Chocolate Chip and (insert nut here) Cookies

A "New" Cookie

Necessity is the mother of invention, right?

Well, last weekend I “invented” a new chocolate chip cookie due in part to Madison’s new found love for white chocolate and an overabundance of nuts in the pantry.  (Although some would say – including my mom – that there’s no such thing as an overabundance of nuts in the pantry.)

I’m not really a fan of the traditional white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, (I think it’s too chalky and rich,) but I love my niece and I was willing to satisfy her craving for a white chocolate chip cookie.  So, voila!  A new cookie recipe was born.

Okay, so the recipe wasn’t entirely new, but I did substitute walnuts for macadamia nuts and use the recipe on the back of the Ghiradelli package instead of the Toll House recipe I usually follow.  (Gasp!  Yes, even I sometimes cook from a package/box.)

For some reason, the Ghiradelli cookie was so much richer and buttery even though the butter quantities are the same for both recipes.  Maybe it was the increased flour and decreased sugar? Even Joel made a comment about the improved flavor.  (And I noticed he typically ate 4-5 in one sitting.  He even dipped them in his coffee for breakfast.)

Regardless of the reason, the cookies were tasty!  The walnuts and white chocolate complimented each other so well that it was tough to tell where the white chocolate taste began and the walnut flavor ended.

And I’m excited because I’ve invented a new cookie we all love!

White Chocolate Walnut Cookies, 5 dozen

1 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar , packed
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Ghiradelli white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  Cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.  Add vanilla. Add flour mixture 1 cup at a time until mixed well.  Stir in chips and nuts. Drop cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 11-13 minutes.