Panera Chocolate Chipper

So, for the first time since I came home, I was finally ready to start cooking again. And, of course, I couldn't go small. Oh, no, it's go big or go home around here. But because I'm utterly obsessed with finding the perfect balance of gooey and fluffy in a chocolate chip cookie, I had to give it another go. I love Panera cookies more than I should, especially considering how expensive they are, so I looted the internet in search of a relatively easy but delicious-sounding recreation. If I'd made them smaller, I think these might've been one of the best cookies ever.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups mini sweet chocolate chips

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix up the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. You know how tedious I think this is, but it does make mixing everything up at the end a little faster.

Then, beat the melted butter and the sugars on low until well mixed and a little fluffy. And by fluffy, I mean a little bubbly.

Then, add the egg, the egg yolk, and the vanilla. Combine thoroughly. Mm, and I love the lots of vanilla part. Makes everything better. I don't have a clue why being "vanilla" is bad--it makes everything so damn tasty!

Add the dry ingredients slowly and combine until thoroughly mixed. It looks like, well, cookie dough.

Then, the best part: add all of those chocolate chips and just stare at how delicious and chocolatey that looks. Sneak a bite of dough and then wonder if anyone will care if you eat the whole bowl. Then back away slowly and get out the cookie sheets so you can have real cookies, too.

Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease them--I prefer to grease them usually, but I think next time I'll make them, I'll give the parchment a try. I made enormous cookies, so I used a tablespoon and put six to a pan. Next go, and this is what I recommend, use a teaspoon and go with twelve to a pan. More cookies means longer to enjoy them. Bake for about 15 minutes if they're large or about 10-12 minutes if they're small, or until golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy. Because they're so large, they got a little crunchy, which isn't terrible and doesn't detract too much from their awesomeness. But, as I've said, I'd do it a little differently next time. Usually how it goes for me, eh?

Well, welcome back. Hopefully, we'll have a great summer of food ahead of us.

Credit for the original recipe goes to Danielle on Simmworks Family Blog