Back to School…Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies to Share

This post is about the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies, in particular…

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But why?

Bear with me.

Seven started Kindergarten yesterday.

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I’m not exactly sure how I feel about that…I mean, on one hand, yes, I know he’s more than ready for it, despite still being four for a few more days. He’s got an amazing vocabulary, he’s a whiz with numbers, and his computer skills would likely put some teenagers to shame.

Or at least teenagers I went to school with, back in the day.

As for me, I’ll have time to myself, to work, to clean. To make dinner all day if I want to, just like Julia Child. I can go to the grocery store and stay as long as I want, without the sound of 14 boxes of Lucky Charms landing in my cart.

Heck, I could even take a bath for 3 hours and then nap it off if I wanted.

Photo1(27)But then…well, I’ll miss him. I’ll miss waking up beside him, after he crawls in bed beside me early in the morning. I’ll miss his singing. His laughter. His uncanny taste in music. (He’s just like me.)

For his entire life, he’s been here with me, all day, every day. Underfoot, but always kind. A voice in a lonely house. A smile and a hug anytime I wanted or needed one. A little sous chef, ready to measure at the drop of a hint.

It’s going to be different now, that’s for sure.

I think my mind has avoided thinking about it by forcing my body to clean like I am obsessed for the past four days. You see, I was just going to clean up my basement stairwell, where I store extra appliances, baking pans, fondant, spices. It’s gotten out of control in all honesty – you can barely walk down the steps without a safety rope for fear of losing balance and crashing to the concrete floor. So what did I do to begin cleaning those steps?

I cleaned out my bedroom closets. The drawers. Jon’s closet and chest. I’ve washed or laundered every single thing in the house, literally. The bathroom drawers and cupboards, the guest room closets. Under all the beds, Seven’s room from top to bottom. The living room storage drawers, the laundry room cabinets. The kitchen cabinets. We’ve been to the dump three times, and Goodwill twice. I’m down from 7 junk drawers (yes, really) to 1. I don’t even know what to think about that.

So what haven’t I cleaned?

That stairwell.

But…It’s on the agenda, and I’ll get to it. I had to take a bit of a break, you see, to send my kid to kindergarten properly.

With those cookies.

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These cookies are quick and painless, and perfect for sharing with kids or adults. They’ll soak up milk if that’s your preference, but they are also wonderful on their own, milk-less. No nuts, as you never know if the other kids will have allergies, so it’s good to be safe. We packaged up a container full of them to share with his new classmates, and according to the End-Of-School-Day Report, he got a lot of Thank Yous.

My guess is, while it’s likely not necessary for the palate of 5 year olds, browned butter goes a long way to making everyone happy.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rating: 5

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 48

Ingredients

1/2 pound unsalted butter, browned
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup Dark chocolate chips
Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with a SilPat or parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the browned butter for 3 minutes to cool, then beat butter with the sugars, salt, and vanilla, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda. Add to the other ingredients on low speed, until just combined. Stir in the chocolate by hand. Chill dough for 10 minutes.
Portion out the cookies onto the baking sheets, roughly 12 cookies per sheet (I used a cookie scoop). Cookies will spread a bit, but not much. Allow 1-2 inches between cookies.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. They will likely not LOOK done, but they will be. Remove from oven and cool for 2-3 minutes on the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes

These cookies appear undone at 12-14 minutes, but will be very light brown on the edges. They are done! Do not overbake.

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Giveaway

Now, I know not everyone has a SilPat. I can’t tell you how many times I have posted about mine, but it is a Godsend when it comes to baking, especially cookies. Forget parchment paper – you can buy ONE Silpat and be set for EVER. Four rolls of parchment paper costs the same as ONE Silpat – and you’ll get multiple times the use. Plus, it’s BETTER. Even heating, no sticking – just – EASY.

You know what else is easy? Winning one.

Let me know you’d like to have one, and I will hook one of you up. Well, the SilPat folks will, anyway. Let us know you want to win!

You have your choice of a Silpat Half Size (fits a 14″ x 18″ baking sheet)or a Silpat Medium Size, which will fit a 10-1/4” x 15-1/4” Pan. Which do you want? That counts as one entry. For more, do any onf the following, but be sure to leave me a separate comment for each item you do. Each entry counts to get you closer to that SilPat!

There you are, 4 chances to win! Contest is open until 11:59pm EST on September 4. Contest open to US addresses only, ages 18 and over. Winner will be notified via email. Prize is courtesy of and shipped by Silpat.

Can’t get enough? You can find MORE on Silpat here:

Good luck!!

Disclaimer: I’ve had a Silpat for years, but was shipped another size to review for this post. I was not compensated in any other way. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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