Best Ever Cottage Chocolate Chip Cookies

For years, I have been asked for the recipe for my "best ever" chocolate chip cookies. Well, here it is. The secret is to slightly underbake them, which keeps them chewy and tasting a little bit like that raw cookie dough we all secretly love. My sister-in-law Amanda has stolen the torch for making the best batch - I suppose they are a bit of a craft. My mom has to hide these from my husband or they disappear in seconds. 

MAKES 4 DOZEN

• 1 cup (250 mL) butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar

• 1 cup (250 mL) white sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt

• 1 pkg (300 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. 
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to batter and mix on low speed until just combined. 
Stir in chocolate chips. Drop batter by tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheet, leaving a good inch (2.5 cm) between cookies. You'll get 12 cookies per sheet. Dip spoon into hot water if batter sticks. Lightly press cookies to flatten.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly golden but still soft.
Let rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to flattened brown paper bags to cool.