FW and LM go to school early in the mornings, and on the days I work from home, GM and I have about 45 minutes to an hour to kill before he goes to preschool. On those days, sometimes we go for walks, sometimes I start working, sometimes we read together, and other days – we bake! With Teacher Appreciation Week coming, GM said he wanted to make some cookies for his teachers. I started showing him several pictures of different types of cookies, and when I showed him photos of chocolate cookies, he immediately said he wanted them. I decided to add white chocolate chips because I love white chocolate and they were a hit! Each of my kids liked them – and that doesn’t happen often. They’re brownie-like goodness with milk and white chocolate inside. Yum! Make them for you, your kids, your teachers – or just because.

Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s what you need:

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a large baking sheet – I like to line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugars until smooth (about 2-3 minutes)
4. Add eggs and vanilla to butter/sugar combination and mix until well combined.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the stand mixer ingredients, about 1 cup at a time. Beat on low until just combined — do not overmix!
6. Add in chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.
7. Scoop up the dough with a tablespoon and place on the prepared baking sheet. At this point, I like to place a few more chocolate chips on the cookies so they look clean when they come out of the oven. Mine made about 3 dozen and I cooked 1 dozen a time on the baking sheet.
8. Bake for 10 minutes; the cookies will be soft in the center. Cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
9. Enjoy! They freeze well, too.

Some questions for you:

• Are you a chocolate chip cookie lover?
• Thoughts on white chocolate?