Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is our family's "go to" basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. To begin with, when my children were elementary school age, I often threw together a batch of cookies for a birthday as they were expected to bring a snack for everyone. I mean, what could be better than a homemade chocolate chip bar cookie or two in a little baggie! You can't buy this at a store or bakery.

Why is it our favorite?

A. They taste amazing!
B. They are bar cookies, not drop cookies. This means no messing with that extra bit of cookie dough that, no matter how hard you try, won't fit on one cookie sheet. So then you grease and use an extra, burn the remaining four cookies and let the mess soak in your sink until you scrub burnt cookie off...Have you been there?!
C. This is a very versatile recipe. I can add white chocolate chips and call them Blondies (pictured). I can use milk chocolate chips for traditional chocolate chip cookies. Or I can use Christmas colored M&Ms to make holiday cookies. To further change it up, I can add almonds, pecans or walnuts to any of the above scenarios. 

The Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the following ingredients together:
1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat 2 eggs into the above mixture.
Then, gradually add in 3 cups flour as you stir by hand. (The dough will be stiff and a little difficult to stir by the time all the flour is added.)
Finally, fold in an 11.5 oz package white chocolate chips.
Optional:  fold in 1/2 cup almond slivers.

Spread into greased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The top of the cookies should be light golden blonde when you pull them out.

​Allow to cool slightly (if you can wait!) and cut into squares.