No Mixer Needed Chocolate Chip Cookies

   

   About a week and a half ago my mixer died.  My Classic white KitchenAid mixer that I bought 14 years ago out of desperation one night when I was tackling dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies finally gave up the ghost.  I guess when you use them about 5 times a week for that many years, they just get tired.

   There was no question about whether or not to replace it.  When I first bought it, I was still fairly young, single, and living in an apartment. At the time, it seemed like such an extravagant purchase.  Now, it's simply a necessity in the baking world I live in.  I opted for a beautiful Liquid Graphite Artisan this time which gives me a slightly bigger bowl and more engine power.  The engine power part kind of cracks me up.

   During the time when I was waiting for the arrival of my new mixer, my family and I found ourselves snowed in for a couple of days.  Snowed in with NO MIXER!  Baking and cooking are my favorite snowy day activities so I was truly at a loss.  I ended up surviving, but I tell you, it was really roughing it around here!

   After the mixer arrived, my cousin Mary Alice posted a picture of a jar of beautiful cookies on her Facebook wall and commented that they did not require a mixer at all.  Now, I sure wish I had known about her magical recipe while we were snowed in!  Every recipe for chocolate chip cookies I have ever used requires me to thoroughly beat the ingredients so  I was intrigued by this recipe.

  I thoroughly trust Mary Alice's judgement on baking because not only did I sample many of her delicious dishes and treats growing up, I also happen to know she learned from the masters, my grandmother and my Aunt Argie.  I treasure the memories I have of her working alongside Aunt Argie in our family's farmhouse to prepare the midday meal and can still picture her in her aprons. Mary Alice must have taken a great deal of mental notes and paid careful attention when she was in the kitchen because she is now a fount of knowledge for me as I attempt to duplicate many of our family recipes.  I am so grateful that she is willing to share so many tips with me and that we are able to bond over our recipes.  I am also thankful for the new images I have of her baking for her two sweet granddaughters and passing along our family's love of cooking to a new generation.

  Tomorrow the PTA at my daughter's school is hosting a luncheon for the teachers so  I thought this would be the perfect time to try out Mary Alice's cookie recipe.  Mary Alice suggested adding 3 T. of cocoa to the dough and replacing some of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips.  I decided to try it without the modifications this time but used half regular chocolate chips and half mini-chips.  Next time, I think I will experiment with her suggestions but for this time around, I couldn't have been happier with how the cookies turned out!  Hopefully my daughter's teachers will love them, too.

   One of the things I loved about this recipe was that it called for dark brown sugar and while I have always used only light brown in chocolate chip cookies, I really, really loved the dark in these.  I think it added a little more depth to the base.  I would definitely suggest that you follow that part of the recipe if you have dark brown sugar on hand.  I am sure the light would work fine, too, but I will definitely be using the dark from now on.

 Mary Alice's notes on the cookies indicate that she found these from The Food Network and you can find the original recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies on the site.  My only modification was to use replace half the chocolate chips with mini ones and to use salted butter in place of the unsalted.  This is just a matter of taste, though.

No Mixer Needed Chocolate Chip Cookies (click on the title for a printable version)

1 stick of salted butter (1/2 C.)
3/4 C. dark brown sugar
3/4 C. granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour (I only use White Lily in my cookies)
3/4 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer Hershey's)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a microwaveable bowl.  Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together melted butter, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, place balls of cookie dough on baking sheets.  Roll into balls.

Bake for 12 -14 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on baking racks.