The Bestest Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was on a mission to find the perfect recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. I knew that Nestle Toll House had already done it but I wanted something different. I wanted a heartier cookie, something with a bit more substance. I wanted to be able to eat just 1 or 2 (or 10 or 12) and be satisfied, not have to eat the whole package. I also wanted to incorporate a few more healthy ingredients. I have never been a huge fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, the oatmeal just ends up tasting like... well... oatmeal. Well it took me a while but I finally found a recipe that I am happy with. I asked many, many people what they thought and there was overwhelming consensus that I needed to look no further.

I made somewhere around 20 batches. First I started with my favorite granola, Cascadian Farms Organic Maple Brown Sugar (which is where I altered the recipe from), but you can use any old granola that your grocers carries. I would avoid a flavored granola but whatever floats your boat :)

Then I tried to find the perfect nut, this was a problem, everyone liked a different nut. I tried pecans and thought they didn't stand up enough against the chocolate, I tried almonds and some thought they had too much flavor. Walnuts were good until a bad one ended up in the mix and ruined a whole batch. In the end I decided that which ever nut you like best will make the cookies best for you. I prefer almonds, chopped small they are the perfect match for me.

Then I started messing around with adding instant coffee, a few times I added too much and it was a shock to the system. 2 tablespoons seems to work out nicely. The Flax Seeds are a bonus, they add nutrition and a heartiness that the cookies were missing. I used ground seeds but you can use the whole seeds if you want, really what ever you find.

Lastly I decided it all came down to the chocolate. I have never been a big semi sweet fan, I like good milk chocolate. I used Ghiradelli because it is amazing. But again if you prefer semi sweet than that will just make the cookies that much better for you.

After 20 batches I figured out that everyone has different tastes, some will like pecans with semi-sweet chips, others will up the coffee and use flavored granola, it all depends on your tastes. But this final version was the most well received, in fact everyone had a hard time walking away from the platter.

So without further delay...



Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Butter (softened)
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Flax Seed (I used ground)
2 tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
4 cups Granola
1 bag Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine Butter, Sugars, Vanilla, Eggs, Flax Seed and Coffee on low speed until light and fluffy. Beat in Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt until well mixed. Stir in Granola, Chocolate Chips, and Nuts. Drop spoonfuls on ungreased cookies sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes or until a light golden brown color. Cool 1 minute on sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.