Aha! The secret ingredient is. . .

. . . Cream of Tartar!!!

I've spent years trying out different chocolate chip cookie recipes hoping to find the one that gives me a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Today I think I finally found the recipe that gives me exactly that! I found it at All Recipes.com, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. I also learned that adding 1/2 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar gives the cookies a cracked look - not a cakey look.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.