Ruthy's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a HUGE batch. I am far too lazy to cut the ingredients in half for you BECAUSE....

You should make the huge batch and freeze half/bake half. That way you've got the ultimate in cookie dough goodness RIGHT THERE IN YOUR FREEZER....Ready to impress cute guys and adorable children. And did Missy Tippens REALLY show a box mix yesterday???? Please tell me she didn't. Please tell me it was a trick of my over-active imagination.

BACK TO COOKIE-GOODNESS!!!

This is a heavy dough on step two, so I use my #1 kitchen apprentice:

My Kitchen Aid Mixer. Yes, I love this machine. Yes, it's old. Yes, it needs to be replaced. That will come in time. But I totally, over-the-top LOVE this old girl. She replaced back-to-back Oster Kitchen Centers, and she beats them, hands down.

SO:

THIS IS NOLAN. HE'S MY RIGHT-HAND BAKING BUD.

4 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar (I used to say dark brown, but dark brown ISN'T REALLY dark brown any more, so get the regular brown sugar and we'll fix it three steps down. Promise)
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup molasses  (I like the dark molasses. Such a rich taste. This is where we fix the brown sugar, and YES, USE THE MOLASSES... Other chocolate chip cookies will taste positively anemic once you've made these. Really. Truly.)

Cream the above ingredients together. Small children love to crack eggs around here, so we crack them into a separate bowl and remove the shells... If you are a big person, you are probably okay to crack them into the mixing bowl. I'll let you be the judge of that. And if you're too nervous to taste this amazing mixture (think brown sugar French Creme) because of the raw egg, go online and realize how much more likely you are to be hit by a bus. Tasting this is worth the risk. (Do not tell the Belle I said that. She gets anxious.)

NOLAN IS VERY INTENT WHILE WORKING!

Using dough hook if available (or by hand, or slowly with regular mixer):

PERKS OF THE JOB!!!!

 

 

 

Uh, oh. HELP HAS ARRIVED!!!!

AND JUST IN TIME:  'LIJAH AND BRODY JOIN THE FUN!!! TODDLER HELPERS!  YAYAYAYAY!

I WONDER IF OSHA WOULD APPROVE? SHOULD HE WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS ON THE TABLE???

 Add in:

6 cups flour (I like bread flour, but regular is fine.)
2 tsp. baking soda

Mix thoroughly. Now comes the fun part.

NOTE THAT BRODY HAD THE GOOD SENSE TO USE A BOOSTER SEAT!  GOOD JOB, BRODY!!!

 I use Ghirardelli chocolate chips because some old standards have changed their chocolate and THEY DON'T TASTE AS GOOD.  If you're taking the trouble to make the most delish cookie ever, you should invest in good chocolate, right?

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A 3 LB. BAG OF CHOCOLATE GOODNESS. "GO BIG OR STAY HOME!" ;)

 Of course, right!!!  (very Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof)

I use about 5 cups of Ghirdelli dark chocolate chips.  And I sometimes add a couple of cups of M&M's. And I've been known to throw in a bag of Hershey's Heath bar chips. (Vince loved these!!!) If you like nuts, add two cups (big recipe, remember???) of chopped walnuts or pecans.

I bake these babies at 350 degrees for 9-14 minutes depending on size. Bigger cookies (which my grown up kids love) are the 14 minute range. I have a convection oven and it bakes them beautifully, but in a regular oven, just watch the first batch. This dough is a little darker than others, so you want the cookie done, but not too crisp. I wait for the golden brown goodness around the edges...

Oh, yum!

THESE ARE SO WORTHY AS TO BE DEEMED ILLEGAL IN MANY STATES. CHECK YOUR LOCAL CODE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES BEFORE INDULGING. OR RISK PENALTIES, BECAUSE YES... THEY'RE WORTH IT!!1