The Original Toll House Cookies with a Twist

Maida Heatter included what she said was the original Toll House cookie recipe in her Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, a great resource for chocolate lovers. That is the basic recipe that I have used for as long as I can remember but I have always added one extra ingredient to it, Rice Krispies. A high school friend of mine would bring her mother's chocolate chip cookies to school and she put Rice Krispies in her cookies. I liked the extra crunch the Rice Krispies gave the cookies and figured that they made each cookie lower in calories and fat. What is there not to like about that idea?

Toll House Cookies with Rice Krispies
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed (the original recipe calls for light brown)
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp hot water
12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate
2 cups Rice Krispies
(Maida Heatter called for 2 cups broken walnut pieces)
Preheat the oven to 375º. Cream the butter with the sugars. Add the vanilla and salt, then the eggs one at a time, beating well. On low speed add half of the flour, beating only until incorporated. In a small cup stir the baking soda into the hot water and then mix it into the dough. Add the rest of the flour, beating until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate and the Rice Krispies. Drop teaspoons of dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes, until golden brown. When done let the cookies rest for a few seconds before removing from the cookie sheet. Move to a rack to cool.