Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Yesterday (May 15) was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Or - as my family said "Any day is Chocolate Chip Cookie Day". And it was a good day to bake cookies to treat my helpers for staining the deck.
The story of chocolate chip cookies is now well known. In the 1930's, the owner of The Tole House Inn decided to add pieces of broken chocolate to her cookie dough to give it a special flavor. Chocolate chips cookies have been a favorite ever since.
Cookie dough has common ingredients and preparation steps. Too often we throw it all together and hurry through the process, but there are some reasons for the ways the ingredients are mixed. The first step is usually creaming the butter and sugar. This isn't just about combining ingredients, it aerates them. This builds a network of sugar crystals, fat, and air; in pastry-speak, it is called 'mechanical leavening'. This gives the cookies more lightness and fluffiness and they bake and the air expands. Creaming can add five extra cookie to the batch! Five minutes is not too much. Add eggs, one at a time and continue to beat. We've heard that room temperature ingredients are best, but the ideal temperature for creaming butter and sugar is 60 degrees. Butter that has been removed from the fridge as you start the preparations will be good. After about 10 minutes is will be pliable enough to use, add the sugar and friction heat of the electric mixer and it will do well, at about 67 degrees. A cold egg ensures that the butter never tops 68 degrees. Scrape the bowl frequently to completely incorporate the ingredients.
Baking is actually a science and other tips can give you desired results. Nicely browned cookies are baked at 375 degrees, caramelization occurs above 356 degrees. Want a crispy cookie with soft center? Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. For a chewy cookie, substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour. Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking depend all flavors. Bake cool dough for a higher standing cookie with less spread.
Ready to bake now? Here's may favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe:

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened  (I use 1 stick butter, 1 stick margarine)

¾ cup white sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ¾ cups flour

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (1/2 bag) chocolate chips

Combine the oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream fats and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.