Mega Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
This is a recipe developed from trial and error (as if there is an “error” chocolate chip cookie!), but based on a basic “Toll House” recipe.  I prefer to use Ghirardelli™ Double Chocolate chips for a more intense chocolate flavor, and it really doesn’t cost much more than that other brand, especially when your local super market has a 2 for 1 deal going, which my local has at various times throughout the year.  If you feel strongly about it, go ahead and do that other brand, or some kinda milk chocolate chips if you must, but what you originally tried (which is why you are here to get this recipe now) was the Ghirardelli™ Double Chocolate.
 
Preheat oven to 375*.

Hand mix in a small bowl:
- 1-3/4 cups unsifted flour
- 1 cup uncooked Quaker Oat Meal (1 minute)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt

Hand mix until smooth in a large bowl:
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup / 2 sticks thawed, soft butter
- 2 eggs
- Once blended smooth, add and thoroughly mix in the flour, oat meal, soda & salt mixture.

Once thoroughly mixed, add:
-18 oz. / 1-1/2 packages Ghirardelli™ Double Chocolate chips
- 6 oz. / 1/2 package Ghirardelli™ Classic White chips
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Place 1-1/2” diameter sized scoops onto un-greased cookie sheets and press them down to ~1/2” thickness.  Allow ~2inch separation between cookies.  Bake at 375* for 12-14 minutes.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes before attempting to remove to a cooling rack, otherwise, the cookies may fall apart and you will have to eat all of the scraps (what a shame)!!

NOTES:
- BAKE 1 TEST COOKIE FIRST to determine appropriate batter consistency (add up to 1/4 cup additional flour if too gooey, usually the culprit to VERY large eggs) and oven temperature (due to oven variations).
- For “cake-ier” cookies, add 1/4 cup flour.  For “gooey” cookies, deduct 1/4 cup flour, reduce temperature to 350*, and increase cooking time by 1-2 minutes.

In the interest of being as people friendly as possible, I have gotten into the habit of not including nuts, and in the interest of saving time, I have gotten into the habit of making the pan version pretty much all the time.  I also think the pan version is more popular due to the obscene amount of sweets used... obscene, but dang yummy!

PAN PROCEDURE:
- Same as above, except bake at 350* for ~25 minutes in a 9x13 “dark” pan.  (If using SS, I believe the time and/or temperature needs to increase, though I am not certain.)
- Increase chip quantity to 24 oz. (2 packages) large chocolate chips 12 oz. (1 package) white chips.  (The increased chip quantity doesn’t work well on the individual cookies, since there isn’t as much of a batter ratio to hold the cookie together.)