Hey everyone! Happy May and welcome back to my monthly column, Grace Bakes! Hopefully some of you guys were able to bake some cookies and treats for your pets last month from April’s recipe :). 

If you’re new, I am sharing a recipe for a yummy sweet treat with you guys each month. Baking has been a passion of mine that I have grown with my family ever since I was little, so I love being able to share some of my favorite desserts with you. 

This month is a classic: chocolate chip cookies! I have tried many chocolate chip cookie recipes, since they are one of my favorite desserts, but this one has been growing on me the most. They are just crispy enough on the outside,  super soft on the inside, and the gooey, melty chocolate chips just top it all off!

At this point, I’m sure you’re wondering how to make these amazing cookies, and I am here to tell you! Here are the ingredients/measuring cups and spoons you will need: 

-1 cup (2 sticks) of softened butter (if you don’t take your butter out ahead of time – like me – I always use the trick of heating it up in the microwave in 20 second intervals!)

-1 cup of packed brown sugar (make sure you use a spoon and press down each scoop of brown sugar you place in the measuring cup!)

-1 cup of granulated sugar

-1 1/2 tablespoon of milk

-2 eggs

-1/2 teaspoon of salt

-1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-3 cups of flour (I usually use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup and then level it down!)

-3/4 teaspoon of baking soda 

-1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 

-2 cups of chocolate chips (you can use milk, semisweet, dark, white – whatever types of chips you prefer! I usually do 1 cup each of semisweet and white)

Have all of these materials gathered? Great! Let’s get into the instructions: 

-First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (to put your cookie dough on later!)

-Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Usually an electric mixer is used for this step (I put mine on the lowest setting when mixing), but if you don’t have one, using a whisk or spatula and mixing at a faster pace will do the trick! The mixture should be a light color and creamy. 

-Add the milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. For this step, I switch from an electric mixer to a mixing spoon or spatula!

-Then, mix in all of the dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, and baking powder – until fully incorporated. There should not be any white spots in your dough!

-Finally, fold in your chocolate chips. I sometimes will do a little more or less chocolate chips; you can add whatever amount you prefer! 

-Now it’s time to shape your cookie dough balls! As a reference, I usually use a kitchen tablespoon as a tool to size my cookie dough balls – but I also like my chocolate chip cookies a little smaller! Put each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet at least an inch or two apart, since they grow!

-Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. My cookies almost always take 9 minutes, but depending upon the size of your cookies or the oven you have, it could take longer. Just keep an eye on them and take the cookies out once they are golden brown on the edges. 

-Transfer your cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for about 8-10 minutes. 

-If you have leftover dough, continue the process of baking these yummy cookies and enjoy!

And just like that: you have learned to bake one of my favorite (and hopefully soon-to-be yours, too) chocolate chip cookie recipes! With chocolate chip cookies being a classic dessert, they are perfect for bringing to family and friends, the holidays, parties, and so much more. 

My friends and family love these cookies! I always get great feedback when I bake them, and I think they have the perfect texture and flavor. 

If you guys decide to bake these cookies (which you should!), I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do! I can’t wait to share another great recipe with you in June (the last month of the school year: it went by so fast)!