Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb butter or 1 lb margarine, softened
2 cups powdered sugar (plus more for dusting)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.
It is not necessary to grease the cookie sheets.
Cream together the butter or margarine with the 2 cups of powdered sugar.
Add the salt, vanilla and 3 1/2 cups flour, and mix until blended; the mixture should be fairly stiff, so add more flour if needed.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pinch off pieces of dough, roll into about 3/4\" balls (you can make them larger if you prefer), place on the cookie sheets about 2\" apart, and flatten with a fork on baking sheet twice for each cookie, making a criss-cross pattern and flattening cooking about halfway.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just very lightly beginning to brown around the edges.
Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about a minute, then remove to a rack and dust lightly with additional powdered sugar.
Dust again when cookies are completely cooled, or store as is, and dust a 2nd time after putting on a platter to serve.
Makes about 64 cookies; recipe halves easily.