Double Tree Hotel's Chocolate Chip Cookie--my Favorite
Why I Love This Recipe
One of my goals for this year was to try to find the best tasting chocolate chip cookie recipe and brownie recipe. There are still two chocolate chip cookie recipes that I will try before I am completely done in my hunt, but so far this one is the best. Don't be afraid of the lemon juice or the cinnamon in the cookie b/c you won't be able to taste either of them. The lemon juice is just the acid in the cookie and the cinnamon is just supposed to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. The recipe makes 20 LARGE cookies (mine measured 4 1/2" across). I halved the recipe and will include those measurements in parenthesis next to each ingredient. Oh, and most importantly, you must allow your dough to rest/chill in the refrigerator overnight. Everything I read about it said that it helped the flavors to blend, softened the ground oatmeal, and if you don't your cookies will run all over the pan. I baked mine on a 14 X 15 cookie sheet and could fit 5 to a pan. Also check your time about two minutes prior to the baking time suggested so you don't over bake your cookies, mine were ready a minute early. Since I am the only one in our house that like nuts in baked goods, I only put them in the two I made for myself, but I did notice that the cookies with the nuts held a better shape than those without.
Ingredients You'll Need
1/2 c rolled oats (1/4 c)
2 1/4 c all purpose flour (1 1/8 c)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda (3/4 tsp)
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (1/8 tsp)
2 sticks butter, softened (1 stick)
3/4 c brown sugar, packed (6 Tbsp)
3/4 c granulated sugar (6 Tbsp)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (3/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp lemon juice (1/4 tsp)
2 eggs (1 egg)
3 c semi sweet chocolate chips (1 1/2 c)--I used Ghiradelli
1 1/2 c chopped walnuts (3/4 c)
Directions
rind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well.
Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. (This should be very pale in color when mixed all the way)
Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350. Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. You don't need to press the dough flat. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown around edges and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep cookies soft.
