The Quest for a Simply Delicious Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

I found what I thought to be a good recipe for a chewy chocolate chip cookie, and boy was it ever! Not a lot of butter involved, easy and quick. I changed a few things about the recipe to suit my own needs and voila! Deliciousness was born. I think the greatness was partially due to the use of Ghirardelli chocolate chips (60% cocoa) instead of your plain-old store-bought brand. They were good warm, but I think even better cold once they had the chance to actually become chewy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a hint of Chai spice)
an edited version of this recipe - Makes 14 medium-sized cookies

* 2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
* 6 tablespoons white sugar
* 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 or 1.5 teaspoons chai spice (I used David Rio Fine Teas Masala Chai)
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 large egg
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 cup to 1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chunks or chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. (My oven bakes very hot, so I set mine to 325 right before I put them in the oven.)
2. In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, salt, chai spice* and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg until entirely combined.
3. Sift together flour and baking soda. Add this to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until absorbed. Stir chocolate chunks into the dough.
4. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (I used non-stick spray on my aluminum foil.) Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and drop them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

*Note: I could stand to have added another couple of teaspoons of the Chai spice if I really wanted to taste it. I could only very faintly detect it in these cookies.