It's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Yes, that's right - August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know I have a plethora of chocolate chip cookie recipes on here and a number of variations on the classic chocolate chip cookie.

There's the brownie-stuffed chocolate chip cookie (it's what it sounds like - a brownie inside a chocolate chip cookie) that I made for one of my holiday dessert parties which, to this day, I still have my guests telling me it was their favorite from that party.

Then there's its polar opposite of a chocolate chip cookie stuffed inside a brownie: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies.

However, for today, let's stick with the classics. I'm often asked, "what's your favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies?" I don't have ONE favorite. Why limit yourself? But I understand the need for the question. Unlike me, many people don't have the time or inclination to try out dozens of different recipes for chocolate chip cookies. Their loss.

So let me curate my top 5. I have more than 5 but we can keep it simple so as not to overwhelm a normal person who just wants to make a good cookie. My top favorite recipes also fluctuate over time, partly due to the recency bias where I tend to favor what I've made most recently and partly due to changing tastes.

Basic, Great Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Seven Spoons - I like this one so much, it's the chocolate chip cookie recipe I'm making for the cookie dessert bar at my niece's wedding. Plus it has the advantage of being tested at high altitude. It passed.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Smells Like Home - you knew I had to include 1 or 2 Levain Bakery copycats in the top 5, right? Yes, I'm still obsessed with Levain Bakery. And I'm okay with that.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies from Bustle - slightly different texture, still amazingly good. It's the texture and thickness that wins me over on this one.

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Center Cut Cook - go big or go home is all I've got to say. Even at room temperature, this cookie was amazing.

Copycat Panera Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Pinning Mama - this is a (somewhat) oldie but still a goodie. This is the cookie that helped me realize using mini chocolate chips can actually provide more chocolate in a cookie than the regular-sized chips or big chunks of chocolate.

So there you have it. In today's world, with the news being so relentlessly depressing, a National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day might seem frivolous. But I choose to see it as an opportunity to do something kind for your fellow man. Make up a batch of cookies and share with those around you. Cookies may not solve anything but the gesture of sharing them might brighten someone's day. I took a few over next door to meet my new neighbors the other day and also dropped off some at the sales office of the builder I bought my house from. I like to think the gestures were appreciated as much as the cookies. And that's what matters.