Thing is though, there are many different chocolate chip cookie recipes out there (and yes, call me a purist, but the pre-made cookie dough, although ideal for those girls’ nights in where you curse men and blame parents, does not even qualify as a #1 favourite). That said, the recipe I’ve worked off of for years is the Nestle Tollhouse original recipe. I’ve made my own adjustments which I will not share with you but hey, nothing sucks about the original!

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter; softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans; chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minute; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cream cheese; softened
• ½ cup butter; softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese. Gradually beat in sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and salt.
3. Whisk together baking powder and flour in a small bowl and, mixing on low speed, add to cream cheese mixture.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchement-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edge just barely turns brown. Cool on wire rack. Dust with icing sugar as desired.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Cinnamon sugar (½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon)
• Butter glaze (1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp. melted butter, 2 tbsp. hot water)

1. In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon. baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and blend well.
3. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).
4. Shape into 3/4-inch balls and roll in Cinnamon Sugar.
5. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with Butter Glaze.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup icing sugar
• ½ cup corn starch
• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp. vanilla

1. Chop butter into chunks then process with icing sugar in a food processor with the blade until well creamed.
2. Add remaining ingredients and process until just mixed. (Optional: refrigerate the dough while you make another batch.)
3. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten using a fork then sprinkle with decorative sugar.
4. Bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes; watching carefully until edged are lightly browned.

• 7 2/3 cups flaked coconut (3 pkg at 7 oz. each)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup canned cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1 pkg. milk chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle 1 cup of the coconut over foil. Bake 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; cool.
3. Mix toasted coconut, remaining coconut, flour and salt in a large bowl. Beat milk, cream of coconut, vanilla, almond extract and egg in medium bowl until well mixed. Pour milk over coconut mixture; stir until well mixed.
4. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto lined cookie sheet.
5. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown (the cookies will be soft in the center and set at edges). Immediately slide lining with cookies from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely; about 30 minutes.
6. Heat chocolate chips and oil in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until chips are melts. Either drizzle over cookies or dip half of cookie into the chocolate. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

This recipe was taken from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.

There’s something somewhat sinful about eating cookie batter - like sneaking a peek at a Christmas present one day too soon. I try very hard not to eat too many of the things I baked (a sample bite here and there doesn’t hurt) and I almost NEVER taste-test the batter!

However, there are some cookies that I will indulge in before they hit the oven. Stay tuned for my top 5 favourite/addictive cookie batters.