Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

It's chocolate chip week and to celebrate I'll be posting two of my best recipes starring chocolate chips! These two recipes are near and dear to my family's heart and trust me, you're going to want to make these  for your family.

Before I introduce the first recipe, I would like to share with you the brief history of the chocolate chip itself. 
In 1930, a woman by the name of Mrs. Wakefield was stirring together a batch of Butter Drop Cookies- a favorite colonial recipe. She cut a bar of semi-sweet chocolate into bits and added them to her cookie dough, expecting them to melt. What she discovered was that the chocolate held its shape. This delicious discovery was named the Nestle Toll House Cookie and has become a widespread favorite. Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield's home was turned into the now famous Toll House Inn and her desserts attracted people from all over New England. What a fantastic mistake!

As you can guess, the first recipe I will share with you this week is the "Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe- only I've put a southern twist on it and I promise you will love it! The recipe comes from a book that my husband picked up for me at a book fair titled: "Nestle Toll House Best Ever Cookies". This book is full of delicious recipes and endless cookie ideas. I was so grateful that he was thinking of me when he purchased this book, but truth be told I'm sure when he saw the picture on the front cover he was thinking of his stomach too.   :)

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp (you may use margarine as well, softened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (no lumps)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temp
1 cup Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped pecans

Let me take a moment to explain a few things about this recipe. I use unsalted butter versus margarine because it gives the dough a richer flavor and more dense texture. The butter needs to be at room temperature in order to mix evenly into the dough. The eggs do not have to be at room temperature but it makes the dough more creamy and easier to mix. The recipe in the book calls for chopped walnuts, but I use chopped pecans instead. This is where the southern twist comes in and it is the perfect combination of salty and sweet. In reality, you could use any nut you prefer. The end result is always a great cookie.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
COMBINE flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl using a whisk. By using a whisk, you basically are sifting the ingredients together creating a fluffier texture and therefore a fluffier dough.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and pecans.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I use a 2" cookie scoop) onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I use a pizza stone- cookies bake more evenly).

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure not to over bake. Cookies should still be a little soft in the middle when you pull them out of the oven because they will continue to bake for a minute or two after you pull them out. Let stand for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
This recipe makes approx. 5 dozen cookies.

The end result is a fantastic cookie with the consistency of one you would buy in a coffee shop or bakery.
As I mentioned before, the perfect combination of salty and sweet.
Happy baking!