Chocolate chip cookies have played many roles in my life.  I grew up on a golf course, and for years every summer there would be a PGA tournament in August.  I am not sure where the idea came from, but one summer the neighbor down the street and I decided to sell lemonade and cookies.  I was 11 and my neighbor friend was 8.  We charged $1 for a giant chocolate chip cookie and $1 for a lemonade.  My grandmother baked 100’s of these giant chocolate chip cookies,  they were at least 5 inches in diameter, and the mother of my friend made gallons of country time lemonade. We worked our stand for 7 days and made about $1000.  It was pure profit for us, our families did not ask to be reimbursed for the supplies.  I think that they thought it was good for us to get out of the house and have a project.  For a kid, I thought I was rich, immediately I asked my dad to drive me to the mall to spend my fortune. In fact,  I still have the Coach purse I bought with part of my proceeds from that first cookie stand. We did this for two more summers and then the tournament banned anyone from selling along the golf course.

Personally,  I started making chocolate chip cookies in my teens to get the attention of the boy down the street.  I would call him up to tell him I was making cookies and he would show up at the door minutes later.  He would eat more of the raw dough than the baked cookies.

For years I hadn’t baked a cookie but when I married Brian, I would occasionally bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, he likes them soft and almost underbaked.   I had found that they were just the consistency he likes when they were hot out of the oven but as they cooled they hardened and he was no longer interested in them.

I set out to find an alternative to a soft chocolate chip cookie and after doing some research I came up with the following recipe.  They look like a puffy, toasted ball and they stay soft long after they have cooled.  They have not lasted for more than a day in my home so I can’t say what kind of shelf life they have.  They also have a third less fat than a regular chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate Chip Puffs

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 8- oz. package cream cheese

3/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2  cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients and set to the side.  In large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and sugars, mix until creamy.  Add in eggs, one at a time until thoroughly mixed.  Add in vanilla.  In small increments add dry mixture until well combined and then fold in chocolate chips. Place spoonfuls of dough, about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  I like to line mine with parchment paper for an easier cleanup.   Bake for 9 minutes.  Cookies will look toasted but not a deep color like you would normally see with chocolate chip cookies.  Makes about 3 dozen.

(Recipe originally found on Delish.com)