Pioneer Woman's Good Ol’ Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last year, I posted Christine's Absolutely Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies that my good friend Christine created. They are pretty much the best chocolate chip cookie that I've had. But that's not to say that I'm not on the look out for even more yummy chocolate chip cookies. So when I saw this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, I had to try them out.

At first glance, they look like your basic chocolate chip cookie. At your second glance, you see the instant coffee addition as well as the flax seed. hmmm...the coffee wasn't all that surprising. I've seen that before and liked it. Coffee brings out the chocolatey-ness of the chocolate. The flax seed was the surprise. I don't think I've come across that in a chocolate chip cookie before. But if the Pioneer Woman puts both in her cookie, it has to be good right?

Yes oh yes it is. These cookies have made it to my top three favorite chocolate chip cookies. The coffee was just barely under the surface (and that's with my screw up and adding one tablespoon!). The flax seed wasn't that noticeable alone (probably because I used milled) but both really pushed this cookie from run of the mill chocolate chip cookie to grown up chocolate chip cookie. Not that a kid wouldn't enjoy these cookies. I'm pretty sure my youngest sister would really like these (she's in eighth grade). They just seemed to be a little more sophisticated than the Nestle Tollhouse cookies I ate as a child. I think these would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches. hmmm...possibilities.

I took these to work the next day and I couldn't believe how fast they went. Perhaps the undercurrent of coffee was picked up by the coffee drinkers and they gobbled them up. Actually...I think both coffee and non-coffee drinkers (like me) loved them. I was even asked by a few when I was going to make them again. Demanding little buggers aren't they? ;)

Pioneer Woman’s Good Ol’ Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup butter, softened (I used butter only)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 PLUS 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon instant coffee granules (umm...I read this wrong and put in 1 tablespoon.  It was really good)
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Only had semi so used that instead of the chocolate combo)
1 heaping cup milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons flax seed, slightly crushed with rolling pin (I used milled flax seed)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, stir together butter, margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir together.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in batches, stirring gently after each addition. Stir in flax seed if desired.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop balls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and eat warm.