Paper Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are so many recipes out there for chewy, thick chocolate chip cookies. I admit that I love this kind of cookie, especially gooey in the middle, but sometimes I want to mix it up. When I saw these thin chocolate chip cookies on Pinterest, I pinned and decided to make them to store in the freezer. My mom is one who likes really crisp cookies, so this recipe reminds me of her. They are paper thin but the centers remain chewy, with a crisp outside. You get the best of both cookie worlds and I honestly have eaten way too many of these in the past few days.

These do take a while to make as you need to leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread on your baking sheet, so you will do plenty of batches. I also suggest not using the parchment paper and just opting to drop the dough onto the baking sheet itself. I ended up freezing some of the dough in balls to bake later because I was tired of standing for 2 hours, and I had already baked plenty! Just ignore how much butter is in these when you indulge, since the recipe makes so many there isnt too much butter in each (at least thats what Ive been telling myself).

Paper Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Martha Stewart)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 2 cups like I did)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugars, and beat until combined and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well blended.

Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate chips, and beat until combined.

Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter at a time onto baking sheets (a cookie scoop is ideal for this batter), about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove the cookies and the parchment paper from the baking sheets, and let cool on a rack. (like I said, I found putting the dough directly on the sheets worked much better than the parchment paper, but feel free to experiment)

*Store in an airtight container or place directly in the freezer.