Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vegetable shortening; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 2 cups chocolate chips; 1 cup walnut pieces

Michael Salmon

1 year ago

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I served these chocolate chip cookies at our Camden Inn for 23 years, and they were always a guest favorite. I make these with walnuts for their texture and taste but any chopped nut can be substituted. The cookies are crunchy on the bottom and a little soft on the top…a perfect combination.

If you really like chocolate, add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons of chocolate syrup to the recipe, and replace the chocolate chips with an equivalent amount of 1/2-inch dark chocolate chunks.

TOOL TIP:

Silicone baking mats are invaluable tools in every kitchen. They save wear and tear on your baking sheets, make clean up much easier and save you money in parchment paper and foil costs. Use them for: roasting tomatoes or winter squash, baking cookies, caramelizing nuts or toasting crostini and granola grains.

This set of 3 cookie or ice cream scoops is a great addition to any kitchen. For my Coconut Macaroons, I use the middle-sized scoop (#40 or 2 Tablespoons) to make uniform-sized round cookies.

Cream together the shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla in a mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed.

Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into creamed mixture until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips and walnut pieces by hand.

Make balls with a #40 ice cream scoop and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat or on a lightly greased baking sheet. I fit 12 cookies (3×4) on a half-sheet pan.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for 3 minutes on the pan and then transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

The raw cookie dough freezes well, so you can make a bunch of cookies and keep some in the freezer for later. When you are balling the dough, place them on a parchment lined tray, placing them right next to each other. Freeze them until solid and then transfer the dough balls to a ziplock bag and freeze until needed. To bake, place the frozen balls on the lined baking sheet and allow them to thaw out completely before baking.