Baker, blogger, cookbook author, and food photographer Sally McKenney, '07, has helped millions gain the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. In 2011, she started a blog to share recipes among friends and family. Since then, she has used her advertising, public relations, and marketing background from Loyola to help spread her baking addiction. She has three published cookbooks; has had recipes featured in People magazine and on Good Morning America, BuzzFeed, and HuffPost; and she has gained tens of thousands of followers on YouTube and Instagram. Read Sally’s tips and tricks on how to make the best chocolate chip cookie!

Use melted butter instead of cold butter. The butter will seep into the dough and spread more evenly. This will enhance the buttery flavor of the cookie.

Make a mix of brown sugar and white sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture that makes the cookie soft and chewy. White granulated sugar helps the cookies spread.

Add an extra egg yolk to the mix. This will add moisture to the dough to make it chewy.

Add in a pinch of corn starch, 2 teaspoons is all you need. It is a thickening agent that will help keep the cookie soft.

Don’t worry about baking powder. Just add baking soda. It will be just the right ingredient to make your cookies rise.

Even though it will make you wait for those delicious cookies, chilling the dough will make the cookie spread less and give the dough a chance to meld all the flavors together before baking.