The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

I boldly plant my flag on this cookie hill, but I do it humbly – because it’s not my recipe: it comes from a little-known 1992 cookbook. (This little gem is worth your time trying to find.) This chocolate chip cookie recipe has been my go-to for years and years, and they are wonderful every. single. time. I’ve used these cookies for special gifts, parties, care packages, having friends over, and late-night snacks. They have the perfect balance of crispy outside and soft, chewy insides. In fact, these cookies better be in heaven, or I’m not going!

The invention of the chocolate chip cookie happened in 1930 when Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband, Kenneth, were running the Toll House Inn on Route 18 near Whitman, Massachusetts. Mrs. Wakefield, a dietician and food lecturer, prepared all the food for the guests at the inn and had gained an enviable local reputation for her impressive range of desserts.

It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and so too it was in this story. One night, Ruth decided to whip up a batch of Chocolate Butter Drop Do cookies, a popular old colonial recipe, to serve to her guests. But as she started to bake, Ruth discovered she was out of baker’s chocolate. Ruth then chopped up a block of Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate that had been given to her by Andrew Nestlé of the Nestlé Company. Ruth had expected the chocolate to melt and disperse through the cookie dough as regular baking chocolate would. Instead, the chocolate pieces retained their individual form, softening to a moist, gooey melt,
and the world had its first known chocolate chip cookie.

— Kate Krake

Cookie Sundaes or Pzookies. These go by many names, but whatever you call them, they’re a chocolate chip cookie baked in a small iron skillet or baking pan, and topped with vanilla ice cream while everything still gooey and hot. We like to drizzle chocolate sauce on top of everything.

Gift Ideas and Care Packages. For making a care package of these….well…. let’s be honest. All that’s needed is a cute card and *you*, delivering chocolate chip cookies to someone feeling blue. Get a cute tin if you want to be fancy, but a simple plate will do. There’s also a great little book called “Be the Chocolate Chip” by Jen Brewer and Amy Stucky. The book’s message is this: just like chocolate chips retain their form despite the heat of the oven, we can withstand the heat and pressures of this world and remain true to ourselves. It’s a short read, and if you serve chocolate chip cookies at the time, it’s guaranteed to make an impression!

One year, our family did New Year’s Eve gifts for the neighbors – we called them “Midnight Snacks”. To re-create this idea, simply get some CD envelopes (with windows) at your local office supply store. Insert a large cookie and stick a cute label on the envelope, sealing it. This turned out to be one of our favorite neighbor gifts to give! Look for a blog post on this gift idea later in December – I’ll share a couple of printable label freebies with you then. Stay tuned!

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It’s hard to stop at one cookie when you have a whole baking sheet of them in front of you! A couple of times I’ve made a double batch, got the dough oven-ready, wrapped them in plastic wrap and frozen them for later. Pull out one or two of these babies for a late-night-sneaky-snack after the kiddos are asleep! This is also a great way to have cookies on the ready for those emergency moments – like your kid forgetting to let you know they’re supposed to bring refreshments for an activity, or just a cookie craving that cannot be denied! LOL

Speaking of cravings, I gotta run – my family just found out National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is a real thing and they are begging for these cookies! Life is sweet. ♥

Here’s the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe…ever! It’s our go-to recipe. Chocolate chip cookies should not be paper thin. They should be thick — crispy and golden brown on the outside, and soft on the inside. These turn out *every* time for me.  A helpful hint: watch them the first time you make this recipe in your oven. Once you figure out your ideal cooking time, you’ll be set.  Use a cookie scoop for cookie perfection, every time.  If using a large cookie scoop, press down top of cookie dough so that it looks like a hockey puck. Grab some frothy, cold milk and prepare for cookie heaven!

1 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz. package chocolate chips (we love the Guittard milk chocolate chips at our house)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix shortening, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together well and add chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons (we prefer cookie scoops) on an parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for 8-10 minutes or until delicately brown.  Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet. Makes 8 dozen regular sized cookies. You can also use a medium cookie scoop for larger cookies – add a couple more minutes to your timer.

NOTE: to make bar cookies, spread cookie dough into greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Bright Impressions Busy Family Cookbook, p.100