The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Half a Batch) of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped chocolate
  
1.  Cream butter and sugars together
2.  Add egg and mix until creamy
3.  Stir in vanilla
4.  Dissolve baking soda in hot water and mix in
5.  Add salt
6.  Mix in flower and chopped chocolate
7.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to firm up
8.  Preheat over to 175 C (350 F)
9.  Drop large spoon fulls on a pan lined with baking paper
10. Bake for 10 minutes

(makes a baker's dozen - 13) -------------------------------

Chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite desserts, hot and gooey, right out of the oven.  For the chocolate, you can use any type of chocolate you have on hand.  We are frequently gifted chocolate when friends return from their world travels.  Today's batch was made with a bar of hazelnut chocolate from Sweeden.  This is the perfect recipe because it makes just enough to satisfy that home-baked goodness desire without the guilt of four dozen cookies lying around begging to be eaten. (Of course you can easily double or triple the recipe to fit your needs.)

Note: if you don't have access to brown sugar you can always make this with 1 cup of white sugar and then pour the batter into a greased baking dish.  Once it's baked cut into squares.  (Science talk: there's a chemical reaction that occurs with the brown sugar that helps them hold their shape rather than melting into thin, crispy, blobs.)