• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or butter-margarine blend, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. real vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 cups flour, slightly heaped
• 1 generous cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cream the butter and sugars, either in an electric mixer (the easy way) or with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl (the butter MUST be soft for this, but that's what they made microwaves for). Add the egg, mix well, and add the vanilla, salt and soda, and mix again. Measure the flour in, and dump the chocolate chips on top to hold the flour down, if you are using the electric mixer method. Mix until you have a dough.

Drop the cookies onto cookie sheets. I use a measuring scoop, like an ice cream scoop. I have one that is about 2 TBLS, and this recipe makes about two dozen using that one. I also have a 1 1/2 TBLS, and get about three dozen using that.

Bake for about 8 minutes, until just set, and finish cooking on the sheets for about 5-10 additional minutes before moving to racks or brown paper to cool.

Mount Hood