When I was little growing up in Puerto Rico, our pediatrician’s office was in a huge high rise that was connected to a big mall (Plaza Las Americas, if anyone from PR is reading).  On our way out of the pediatrician, if we were good, my mom treated us to some cookies from a stand in the mall called the Cookie Bus.    The stand looked like a school bus and the cookies had this crispy flavor to it that I haven’t had ever again.  I luuurved these cookies.

And here I am, decades later, and I’ve figured out the secret.  It’s butter.  Plain old, yummy and delicious. Paula Deen’s lover. Dr. Oz’s nemesis. BUTTER.

I combined a couple of different recipes that I’ve tried before, tweaked them a little and married my childhood memories with a little sophistication by adding sea salt, making these have that amazing sweet/salty taste that makes all flavors sing. You take a bite, and it’s like any other good cookie, and then you get a little ping of salt and it makes you smile.  It makes me smile, at least.

Now, if you ask me, I’ll say I’m not a fan of crispy cookies and go for the softer ones, but I might be changing my tune with this one.  Crunchy edges with a softer middle makes them perfect in my book. I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients:
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar (I used light brown, but I think dark or a mix of light and dark would work even better)
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. (plus a little more if you’d like) coarse sea salt or other coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips or chunks (I used 2 cups of chips and 1/2 cup of chunks)

Git ‘er done:
1. Cream together butter, sugars and vanilla
2. Add eggs one at a time, waiting until one is mixed in before adding the other.
3.  Add vanilla.
4. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Add the chocolate (yay!)
6. Taste the cookie dough*. because it’s delicious.
7. Taste it again*. because you’re wild.
8. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
9. Form into 1-inch balls and put on a baking sheet.
10. Bake at 350 for 11 – 13 minutes or until golden.  The cook quickly, so keep an eye on them.
11. Let cool for a couple of minutes in the baking sheet and then move to a cookie rack.
12. Devour them as soon as they are cool enough to handle.  But be nice and share with those you like.

This recipe makes a ton of cookies (I think I counted about 80?), and they freeze really well.  I just form them into balls and freeze them for an hour.  Once they are frozen, I move them to gallon-size freezer bags and keep them there.  Whenever I need a sweet fix, or need to take something somewhere, I can pull these out and bake them quick (the same way – place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes).

* Taste raw cookie dough at your own risk.  Whatever that malady that comes from raw cookie dough is, I’ve never gotten it, so I unabashedly indulge.

Linking up at:
Craft Monkey’n Mondays