The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day was always so much fun as a kid. I always got to make a cool box where classmates would put Valentines cards in. I also liked picking out my Valentines. There were so many choices it was always hard to choose. That is probably what I miss the most about being a kid. I don't get those awesome foil Valentines anymore or the cool fake tattoos that came with some of them  

Being an adult Valentine's Day isn't as much fun, but sure is a heck of a lot more expensive. If you've procrastinated and still don't have anything for your sweetheart or you're short on cash I have the perfect solution for you today. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Now I realize these may not sound all that special or fantastic but I can promise you (and my friends will verify it for you) these chocolate chip cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever taste. 

In my hometown my mom is famous for her amazing chocolate chip cookies. Literally all my friends, former teachers, church friends, neighbors, and pretty much everyone else will tell you my mom makes a mean chocolate chip cookie. When I started playing with ingredients to make the best chocolate chip cookie ever I had a lot to live up to. Luckily, because I don't eat sweets, one of my friends was more than happy to be the taste tester. She happily confirmed these were the best cookies she'd ever had. 

So, if you need a last minute Valentine's Day gift why not show your love with something homemade instead of store bought. Homemade gifts are always better, especially when they're edible! 

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients. If dough is crumbly and not forming well melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter and add it into the mixing bowl. If you're still having a hard time getting dough to form use your hands instead of a spoon- yes this is messier but it really does help.

You can also combine ingredients with an electric mixer.

If you're going to use an electric mixer combine the butter, egg, and vanilla first on a medium or low speed.

Then carefully add in mixture of dry ingredients. Combine on a low speed. 

Slowly add in chocolate chips.

Using your hands or a scooper make dough balls and place on lined baking sheet. Form dough balls larger or smaller depending on how many cookies you want to make. Leave space between dough on baking sheet for cookies to spread.

If you create small dough balls you can get about 40 cookies.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 16 minutes. Check cookies at 12 minutes. Cookies are done when the edges turn a golden brown color. 

Bake each sheet of cookies individually so the cookies will bake evenly.

Allow the cookies to cool for thirty minutes before removing from baking sheet. Even after removing do not immediately place in a sealed container/bag. Allow the cookies to completely cool or they will spoil much faster.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

For a fun Valentine's day touch add red, white, and pink sprinkles to the top of cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. You can also incorporate sprinkles into the dough of the cookies as well.