Chocolate Chip Cookies

   I have discovered the perfect after school treat... hot from the oven homemade cookies! No, I haven't been baking a batch of cookies every day, but I did bake several batches, and freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls. Now when it is almost time for my children to be home from school, I bake one pan of cookies. Easy as pie, I have hot fresh cookies.
   So instead of dragging up the hill after school, my children race up the hill to get to the cookies first!
   We have found that we like the cookies better when made from the frozen dough balls. The centers are a little softer and gooey! Check out the instructions under the "Notes" at the end of the recipe to learn how to freeze your cookie dough balls.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
   ½ cup butter
   ¼ cup sugar
   ½ cup brown sugar
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   1 egg
   1 teaspoon soda
   1¼ cups flour
   1 cup milk chocolate chips
   1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla, eggs, & soda and mix well. (If using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt.) Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop dough by tablespoon (small cookie scoop) on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes about 30 cookies.

Notes:
   You can make a "pizza" (or cake) cookie by placing all the dough on a parchment covered 15 inch baking stone. Spread dough out until it is about ⅜ inch thick. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Makes one cookie. To give as a gift, cut the parchment paper that the cookie is on to fit inside a large pizza box. Remove parchment and cookie and place them in a pizza box. Decorate with frosting and mini M&M's.
   You can also make giant cookies with the large (3 Tbsp) cookie scoop. Spread dough out until about ⅜ inch thick. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes about 10 cookies. These make great gifts! Just wrap each cookie individually with plastic wrap. If you are giving a single cookie as a gift, place a fun circular label with your message in the center of each cookie. If you are giving several cookies, place them in a cute basket and add a bow!
   You can freeze cookie dough balls prior to baking. Place balls on a tray lined with parchment paper. Place tray in freezer until balls are frozen solid. (A deep freezer works much faster than the regular freezer.) Place frozen balls in a gallon freezer Ziplock bag removing as much air as possible and label it.

These will be good for about 6 weeks in the freezer. When ready to bake, place frozen balls on cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.