Lucky you. Ginger! My neighbor waits for me to bake them and give her some! LOLOL These do sound wonderful. Thanks!

My advice would be if they aren't spreading enough then there is a bit too much flour. Try cutting down 1/4 cup and do a test cookie, if it's spreading too much then add a bit more flour until you get it how you like it. Betty Crocker cookbook has this tip in their old cookbook. I think most people are trying to figure it out when it's really just as simple as too much or not enough flour that affects the spread of the cookie. Try not to over-think it so much. EDIT TO ADD: The cookies in the picture look good though...they don't look like they didn't spread enough to me. Here's a thought too, why not use a round cookie scoop to form them and flatten them out a bit with the bottom or a glass or something? This post was edited by arkansas_girl on Thu, Dec 27, 12 at 10:31

I bake little to nothing other than cookies so I'm no baking expert but I finally got a recipe from a friend that works for me. Pillowy, chewy cookies vs. some previous pancake flat or rock hard recipes I've tried. I don't refrigerate the dough, I use butter and I bake using convection. What I have noticed after using this recipe many times is that the outcome in terms of plump vs. flat does seem to have something to do with how soft the butter is. Yesterday I made them and remembered to take the butter out early so it just softened on the counter. It wasn't all that soft when I made them and they turned out perfect in my opinion. Other times I've had to carefully soften the butter in the microwave. The softer the butter the flatter the cookies. And the harder the butter the more ball shaped the cookies end up. I can also tell the difference in the consistency of the dough - even though all the ingredients are the same. If the dough is "dry" enough that I can form the cookies into a ball then they turn out great (I do make them into balls rather than dropping by spoonful). If it's stickier they end up flatter. If my theory is true, then chilling the dough in the fridge makes sense as the fat would harden as it chills.

IÂm sorry to report that IÂve taken a serious break from the Chocolate Chip Cookie quest. The journey has cost me pounds of butter, sugar, and weight, only to realize that each individualÂs pursuit is unique and personal i.e. "my cookie may not be your cookie." That said, IÂm enjoying reading everyoneÂs success and that picture is enough to make me rethink the issue, Jo. Confession: I grew up on Crisco cookies (with the ½ tsp. Water), with enough cookie to match chocolate, puffy yet chewy, etc., and I loved them. I now make "Marvelous Marble Squares" from my old "The Happy Cooker" Jewish cookbook, which are butter based, chocolate chips swirled on top baked in jelly roll pan. Big bang for the time, crowd pleaser and closest to my memories. Cathy in SWPA