Chocolate Chip Cookies

What better way to enjoy a dreary day than by baking some yummy classic, comforting chocolate chip cookies?! I know, they're like chili, hamburgers, and other classics...everyone has their recipes they swear by, so what's new right?! Well, in either case I thought I'd share mine with you. It's easy. I've never had it fail on me--taste or presentation-wise.
Now, where did I find it?! MANY years ago there was that whole "Million $ Neiman Marcus Cookie" recipe email going around...yeah like going on over 10 years ago. Well, I knew it was a total bowl of crack BUT the recipe sounded decent enough so I tried it and the cookies were far superior to previous chocolate chip cookies I'd made so I kept it and have been using it ever since. Don't be turned off by the oatmeal either, you DO NOT NOTICE IT. Cross my heart.
I strongly recommend for the best cookie using semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate shavings, white chocolate chips AND some chopped, toasted pecans. Yes, all of them. In one bowl. One cookie.
On to the recipe:
3 3/4 c APF
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c oats (I use whatever plain oats I have in the cabinet, quick cooking or regular, doesn't seem to matter that much)
3 sticks of butter--yes THREE...don't give up now!
1 c granulated sugar
1 1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (or 60% cocoa)
6 oz white chocolate chips
2 4-oz milk chocolate bars chopped up
1-2 c chopped pecans (or walnuts), toasted, cooled

1. Preheat oven 350F
2. In med mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, oats (if you wanna get daring toss in some cinnamon, like 1-2 tsp) now
3. In LARGE mixing bowl and with strong electric mixer (or lovely Kitchenaid) mix together butter, both sugars til creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla and scrape sides/bottom of bowl well; mix on high til blended and smooth.
4. Gradually add in flour mixture, it will get very thick!
5. With wood spoon (with a thick handle, I've broken one before doing this) or with a good spatula, stir in your "mixins"--chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.
6. Spoon out 1 tsp of dough, roll into ball and place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet (or ungreased aluminum foil works too). 12 for a regular size pan, 16 for a big pan. Bake 10-12 min or until edges are just turning brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 5 min then move to a cooling rack.
** You can also freeze these (as I did most of it this morning) and roll dough into balls, place on GREASED cookie sheet (aluminum lined, and sprayed is perfect) place as many as you can without crunching them. Set in the freezer 20-30 min til they're frozen and transfer to a freezer ziplock bag. When you're ready to eat, heat up the oven to 350F, place desired amt on cookie sheet, and bake for 12-15 min (or you can allow the dough to thaw a bit and then bake 8-12 min).
The recipe makes a bazillion cookies. Usually in the 5-6 dozen ballpark, depending on how big you make them.