It’s almost my birthday and I figured there was no better way to celebrate than with my favorite food group: sweets and anything chocolate!

Ok, you might be thinking it’s just another chocolate chip cookie recipe to pin to your Pinterest board…Oh, my friend, you are so wrong! Ask any of my friends and family and I bet you they will say that my chocolate chip cookie recipe is the bomb! They are soft and chewy on the inside but perfectly browned on the outside. They don’t melt into a frosty the snowman mess on your cookie sheet and have never failed me as a crowd-pleaser – but let’s be honest, most of the time I hoard them all for me and my hubby!

This recipe is adapted from the Apple A Day blog.

Here are a few key points to making perfect cookies every time! When creaming together the butter and sugars be sure to mix it long enough until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in color like below. It could take 30-60 seconds to get to this point.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is cornstarch which helps the cookies stay thick and not melt into a flat cookie. Do not skip this ingredient!

When forming the cookie dough balls, I use a large metal spoon to scrape about a tablespoon (or more) out of the bowl. I then roll it into a ball in my had and press it into an oblong oval shape. Place the cookie dough balls on your cookie sheet so they are taller than they are wide like below:

Cook those puppies to perfection by placing them on the center rack and bake for 8 minutes (that’s how long it usually takes in my oven). You can bake up to 10 minutes, but do not cook longer than that. The bottoms will brown, but the tops may not brown and that is totally ok!

The last step is to enjoy the heck out of eating that gooey, soft, delicious cookie! And remember to share at least one with your best friend or significant other.

Now, here’s the recipe:

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever!

Makes approximately 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 
• 3/4 c. brown sugar 
• 1/4 c. granulated sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 2 c. all purpose flour 
• 2 tsp. cornstarch 
• 1 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color – this can take up to a minute. You want to make sure that the resulting mixture truly is fluffy and lighter in color – don’t skimp on this step!
3. Add egg and vanilla to mixer bowl and blend in.
4. Mix in cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
5. Mix in flour.
6. Remove bowl from stand mixer and stir in chocolate chips using a wooden spoon.
7. Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, form dough into an oblong oval and place on the cookie sheet so they are higher than they are wide (see image in above post).
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops may not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)
9. Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.
10. Share a cookie with someone you love and try not to eat them all!