1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening* (Crisco Butter Flavor)
1 cup Brown sugar, Light, Packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
3 tsp Vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder*
1 tsp Salt
2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (one 12 oz package)
1 cup Chopped Walnuts (4 oz package - optional)
DIRECTIONS
COMBINE flour and baking powder in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside.
SOFTEN butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or glass measuring cup) stirring every 15 seconds until very soft.
Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat well.
Add each egg separately beating until creamy.
ADD flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating.
Add chocolate chips and nuts.
REFRIGERATE for 1-3 hours in covered bowl.
Pre-heat oven to 375°F 15 minutes prior to first batch.
Drop onto a waxed paper* lined (see below), room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper).
BAKE 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance.
Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface.
Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches.
STORE in an air-tight container for up to one week.
Makes about [5] dozen cookies.
NOTE: * May substituted 1 tsp Baking Soda and 1 tsp Corn Starch
for 2 tsp Baking Powder
NOTE: * May substitute 7/8 cup Butter, Salted (1-3/4 sticks, melted) or
* May substitute 1 cup Butter Flavor Crisco Vegetable Shortening
for the 50%-50% Butter/Shortening mixture
*TIP: Bake on waxed paper. Tear sheet to approximate size of cookie sheet; edges shouldn't hang over cookie sheet. During baking there may be some aroma and smoke from the waxed paper. For more information, see "Making the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie".
TIP: If you don't have (or won't try) waxed paper then cover cookie sheet with fresh aluminum foil. After removing from oven, slide foil and cookies off sheet together and let sit 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the foil with the back side of a spatula. Cool cookie sheet to room temperature before reapplying aluminum foil and dropping more cookies. Also aids in final clean-up.
TIP: If cookies become dry in the container then add a fresh piece of bread (loosely wrapped in a paper towel or wax paper or in a zip-lock bag with holes punched in it) to container and reseal. Rational: Water seeks equilibrium. The moisture (water) in the bread will leave it and enter the dry cookies. The result will be drier bread and more moist cookies.
FLAVOR OPTIONS
VARIATION
Substitute 10-12 oz. Peanut Butter Chips and 6 oz. Semi-Sweet Chips. Omit the nuts.
Makes for a wonderful contrast in flavors: Chocolate and Peanut Butter -- who would have ever thought ... A Favorite with the Kids.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP
Substitute 8 oz. (one cup) of Peanut Butter for the 1/2 cup Butter.
Makes a Peanut Butter Cookie with Chocolate Chips!
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour. This creates a chocolate cookie base. Substitute 8 oz. (one cup) of Peanut Butter for the 1/2 cup Butter.
Makes a chocolate & peanut butter flavored cookie with chocolate chips (confused yet?). Then again, you can always substitute Peanut Butter Chips for Chocolate Chips and ....fertz!!!! Computer overload!
MILK & PEANUT BUTTER CHIP
Substitute 6-8 oz. White Chips and 10-12 oz. Peanut Butter Chips. Omit the nuts.
MINI M&M CHIP
Substitute 10 oz. Semi-Sweet M&M Baking Bits and 6 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Omit the nuts.
Substitute 10 oz. Milk Chocolate M&M Baking Bits and 6 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips. Omit the nuts.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP
Substitute 8-10 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and 8-10 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips. Omit the nuts.
KITCHEN SINK CHIP
Substitute 12-16 oz. of every different kind of flavor chip available. For example, I made the following which was very popular: 4 oz. M&M Milk Chocolate Mini Baking Chips, 4 oz. White Chips, 4 oz. Milk Chocolate. It was VERY unique and everyone loved it.
BLACK COW CHOCOLATE CHIP
Substitute 10-12 oz. White Chips and 6-8 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips. Omit the nuts.
BLACK & WHITES -or-
INSIDE-OUTS
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour. This creates a chocolate cookie base.
Substitute 10-12 oz. White Chips for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
BLACK & TANS
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour. This creates a chocolate cookie base.
Substitute 10-12 oz. Peanut Butter Chips for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. (Note: "Black & Tans" was the name used for the Fascists in Italy during WW II. Use this name with caution around Veterans.)
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP
Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour. This creates a chocolate cookie base.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHIP
Substitute 8-10 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and 8-10 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips. Omit the nuts. Add 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour.
COCA-MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHIP
Add 2 tsp instant coffee crystals and 1/2 cup unsweetened Nestles or Hershey's cocoa powder with the flour. You may have to add 2 tbsp HOT water to help dissolve the ingredients. 2 tsp coffee liqueur (or Kaluha). You can use General Food International Coffees (e.g. French Vanilla, Swiss Mint, etc.) to create new and unique flavors.
ORANGE CHOCOLATE CHIP
Add 1 tsp Orange extract and 1.5-2 tsp Orange zest (grated orange peel). May substitute White Chips for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
LEMON CHIP
Add 1 tsp Lemon extract, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, and increase the baking power by 1/2 tsp to 2 1/2 tsp. (I wouldn't add lemon zest since this can cause mushy cookies.) White chips may be substituted for Semi-Sweet chocolate chips.
SNICKER DOODLES
Omit the Chips altogether, add 1 tsp cinnamon to the dough, then roll in a sugar/cinnamon mix before placing on the cookie sheet and this recipe is called a "Snicker-Doodle."
MARBLE CHIP
Prepare the dough as usual without adding the chocolate chips. Place 1 cup of chips (about half a bag) in a microwave save dish and melt - 15 seconds at a time - until liquid. Once liquid let cool for a minute then pour over the cookie dough while folding over. This creates streaks of chocolate right into the dough. Add the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and mix.
REGARDLESS of the Recipe Variation, don't exceed 2.5 cups
of flavored chips (roughly 16 oz. or 1-1/2 bags).
SINGLE CHIP SUBSTITUTIONS
NOTES
Single Chip
Chip Substitution (e.g., Milk Chocolate Chips for Semi-Sweet) can be performed resulting in unique tastes. I recommend you substitute bag-for-bag unless you use combinations of chips... then limit yourself to 12-16 oz. of flavoring chips.
Each cup of Chips is about 6 oz. So a 12 oz. bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips is roughly two cups. Honestly, 2 cups for the average size batch is plenty. Too many chips can spoil a batch by overpowering the flavor and running out of dough to keep the chips together.
COMMON CHIP BAG SIZES:
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
11.5 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips
10 oz. Peanut Butter Chips
10 oz. Butterscotch Chips
12 oz. White Chips
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Flavored Chips (not real chocolate)
10 oz. Mini-Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate Chips
10 oz. Nestle's Mint Chocolate Chips
12 oz. M & M Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
12 oz. M & M Milk Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
10 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Covered Raisins
