I don't have time to do a lot of things I wish I could for friends and family but this is one thing I always made time for a couple of times a month and my stepsons have told me that "baking day" is one of their best memories of us as a family.

I started baking cookies when I was 8 years old or so (I'm 41 now). It's frustrating to take the time, effort and expense to try a new recipe and have it not turn out. I hope these tips help you in the cookie making process. The tips below pertain to making soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies.

Even if you don't bake cookies, you probably "know" your oven. Maybe the pizza gets done in the front before the back so you know you have to turn the pan halfway through. The same applies to cookie baking. In some ovens the element tends to come on more often than others and this can cause your cookies to brown too fast on the bottom before the tops are cooked through. If this is the case, invest in some insulated cookie sheets. I find I have much better luck using the silver cookie sheets rather than the ones that are darker or have a teflon coating. The darker the sheet, the more heat absorbed by it. If you have the darker sheets then try slightly lowering the baking temperature or bake them for less time than the recipe calls for.

For cookie making at least, the quality of ingredients does matter. Real chocolate chips are a must as well as real vanilla. Use Mexican vanilla if you can find it. It has more aroma and flavor than regular vanilla. I rarely ever use real butter when making cookies. It just doesn't go through the baking process as well as margarine, tends to make the bottoms of the cookies brown faster due to the fat content and the cookies seem "greasy" to me. Experiment a little and find out what works best for you. If you like the flavor of real butter then try using half butter, half margarine. Using "lite" margarine is good in that it adds less fat than regular but it also has a higher "moisture" content which can cause your cookies to brown too much on the bottoms.

Don't microwave your butter or margarine to soften it. I've tried to do that and regretted it every single time. I take the margarine out of the fridge the night before and let it gradually warm to room temperature so it's ready to go the next morning. You want it softened but not melted at all.

The "thinner" the batter, the crispier the cookie. If you like crispy cookies and notice your batter seems a bit sticky then all is well but if you want them soft and chewy then the batter needs to be firmer. If I have to add more flour (no more than a cup or so or the cookies just won't be good) then I balance it out with adding a bit more vanilla or chocolate chips to keep the flavor.

Never dip your measuring cup directly into the flour. Always use a small scoop or spoon to spoon the flour into the cup or you'll be adding a lot more flour than you think.

To keep the cookies moist and chewy, don't cool them by removing them from the sheet and placing them on paper towels. It makes them dry out faster. Try using wax paper with the wax side down or place them on a cooling rack for cookies. They only need 10-15 minutes to cool completely then they need to be placed in an airtight container or in ziplock bags. Make sure they are completely cooled before placing them in the container or they'll stick together.

Get a cookie dough scoop. Its easy to use and makes all the cookies more uniform in size so they all cook at the same rate and you don't end up with the smaller cookies too done or the larger cookies too doughy. If you don't have a scoop then just try to make sure the amounts of cookie dough you're putting on the sheet are all about the same size by using a teaspoon mounded up with the dough. If you use much more dough than that per cookie then you run the risk of them not getting done in the middles.

Here's a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I've come up with after years of "fooling" with other recipes. For me, this one gives good results every time. I don't know how many cookies it makes, I've never counted but it's A LOT. You might want to cut it in half the first time you use it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 4 to 5 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar (if you haven't baked cookies before, packed means pressed firmly into the measuring cup)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups margarine, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tsp vanilla (I use 2 tsp Mexican vanilla and 2 tsp regular real vanilla)
• 1 to 2 bags of chocolate chips as per your preference (I use 1 1/2 bags)
• Walnuts coarsely chopped (This is optional and as per your taste. I use between a cup to a cup and a half)

In an extra large mixing bowl, cream together margarine, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well and set aside.

I don't own a sifter so I place 1 cup of the flour in a small bowl, add the baking powder and salt and sort of "whip" it together using a fork. Add this to your creamed mixture. You want to make sure the baking powder and salt is well dispersed throughout the batter. Add the rest of the flour a cup at a time and mix well. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts

I always cover the bowl and chill the dough for about 2 hours prior to using. This makes it easier to use the cookie scoop and also keeps the dough from spreading too much during baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies about 1-2 inches apart for 8-10 minutes. They are done when the edges are a light brown/tan color and the tops no longer look doughy. If your edges look brown but the top still looks "raw" then try moving your oven rack up a notch or slightly lowering the baking temperature. I keep my rack in the middle position and place the cookie sheet in the middle of the rack so the hot air can circulate evenly.

Once the cookies are baked, I let them "rest" for a minute or two on the cookie sheet before removing them to cool.

The first sheet of cookies you make might stick a little to the cookie sheet, especially if your sheets are new. Don't despair, the next bunch of scoops of dough you put on there should be just fine. Just scrape any stuck cookie off the sheets with a spatula before placing the next batch of dough on there. I never use Pam because it makes the bottoms of the cookies brown too fast. Let your cookie sheets cool completely before putting more dough on them.

That's it! I know it might seem a little complicated if you don't have much experience baking but once you've done it a few times it's really not that hard.

I'm not a particularly domestic kind of woman and DEFINITELY no Martha Stewart but I have so many great memories of baking on cold autumn or winter days while my husband and stepsons were watching football. The house is warm and cozy and it smells great. During those times, while I'm waiting for the cookies to get done, I sit down at my kitchen table (one of the few times I actually have time to sit there it seems) with a magazine and a good cup of tea or coffee. It's a great way to relax and get a little "me" time and give your family something homemade as well.