I’m interest to hear how everyone starts off the new year.  Do you clean out the refrigerator and cabinets like I do?  I throw all the bad stuff away, wipe out the refrigerator and start fresh with fruits and vegetables.  I had a bag of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips left over from Christmas and on New Year’s Day made these cookies. Thomas and I each had 3 cookies and then I threw them away.  Yep, sounds crazy but we said to each other…no more sweets for at least 2 months while we get ourselves back on track!  I can finally say that I have found the secret to making delicious chocolate chip cookies!  How hard can they be to make…right?  You follow the directions on the back of the bag and cook them for 9 – 11 minutes and that’s it.  But do you chop the nuts or leave them whole?  These are my three secrets that I will reveal to making delicious, perfect, ooey gooey, chocolate chip cookies…

Instead of using one cup of chopped nuts…use 2 cups straight from the bag.  Do not chop them up!

Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract instead of 1 

Instead of using 2 sticks of butter…use 2 sticks of margarine!  I used a Kroger brand of margarine.

I know someone who makes the perfect size and shaped cookies but I like mine imperfect 🙂  I use a tablespoon and make a big scoop into the batter!  After I plop the dough down on the baking sheet, I lightly flatten the top.  And that is it!!

I will resume posting every day except for Saturday and Sunday as well as sending out my newsletter once a month  I hope you enjoyed my December posts and as always, feel free to send me suggestions and comments!  I love hearing from you.  If you would like me to post on the weekends again, send me a comment below!