I had cookies for breakfast this morning, and you can too… if you follow this recipe! First off, I have to give my husband some credit; he found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman’s blog, and it is simply amazing! I originally prepared the cookies as a dessert, to enjoy after dinner… But they were so good that they also became breakfast the next morning. Also, they have coffee in them, so I can totally defend them as a balanced breakfast! You can find the full recipe, with step-by-step pictures, below…

The “Good Stuff”, aka. INGREDIENTS (makes 30 cookies):
1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Butter, Softened
1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
2 whole Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 cups, plus 1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons, All-Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules
2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Flax Seed (optional, but encouraged)

The Play-by-Play, aka. INSTRUCTIONS:
I’ll be using a mixer, but you can totally hand mix these cookies. Begin by putting 1/2 cup of margarine and a 1/2 cup of softened butter in the bowl. (Optional Adaptation: You can use all margarine or all butter, if that’s what you’re into, but I prefer a combination.) Then add 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar.

Next, dump in the 1/2 cup of white sugar.

Cream the butter/sugar mixture together until really well combined.

Then crack the 2 eggs and toss them in, then stir.

Now it’s time for the vanilla. Add 2 teaspoons, or more… if you’re feeling dangerous. Stir the mixture again. The Pioneer Woman always says, “vanilla is a criminally underrated ingredient”, and I completely agree with her! I add vanilla to lot of recipes, even when it isn’t called for; for example, I always add add vanilla to pancakes and waffles. Just trust me!

Now, in a separate bowl, or measuring cup combine the flour (2 cups, plus 1/4 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons of All-Purpose Flour), and the salt (1 and 1/2 teaspoons Salt).

And then add 1 rounded teaspoon of baking soda. (“rounded teaspoon” means that you don’t level the teaspoon off when you measure it.) Also, in case you were wondering… Yes, those are Snapple lids… I sometimes measure my ingredients out into Snapple lids.

Then… this is a REALLY good part! Add the 2 tablespoons of Instant Coffee Granules.

Stir the dry ingredients together well.

Now, in three batches, add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, mixing well after each addition. Be patient. Stir together gently — don’t over stir the dough, this is your one and only warning!

And now, the part you’ve all been waiting for; add the Milk Chocolate Chips, I added approximately 2 cups… I say “approximately” because I ate a few. Mix together gently.

Next comes an ingredient that you might have never heard of; Flax Seeds. You don’t have to add them, but they give the cookies a really nice crunch.  Flax Seeds are readily available at most grocery stores; I found mine in the Organic Section of my local Kroger. You can add anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons. Add them, and give the mixture it’s final stir.

Now, you’ll need to chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. So. first smooth it out…

… then press some plastic wrap over the surface of the dough, and pop the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.

As the 30 minutes draws to a close, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then pull the cookie dough from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap.

Now, use a cookie scoop, or spoon, or mellon baller, or measuring spoon to place the cookie dough into small rounds on a cookie sheet (I lightly spray the cookie sheet with Pam, the original recipe said “ungreased cookie sheet” but I couldn’t help myself). Also, I use a 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the cookie dough. It makes approximately 30 cookies, so I use 3 baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. They will come out of the oven very soft, but will harden as they cool.  With a spatula, remove the cookies from the baking sheet within 1 minute of removing them from the oven…

… and place them on a cooling rack.

And ENJOY!

Always Cook Long and Prosper… or, in the case, should I say “Bake Long and Prosper”? Love, the Uncustomary Housewife

(Original Recipe: Pioneer Woman Chocolate Chip Cookies (PW Blog))