Specimen #1: Joy of Cooking, Sugar Drop Cookies

Cookies are one of the best deserts out there, probably because they're so portable, and they remind you of childhood, and there is no better type of cookie out there than the Chocolate Chip. Unfortunately, there is such an abundance of cookie recipes out there, that the really, really good ones get lost in the noise.

And with that, I would like to begin this quest in search of the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. 

1953 edition Joy of Cooking... food stains and all.

First and foremost, I begin with your basic Sugar Drop Cookie from the Joy of Cooking. This is the recipe my mom and I baked together when I was young, and definitely has the best tasting batter, ever. It is hard to compete with sugar & butter.

Now I don't usually "measure" things when I bake or cook, but I figured I'd make an exception for this ceremonial first bake. Also, for posterity. Also, for pictures, because what is a good blog without pictures?

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 6 tbsp white sugar
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• t/2 tsp soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all wet ingredients together, then all dry ingredients together (excluding chocolate chips), then mix both of these bowls together, then add chocolate chips and stir until it blends in with the counter.

Recipe says to drop teaspoons of this batter onto your cookie sheet (probably because it's so dang high in butter and sugar that you shouldn't eat more than a teaspoon at the time), but you can eyeball that. 

Bake in oven at 375 F for about 8 minutes.

This was, without a doubt, my most accurate interpretation of the Joy of Cooking Chocolate Chip Drop Cookie ever... and truth be told? I don't love it. I actually don't even really like it. If you ask me, you are better off eating the batter and doing away with the whole bother of baking stuff. 

The cookie quickly forms an outer "crust" layer, and there is just altogether too much sugar in these cookies. The chocolate chips also taste too sweet and artificial. 

And there you have it. Cookie specimen #1, unleashed onto the world wide web. Looking forward to some changes in future bakes!