Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans

I've been bad...I've been very bad.  Last week, Butter Horns and now chocolate chip cookies.  The inevitable played out with some unwelcome weight gain so you probably won't see another sweet recipe from me for a while.  It was sure fun while it lasted though ;) 

I will gladly place the blame on a good friends who made these warm and fresh and served them after dinner at their home recently.  Just the right balance of chips and pecans - heaven! Some of the blame could also rest of the shoulders of the changing season which makes comfort food so much more appealing. WARNING - do NOT put a whole plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies out on your kitchen counter. 

I did try something that I've never done before.  After realizing the wickedness of my ways, I froze the rest of the cookie dough so I wouldn't be tempted to bake the whole batch.  

I first scooped the cookie dough into balls the size I would bake them, placed them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they were solid, and then put them into zipper freezer bags.  To make just a small batch of cookies as a treat on the weekend, I will just take out a couple of dough balls for each of us in the morning and put them in a bowl in the frig to thaw out during the day.  (Don't leave them on the counter because they do contain raw egg!).  Then bake them up as usual.  Perfect for portion control. 

Can anyone resist a warm chocolate chip cookie?  Pas Moi!  I love them chewy in the center and slightly crispy on the edges.  How you do like them?

Happy Fall to You All!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Carol Demasters
Food editor, Milwaukee Journal Times, Circa 1980s

Printable Recipe

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar – not packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups pecans, chopped

Note:  Sometimes I add 1/2 cup of M&Ms to the recipe for our grandsons :)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and blend thoroughly on slow speed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix just until incorporated. Add chocolate chips and pecans and, again, blend just until incorporated.

Dough can be shaped into balls and frozen. Defrost in refrigerator at least 8 hours.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.