Christmas greetings and chocolate chip cookies

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and my gift to you is this great chocolate chip cookie recipe.

My friend Diane gave me this recipe years ago and I have made it more times than I can count. It has always been a good recipe for me and it is one I highly recommend. Don't overcook the cookies and they will be wonderfully chewy. I like to add as many chocolate chips as I can work into the mixture and though I don't use nuts (my family prefers them sans nuts), they would be a great addition. I have used M&Ms and other kinds of chips as well -- always good. I don't know of one bad thing about this recipe except that it makes SO many cookies. I usually have about 7 to 10 dozen after I am finished, depending on the size.

But, the positive thing about so much cookie dough is that it keeps for a week in the refrigerator and you can make fresh cookies at a moments notice. If you don't use the dough within that time, just roll them up into cookie-sized balls and freeze them. Bake them when you want. The dough will last a month or two in the freezer, if well wrapped.

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe:

1 pound butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups self-rising flour
4 to 6 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional, 1 cup pecans; use different kinds of chips for different flavors

Mix butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and flavoring. Slowly beat in flour, then chocolate chips until are ingredients are well-mixed. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until mixture is well-set. Form into tablespoon sized balls and bake at 350 degrees until cookies are lightly browned. Allow to cool on cooling racks.

Merry Christmas and I wish you all the blessings the season can bring.