I cut the recipe in half. I followed all directions, but did a few things differently. I used an ice cream scoop to form the dough onto the cookie sheet. That way the dough is firmly packed. I then pressed down a little on the dough to flatten it to about 3/4 inch thick. I put the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 10 minutes, then into the oven. That way they didn't spread out all over the pan (that happens when the butter in the recipe goes from already warm and soft to hot and liquidy!) and they still held a perfect cookie shape. I don't like cookies with so much chocolate, but my boyfriend loved them for Valentine's Day as this is a recipe his mom always used to make!