Remember that episode of Friends where Phoebe talks about her grandmother’s famous cookies? She said the recipe came from a distant French relative named Nestlé Toulouse.

I think Phoebe and I might be cousins.

Chocolate chips from the Engagement-A-Versary celebration

Nestle Tollhouse cookies are a go-to for me. When I was in high school, I started baking them with my mom, and I’m positive I’ve made the recipe 1000 times since. I could whip up a batch of these cookies in my sleep.

But we all know I can’t leave well enough alone. I’ve tinkered with the classic, giving it a cinnamon-y signature and a bit of extra flour for texture that works better without nuts. Here’s is my version, with the changes highlighted in red. 

Britt’s (Awfully Similar to Nestle) Tollhouse Cookies.

2 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

(Combine these dry ingredient with a whisk in a small bowl)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon high quality vanilla extract

(Beat in a large bowl until creamy)

Add 2 large eggs, one at a time.

Slowly beat in flour mixture.

Stir in 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips, but no nuts

Now here’s where I get more specific than my friends at Nestle. They say to just drop the cookies onto the sheet with a spoon, bake at 375 degrees and you’re done. And you could be…if you want runny cookies. But you want perfection, yes? Here are my tips for getting the very best cookies.

*Refrigerate dough until it’s firm. Otherwise, it’s a sticky mess when you try to handle it. Try not to eat copious amounts of the dough. This will be hard.

*Use a ½ tablespoon to form evenly sized balls. Roll them with your hands, place on a baking sheet and freeze. This gets the butter extra cold, so it doesn’t run in the oven.

*Place frozen balls on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Parchment paper mean no sticking and you can get the cookies off the baking sheet in a hurry. I’ve found that no more than 12 fit on a tray, unless you don’t mind a cookie collision in the oven.

*Bake for 8 -10 minutes or until light brown. I usually turn my pan about 7 minutes in so that the cookies are evenly baked. (My oven stinks, so this step may be unnecessary for you)

*Slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet so they don’t continue to brown.

*If you have leftover dough, leave them in the freezer and pull it out on a whim!