Competition Chocolate Chip Cookies

Growing up, I was a competitive dancer. Ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, you name it, I did it. By the time I was in high school, I had a show or competition at least one, if not four, weekends a month. During the summer, my mom and I would travel with the other dancers from my studio to competitions across the country. I loved every minute of it, learned invaluable life lessons, and made so many wonderful memories.

One of the clearest memories for me was when Mr. Bob, who had two daughters at the studio, would bring his famous chocolate chip cookies to each competition. They were magical. You might not know this, but dancers are unbelievably superstitious. These cookies were good luck in concrete form.

A few *ahem* years later, I am now a teacher at the same dance studio where I grew up. My sassy little dancer girls have one of their first competitions tomorrow. Mr. Bob's daughters have, of course, grown up and moved on. How can I let my little ones go on stage without some chocolaty good luck? I can't.

Isn't it funny the things that make you feel so nostalgic and so old?


Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
found on Good Things Catered
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 c. plus 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 TBSP (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3. Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

4. With electric mixer or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined.

5. Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.

6. Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

7. Roll scant 1/2 c. dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. (I used a standard scoop instead.)

8. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, approximately 17 minutes.

9. Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.