Grandmother's Best Darn Chocolate Chip Cookies
rec.crafts.textiles.quilting/Kim Fisher (2000)

Here's my grandmothers' recipe. I've made them so many times that I don't look it up anymore. These are the best darn chocolate chip cookies in the known universe and have won several bets with them against people who figure more chocolate makes a better cookie. Don't overcook these and keep them covered -even a ziplock bag is good, and they'll stay soft. Not flabby like undercooked- just not crunchy. And they should be rounded, not flat. They're good.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
(my current favorite is 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Dumb name but a good product....)

cream the sugar and 'butter' until well mixed.

Boil a bit of water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1/4 cup water. It should fizz. This is a great step if you have kids helping. The fizz really perks them up and gets them to pay attention and stop stealing chocolate chips.

Add the hot water to the butter/sugar mixture. Stir. This step helps melt any leftover lumps of butter.

Add:
2 eggs, stir.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (I never measure this part. Just pour some in and don't worry.)

Gradually add 2 cups flour.

When the flour has been mixed in, and yes I'm guessing a bit on the 2 cups part since I usually add it until 'it looks right' It should be fairly close since I paid attention last time recently when I was teaching the girls to make them-- now you add 2 cups oatmeal (see note).

Last but not least add a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
If you really like nuts, some chopped pecans are nice, but I like them better plain.

Spoon the cookies in generous lumps onto a cookie sheet. and bake for about 10-12 minutes at 375. I recently acquired a stoneware cookie sheet and it is the single best thing I ever did for my cookie-baking. They were perfect, lightly golden on the bottom, perfectly raised and evenly cooked. Since ovens vary from oven to oven, keep and eye on yours and turn down the temp a bit if they start to over cook in yours.

Note:
Oatmeal: I use and have always used quick oats but not 'instant'. It's the kind with the scary looking guy on the box that takes 5 minutes to cook. FIVE MINUTES. So not steel cut oats and not the kind that only take 30 seconds. If you want to try them go ahead. It's your own lookout. -- And don't say, 'YECCH!? Oatmeal???' and leave it out. It really makes these cookies special. And substantial and chewy. And moist.