Chocolate Chip Cookies

So who knew our secret family recipe for Chocholate Chip Cookies comes from the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chips bag! Yep it's the same recipe that my mother and my grandmother uses. I guess don't mess with perfection right!

Now we do a few things a little differently. We add 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of M&M's instead of the usual 2 cups of chocolate chips. We will use red and green M&M's for Christmas and you could really use whatever colors you want depending on the season/holiday!

Another modification is we use 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening sometimes, or sometimes we use all butter flavored Crisco. If you use half butter/half shortening your cookies will spread out nicely and won't be too puffy or too flat...just perfection!

This weekend I was visiting with my niece and nephew at my parents house and we decided we just needed some chocolate chip cookies. Luckily I had two helpers to help me make them.

Helper #1 helped mix all the ingredients

Helper #2 taste-tested the M&M's to make sure they were all good!

Helper #1 then helped put the cookies out on the baking sheets.

Helper #2 says the cookies are the best

Helper #1 was too busy eating cookies, cookies and more cookies!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, or shortening or 1/2 cup of each
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups chocolate chips (or 1 cup chocolate chips/1 cup M&M's)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and M&M's. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake  for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!