Reed’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I type this post three days after dropping Reed, our youngest, off at college. Mattes is home for five more days so our nest is not yet officially empty but my heart aches as if it is. I’m trying to focus on the many things to be grateful for, such as the fact that all three of our kids are thriving and that all of my emotions are to be expected and normal.

I’m especially grateful for the past year that we had with Reed as an “only child.” He has always been “easy” which is a trait shared among many youngest. And by being easy, Reed has been able to fly under the radar for periods of time. But during his senior year, and my last being a full-time mom, Reed and I spent so much casual time together. When he wasn’t out with friends, at a practice, in school or napping–okay so maybe not a ton of leftover time each day–Reed would sit at the kitchen counter to keep me company while making dinner. We even perfected (“perfected” being a relative term) rolling sushi, together. Reed would watch a tv show with me, any show, just so I could enjoy his presence on the couch. He’d carry the loads of laundry up and down, accompany me on errands and ask about my day. I learned more about his extended group of friends and enjoyed them coming in and out of the house even if they quickly shuffled down to the basement after the polite greetings.

I know that there is a lot of freedom that comes with an empty nest and I have been warned to be careful what I wish for because the nest doesn’t stay empty for long. But I am not able to rejoice just yet. I think I need to be a little sad for a little while. I know that in the not too distant future, I will find my groove, fill my time and redirect focus. Until then, you might find me churning out batches of Reed’s Chocolate Chip Cookies which are the Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Delish, Insane Sweets cookbook.

As you know, I am no baker so I can’t pinpoint exactly what makes these cookies so darn delicious but it might be the melted butter or the additional egg yolk or the proportion of brown sugar to white or the sprinkle of sea salt or the surprise addition of cinnamon. Speaking of cinnamon, the first time that Reed made these cookies he mistakenly put in a full teaspoon of cinnamon while the recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon. I’ve made them following the original recipe and think that somewhere around 1/2 teaspoon is the sweet spot. I will write the recipe that way but you do you. There is no wrong answer because the texture of these cookies is divine.

And as you must have realized by now, I’m baaaack! Which is usually how I start the first post after my summer hiatus. I experimented a lot this summer and have many exciting recipes to share. I imagine I will also be throwing in a good number of “girl dinners”–if you are a TikTok fan, you know. If you are not, imagine dinners that are more about gathering and pleasure than they are about preparation, and in my case they will more often be dinners for two rather than for one. Regardless, I will plan to post on Monday mornings (yes, I realize that today is a Tuesday but holidays are never good for viewership) but things may be a bit more fluid. If you share Sly Rooster, encourage friends to subscribe and comment on my posts, I will be grateful and further inspired. In the meantime, make a batch of these fantastic cookies. We all deserve a treat. Enjoy!

Reed’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reed’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 c butter 2 sticks
  • 1 c packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 c granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 c all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon you can use 1/4-1 tsp, depending on preference
  • 1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 c chocolate, chopped 3 oz
  • flakey sea salt for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F and line two baking pans with parchment paper.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Bring it to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
  • Place sugars in a large bowl, then pour hot butter over sugars. Beat with a hand mixer until combined. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until light and creamy, 2 minutes.
  • In another large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until just combined with a few white streaks remaining. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate.
  • Using a cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough (about 2 Tbls each) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart (I fit 12 cookies on a pan). Sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
  • Bake (one pan at a time) until edges are golden and almost set in the middle, 14 minutes (cookies will look slightly underdone). Remove pan from the oven, place second pan in the oven. Let cookies rest for one minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.