Free throws and chocolate chip cookies - they should be easy!

Years ago when I was a young mom I was determined to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  It was my first pre-school event and naturally I wanted to stand out without all the fanfare of a fancy dessert.  Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie.  Sadly, mine turned out flat and were left mostly untouched by the masses, all of whom went for the good looking chocolate chip cookies.  I felt like a failure took cupcakes to the next event.  Teachers hate cupcakes.  Again, failure.

Some time after that I was given the famous "Nieman Marcus $250.00 Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe."  This recipe is no small task, but I was willing to sacrifice everything for the good of the cookie.   I shredded chocolate, added oatmeal, and followed the recipe to a T.  I ignored my kids for an entire day and served Lunchables for dinner just to have the time to make that recipe.  Sure enough, my cookies were amazing.  Big and delicious.  The perfect blend of brown sugar and chocolate with all those chips mixed in.   What a hit!  But the next time I tried that recipe the cookies were not nearly as good, not nearly as big and chewy.  Flat once again.  I moved on to recipes from my friends.  Just add one cup of flour.  Nope.  Use real butter.