I started making these cookies in the eighth grade, and they just might be responsible for my love of cooking. It wasn’t just that they are gooey and awesome, which they are; it was also that people complimented me on my cooking skills, and that gave me confidence. It later worked out in the singing thing, too! Exactly how chewy these cookies are depends on how big you make them. I make mine a little bigger than the recipe calls for because I like them soft in the middle. They are best served with a really cold glass of milk … or more cookies!

　　

Ingredients

makes 3 to 4 dozen

　　2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks) butter, room temperature

　　3/4 cup granulated sugar

　　1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

　　1 large egg, room temperature

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

　　1/2 teaspoon baking soda

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup (1 6-ounce package) semisweet chocolate chips

　　

Step 1

Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

　　

Step 2

Using the electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla together until smooth.

　　

Step 3

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and, with the beater running, slowly add to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

　　

Step 4

Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Carefully remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

　　Reprinted with permission from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours by Trisha Yearwood with Gwen Yearwood and Beth Yearwood Bernard. Copyright © 2008 by Trisha Yearwood. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Trisha Yearwood is a three-time Grammy-award winning country music star and the author of the bestselling cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. She is married to megastar Garth Brooks.