Chocolate Chip Nuggets

Cook Time: twenty minutes

Prep Time: one hour

Total Time: one hour, twenty minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
one cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
one cup mini chocolate chips
Additional powdered sugar for coating (about one cup)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking pad.

In a giant bowl, cream butter, sugar, & vanilla extract together on low speed until smooth. Mix flour & salt together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, half at a time, & mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips by hand until evenly distributed. Chill dough for 30 to 45 minutes to firm up.

Roll dough in to balls about the diameter of a nickel. Place on lined cookie sheets about one inch apart. Bake for 15 to twenty minutes until they barely start to brown at the edges.

Recipe may be doubled, a lovely suggestion since these small nuggets disappear quickly!

Pour powdered sugar in to a bowl or plastic baggie. Roll cookie nuggets in powdered sugar while still warm & place on a rack to chilled before storing.

Yield: three to four dozen cookies

Notes: You can replace the chocolate chips with finely chopped nuts in the event you wish, or use half nuts & half mini chocolate chips. Cooled cookies freeze beautifully. One time thawed, you may need to roll them one time again in powdered sugar.