 c. (2 sticks) butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. finely packed brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
3 c. Ghiradelli bitter sweet chips (optional)
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. In another bowl  (I used an electric stand mixer), cream butter, brown and granulated sugars, vanilla and lemon juice together. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add in the dry mixture, blending well. Add chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix well. Using 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup), scoop round balls and place 2 1/4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. This put six cookies on each sheet. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, about 15-16 minutes. Don’t overcook. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container to keep them soft and chewy.

What’s the secret? The lemon juice in the recipe helps to activate the backing soda, producing a softer, chewier cookie.

This recipe makes 2 dozen large cookies. You can also easily half (because there are two eggs it’s easy to half).