I'm a weakling

I have a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I think is one of the best out there. I'm not bragging, because it's not like it is my original recipe. But ever since I discovered it (thank you, Alli) I have never gone back to my old recipe. Not only that, but being a food snob, now that I have found such a scrumptious recipe, I find it easy to pass up many sub standard cookies out there!:) This occasional refusal of a cookie has given me a false sense of confidence in my ability to withstand chocolate chip cookies in general, which this morning has been exposed as an illusion.

When we moved to the area four plus years ago, Christine befriended poor little friendless me. At the time, she had a toddler and a newborn baby and this little baby captured my heart. As she got a little older, she had a cute little voice and would always praise my cookies. (Cookie loving must run in the family. Her aunt's blog pays homage to cookies 3/21.) One day Christine told me that whenever Sidney came over to visit, she'd ask her mom of Michal was going to make her yummy cookies again. Well that did it--I am completely charmed by anyone who gushes about my food (now that you know this, please don't use it against me--I know it's pathetically weak-minded of me!) From then on, anytime those kids were coming to play at my house, I seriously considered a batch of cookies. Some times I resisted making them, but it's always hard to not when I know how much they will enjoy them.

Yesterday I called Christine to invite her kidlets over to play for a while--they have a brand new baby brother and heavens knows that the least I can do is get them out of the house for a couple of hours. During the course of the conversation I was trying to offer (force) some food that I could make and send home with the kids, and somehow these chocolate chip cookies came up. "You know, the ones with the milk chocolate chips," Christine said. So naturally I insisted on making a batch this morning to send home with the little ones after play time.

You know how I've been trying to eat in such a way that Dr. Oz and the Duchess of York would be proud of me. (Never mind a few run-ins in Whittier with pizza rolls and ice cream heaven.) But I told myself, "Don't worry. You can definitely make those cookies and not eat any. You pass up chocolate chip cookies all the time!" (Which is an exaggeration, to be sure.)
I started in right after breakfast. By the time I got ready to add the chocolate chips, I had to go brush my teeth because somehow I just kept nibbling at the dough. That helped for about ten minutes before I thought, "How bad can cookie dough taste after brushing your teeth?" and decided to do a little scientific research and find out! After several tastes (it's not as bad as you would think, at least if you've used peppermint toothpaste,) I decided that I needed to chew a piece of gum, and that's where I am right now. But facing my spineless ways head on, I realize that my plan to freeze part of the dough and make cookies Sunday afternoon to give away is not very realistic. I happen to love this cookie dough frozen. (The Pioneer Woman loves frozen cake--check out this hysterical post.) So, do you think I can chew gum for the rest of the week?

I'll share the recipe here, but don't make it if you don't want to eat it. And if you're going to substitute margerine or imitation vanilla or Nestle chocolate chips, then don't bother--just use the Tollhouse recipe.

Irresistible Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 lb. BUTTER
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 T. VANILLA EXTRACT
• 6 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 1/2-2 bags best quality MILK chocolate chips with real vanilla (I only use Guittard, which you can find cheap at WinCo around here in the bulk section)
• 2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy and well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. You can combine the dry ingredients if you want, but I just put in a couple cups of the flour, then the salt and baking soda and mix it in, then add the rest of the flour and mix until your mixer complains that it's too much cookie dough for one batch. Now take out a good thick wooden spoon and mix in the chocolate chips and the nuts. I like to make these on the big side most of the time--about 2-3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Bake in a 350 oven for about 12 minutes. Give away lots of these or you'll be sorry. If you half the recipe, then you should use 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk.