Cranberry / Orange Zest / White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Apologies for the extended leave - Thanksgiving preparations have kept me busy. And with all that hoopla, I forgot to take pictures of the feast! :( The brined turkey was delightful; I will definitely go this route in the future! Now back on topic with a new recipe (and important arsenal as the holidays get underway - this recipe is perfect for a cookie swap)!

Not to brag or anything but the recipe listed below is the base recipe for the BEST chocolate chip cookies. They are soft, slightly chewy - truly perfect! I love to customize this recipe - this time I used dried cranberries, orange zest and white chocolate chips, you can go plain jane and use regular chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and macademia nuts are sinful, mini M&Ms are fun, butterscotch chips and walnuts are perfect for fall. Which combination would you try?



2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. Beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffly. Add salt, vanilla and eggs; mix until well blended. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2" apart. Bake cookies rotating sheets halfway through until edges turn golden but centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.