Do you recall the lunch lady peanut butter cookies (and possibly my #1 favorite peanut butter cookie ever)? Or how about the eggplant veggie burger? Both of those salivary-inducing recipes came from my guest poster today, Elle from Elle’s New England Kitchen! And there are still many other recipes of hers that I need to try including Baklava Butter, “I freaking love this” Bean Dip, and even these Raspberry Rhubarb Meringue Bars despite my general dislike for meringue. Elle also hosts Scoopapalooza which is a group dedicated to making fresh, homemade ice cream using new, unusual, or super fresh ingredients. Perfect for the summer time! You really should dig out your ice cream maker and join in on the fun!

One year ago: Guest Post: Chocotella Cookies by Bake a Little

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First off, let me say thanks to Erin for offering me the chance to do a guest post on her fabulous blog!

Second, we need to talk about cookies. Big ones. Really big ones!

I don’t know many people that don’t like chocolate chip cookies. And if you make them larger than the average cookie, well, that’s even better. Not only are these the size of your hand, but they have every texture you want in a cookie. They’re crispy on the edges (and oh, are those edges tasty!), and chewy in the center. Filled with those large Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips–I’m in heaven. A word about those edges? They’re so buttery! They actually remind me of kettle corn for some reason. Don’t ask me why. But I could eat a whole baking sheet of just those edges. And if you haven’t tried Ghirardelli Bittersweet chips, they’re bigger than regular chocolate chips. They also stay softer and creamier after they’ve cooled, which is fantastic, in my opinion. They’re also good straight out of the bag.

What? My family? Oh yeah, them! Of course, they loved them, too. So much! My husband has been taking one to work every day this week, and he usually saves sweets for the evenings. The only problem is that the kids still think they can have two or three of these, like they would a small cookie. Heck, no! These are equivalent to about 3 ½ smaller cookies. Sorry, kids!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 30 large cookies
Adapted from The Loaf and Ladle Cookbook

4 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, at room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
1 pound brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 (10 oz) bags Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 375.

In a medium sized bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking soda together, and set aside.

In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer), cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well. Add the flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, to the mixing bowl, and carefully incorporate it after each addition. Finally, add the chocolate chips and stir them in.

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper, and using a 1/3 cup ice cream scoop (or measuring cup), scoop out 4 cookie dough balls and give them plenty of space between each other. You might be able to squeeze 5 on to a sheet, but I’m not going to guarantee that they won’t morph into a monster cookie. Which is still tasty, but then you won’t have crispy edges to nosh on.

Bake for 14-15 minutes. Fourteen minutes was the minimum I could get away with. They were a little doughy in the center at 13 minutes, so I had to give them another minute, anyway. Bake your first four and see where your oven stands. Any more than 15 minutes in my oven and they were dark, which is fine with me, but kids will complain.

Let them cool on the sheet for 1-2 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Thank you again, Erin, and I hope you and your readers enjoy these cookies!

Elle