Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons butter (soft or room temperature preferred)

1 egg

2-3 teaspoons vanilla (I prefer vanilla bean paste, but vanilla extract is also good. I like extra vanilla, I add 3 tsp but if you prefer a more classic cookie 2 tsp is good)

1 cup dark brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar if you want a lighter flavor. I use dark because I love molasses cookies)

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
2. Mix wet ingredients (butter, vanilla, egg) with sugar

Use a mixer if butter is not soft

3. Mix dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda)

4. Slowly add dry mixture to wet ingredients

5. Mix

6. Add chocolate chips

7. Roll small ball cookies onto cookie sheet (I line with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat if I do not use/trust a nonstick pan)

8. Cook for 15-20 minutes (15 for smaller cookies, 18 is perfect but 20 is good for bigger cookies)

should yield 2 dozen cookies (at least in our case)

9. Enjoy

10. Store in airtight container to prolong texture. Can freeze too.

Story

I love making new recipes with Little A. I like making her special recipes for her birthday treat. Last year it was chocolate strawberry cake with chocolate strawberry cream cheese frosting and strawberries. This year, since we don't need to have a smash cake, I am doing cookies. We like our first try so much, we decided it was a winner.

We replace butter with Earth Balance soy free (it's easier to work with than the original, but the whipped version is also good to bake with too). We use Guittard Chocolate because it's my favorite baking chocolate brand and local to San Francisco. Their chocolates are richer than Tollhouse and Ghiradelli. Chocolates have dairy, but note if it says cocoa butter - that is not dairy butter. Milk fat, is usually in chocolate and should be avoided for dairy allergies. Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips don't have dairy in them and are affordable.

If you do not want double chocolate chip, you can eliminate the chocolate chips or replace the cocoa powder with flour. If you want more chocolate you can add more cocoa powder (and less flour, eg. 1/2 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup flour) and/or more chocolate chips.

I bake at a lower temperature for a longer time to keep the cookies soft. I add extra baking soda because I like my cookies fluffier.

My favorite brand ingredients to add:

Guittard Chocolate Chips

Guittard Cocoa Powder

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste

Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla Extract