ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

I've never shared a recipe before, but I think this one is worth it.  John is a picky cookie eater.  They have to be chewy and soft, and chocolate chip.  But there is only so many times that you can make the same cookie recipe before you get sick of it.  So I tried this recipe.. and I love it.  I found it in the cook book called
"At Home in the Kitchen."  It is a collection of Mennonite, Hutterite and Amish-Style cooking.  It is a recipe book that my Dad bought me at the Lethbridge Home Show several years ago.  Here goes:

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 T hot water
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until creamy.

Blend flour and salt; dissolve soda in hot water.  Add to creamed mixture; mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets.  Flatten slightly with a glass tumbler.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes for chewy cookies.  They will look light and moist
-- DO NOT OVER BAKE--.  Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

Yield: about 5 dozen cookies.

**I did not dissolve soda in hot water, just added it to with the flour.
**I did not flatten.
**They do not spread too much
** It made about 3 1/2 dozen cookies when I did about 1T size dough balls
** Bake only until slightly brown.  I did 10 minutes and that was enough.
**I did not add nuts, as John is not a nut fan. 
** I buy mini chocolate chips and use 1/2 as much as the recipe calls for and there still seems to be lots of chocolate chips in the cookies!

If you do end up making them, let me know what you think!