Chef David Burke’s All-American Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: About 2 Dozen

• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1⁄2 cups toasted walnut or pecan pieces, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line 2 cookie sheets with nonstick silicone liners or parchment paper. Set aside. Try baking the cookies using Chef Burke's Bakeware Line.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth.

Add the sugar and vanilla and beat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to include every bit of the ingredients.

Add the flour mixture, beating to blend well.

Fold the chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the dough.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared

cookie sheets, taking care not to crowd them since the cookies will

expand.

Place them in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and set in the middle.

Using a spatula, lift the cookies onto wire racks to cool for about 10

minutes.

You can store them, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.