Katie’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

My little secret? A touch of coconut sugar! Mini semisweet chocolate chips are my favorite, but use as many chocolate chips as you like.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup dark brown sugar

• ¼ cup white sugar

• ¼ cup coconut sugar (my little secret! Use an additional ¼ cup white sugar if you don’t have coconut sugar)

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• 1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup), softened—not melted

• Chocolate chips, to your preference; I use mini semisweet chips

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with the dark brown sugar, white sugar, and coconut sugar until creamy and well combined.

4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until the flour is incorporated; avoid overmixing. Fold in your preferred amount of chocolate chips.

6. Scoop the dough into evenly sized mounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2–3 inches between them so they have room to spread. Bake in batches if needed.

7. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly golden. The centers should still look soft. Timing can vary with the size of your cookies and your oven, so keep an eye on the edges.

8. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest on the hot sheet for about 5–10 minutes. They’ll continue cooking from the residual heat and firm up as they cool—this is the secret to that perfect texture! Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

ORANGE & DARK CHOCOLATE VARIATION

These are also delicious with orange zest, a little orange extract, and dark chocolate chips. Add the zest and extract with the vanilla, then fold in dark chocolate chips in place of the mini semisweet chips. Adjust the orange flavor to your preference.

KATIE’S TIP

Pull them out when the edges are slightly golden rather than waiting for the whole cookie to brown. Letting them finish on the baking sheet helps keep the centers soft.