chocolate chip cookies make people happy!

i will be baking a rather big batch of chocolate chip cookies tonight for a friend. i mean chocolate chip cookies just make people happy and - thank god! - are so easy to make. mix, spoon on baking sheet, bake, ready! i tried to make this one a healthy one (as far as a chocolate chip cookie can be anyway...). old fashioned rolled oats seemed perfect to give this sweet, little cookie not only a wonderful structure but also a dash of healthiness. unfortunately this doesnt have an impact on the amout of sugar and butter in the cookie, which makes it so chewy and soft. again, this is a recipe where you can mix and add whatever you like. pecan nuts... dried cranberries... raisins... white chocolate chips... cinnamon... nutmeg... really, whatever you like best in a cookie!

RECIPE
makes about 30 cookies (depending on size!)

180g flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
120g butter, room temperature
160g sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar, then add about 2 tablespoons)
200g rolled oats
about 250g chocolate chips

preheat oven to 190c° and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
in a big bowl, mix flour with salt and baking soda. put butter and sugar in the bowl of your standmixer and mix until light and fluffy. then add eggs and vanilla(sugar). add flour-mix - cup after cup - until just combined. add oats and chocolate chips. mix until combined.
drop tablespoons* (be generous!) of batter onto the baking-sheets, about 4 cm apart.
bake for about 10 minutes (check cookies and rotate sheets if necessary) until the cookies have spread and are still soft to the touch. give them another 1-2 minutes if they are not golden-brown yet. (and give them about 15-20 minutes total baking time, when you want them really, really crispy!) then carefully transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

martha stewart had this phantastic idea to wrap these cookies in paper envelopes for CDROMs. i stamped "bonjour" on every envelope to make it look cute. but you could use ribbons, stickers or could just write a nice little line like "good morning cupcake" or how about "chocolate is good for you!" on the envelope.
these cookies keep well in an airtight cookie box for about a week (i doubt it, that there are any left after a week, but give it a try).

*if you have an icecream-scoop, use this one. its very handy to portion dough and spoon it on the cookie sheet.