Chocolate Chip Cookies

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, including 40+ years of accumulated tips on how to vary the recipe. Chosen to share with you because chocolate chip cookies have proven to be the easiest, flexible and most enduring food that almost everyone enjoys. Always having just out-of-the-oven cookies filled with melted chocolate contributes to having a comfortable home or office. The basics are essential.

serving size

One recipie - 60 cookies




Ingredients

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1+ t. vanilla
1 T. water
2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 + cups chocolate chips
1 + cup nuts

The texture of the cookies depends on what kind of shortening you use. Butter makes crisp, evenly browned cookies. Margarine is not healthy. Shortening makes a soft cookie. I use organic unsalted butter.

Adding a bit more sugar makes the cookies very crisp. Varying the balance between the types of sugars can impact the taste. And when you do not have one, you can improvise and use all white or all brown.




The size of the egg also impacts the texture of the cookies. The larger the eggs, the more cake-like the cookie. For a “healthier cookie”, I use Omega 3 organic eggs.

Vanilla: Be generous with your measuring spoon, often pouring in one to two tablespoons.

Water: This is the one ingredient that was taken off of the Nestle's package. I still use one to two tablestoons of water. (Actually fill an empty half of an egg shell w/water as my measure for this)

If the dough seems too moist, more flour should be added. Too little flour, the cookies spread. Too much flour, the cookies do not spread and are like cardboard.

No need for salt unless the shortening is salt-free. There is enough salt in salted butter.

Do not use any semi-sweet chips other than Nestle's semi-sweet morsels. Accept no substitutes. (Unless it is a fine French chocolate.)Be generous with the chocolate...Most people are only eating the cookie to get at the chocolate. I add the chocolate last and add it until the KitchenAid bowl is filled up and the chips are flying about.

Walnuts are for the classic cookies. Can use combinations of walnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts.






Preparation

Mixing: Easy. Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla and water together.
Add the flour, baking soda and nuts. (The mixing breaks up the nuts so you do not need to chop them before adding.) Mix in the chocolate chips.

Baking: Now you could bake them immediately in a 350 degree oven. However, I think they bake and brown evenly if the dough is refrigerated/frozen prior to baking. Plus, this method allows those in the household, who prefer the dough to the cookies, a longer time to enjoy the dough.

Whenever I have time for a baking day, I make a double recipe and divide the dough in four portions. Then, I roll each piece of dough into a log and wrap each in plastic wrap. Put the four logs in the freezer. Then when the need for cookies arises, just take a log out of the freezer, cut into chunks and bake. This makes one very popular with children, with parents, with children's roommates, with co-workers, with friends, with the spouse and with anyone else who happens along.

Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, but just as important as the taste is the presentation. What you serve with your chocolate chip cookies, and how you serve your cookies can make a big difference. For instance milk, hot chocolate, and tea all go well with cookies.
http://www.myhomecooking.net/chocolate-chip-cookies/serving-chocolate-chip-cookies.htm



Chocolate Chip Cookies