If you really want to impress your family, friends or co-workers with crowd pleasing cookies, these are it. And ‘large’ is an understatement; they are huge, enormous, gigantic chocolate chip cookies! They are thick, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and oh so very chocolaty.

This recipe makes some significant changes to the typical back of the bag chocolate chip cookie recipe. First of all, the ratio of flour to sugar is increased (more flour, less sugar) so the cookie will not flatten while baking. Baking powder is used to keep the cookie fluffy. The dough is refrigerated and it is baked at a slightly higher temperature to prevent it from melting down. Just a few tweaks turns your typical chocolate chip cookie to something that looks like it was made in a professional kitchen!

Large Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cups butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 T vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined and set aside.
2. Cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and egg and beat until incorporated.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. With a spatula, mix in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and chill for 15-30 minutes.
4. Divide dough into 6 equal portions and shape into disks. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375°F.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes until cookies are golden-brown. Cool the cookies on the sheet pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations:
1. Want them smaller? Divide the dough into 12 portions instead.
2. Want them even smaller? Scoop them out in tablespoonfuls.
3. Add your favorite nuts like walnuts or macadamia nuts.
4. Use peppermint extract instead of vanilla to get a cool, minty refreshing twist.
5. Use chocolate chip chunks, or white chocolate chips to really up your game.
6. Replace the chocolate chips with cranberries or raisins to make it slightly healthier.