Nestle Toll House Cookies ala Mair Hill

I am always happy to share my recipes and this is one of them I get asked for the most. This is the recipe I use – exactly as I use it. There are so many cookie lovers in my life that there is never a reason to make a single batch of cookies around my house, so this recipe is double what you'll see on the package. I've included all the nuances I use. This recipe adapts well to being gluten-free. I substitute Cup 4 Cup for the all purpose flour. If you use a cookie scoop, five dozen of these cookies will fit in a one-gallon Ziploc bag (for easy freezing). They taste even better frozen!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

The cookie pans I use are made by Kaiser. I buy parchment paper from King Arthur. I bake in a convection oven and cool the cookies on the pan on a rack.
I use the small cookie scoop from Pampered Chef – it is approximately one tablespoon.
I buy my vanilla from Penzey's or The Spice House.

Ingredients

4½ cups all purpose flour I use Gold Medal unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp sea salt Morton's Sea Salt
2 cups butter room temperature
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups brown sugar I use approximately half light and half dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract Madagascar Single Strength
2 tsp vanilla extract Madagascar Double Strength
2 cups or 1 – 11.5 oz bag of Nestle semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups or 1 – 11.5 oz bag of Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips You can also use 2 cups of M&M's instead

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° or 350° if using a convection oven

Mix first three dry ingredients

Set aside.

Measure chocolate chips

Or at least have the bags ready to be poured into the batter. Set aside for now.

Cream

Butter and both sugars on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each egg.
Add vanilla.

Add dry ingredients

Lower the speed to the lowest level (some mixers include "stir" as an option). And mix until only a little bit of flour is still showing. Add the chocolate chips and continue mixing for thirty more seconds. If you mix the dry ingredients too long, the cookies will be tough.

Scoop the batter

Use a spoon or a scoop. My preferred size is about one tablespoon. Twelve cookies will fit on one sheet. 3 rows, 4 per row. What's more important than the size of the cookie is making sure ALL the cookies per tray are about the same size so they will cook evenly.

Bake in preheated oven

9-12 minutes depending on your oven and how you like your cookies: softy and chewy will be closer to ten minutes; crispy will be closer to twelve minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through from top to bottom and right to left.

Let cookies cool

On the pan. If you don't have enough pans to keep baking, slide the parchment with the cookies off the pan on to a flat surface such as a table or counter. Let the pan cool completely before using it again with a new sheet of parchment. Parchment can be used multiple times – just wipe off with a dry paper towel when your cookie baking session is done.

Store the cookies

In an airtight container for one week or in the freezer for three months.

Nestle Toll House Cookies ala Mair Hill