Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies
"The following appeared in BH&G Feb. 99. I like it because I can make the variety preferred by whomever is visiting that day. "A few tweaks in the ingredients in chocolate chip cookies can dramatically change the outcome. Want a crispy thin cookie? Use an all-butter dough. Because butter melts more quickly than shortening in a hot oven, the dough spreads. For a puffy cookie, use shortening to keep the dough from flattening. Get a softer cookie by sweetening it only with brown sugar. Combine brown with granulated sugar for a crispier cookie. Our tinkering resulted in three versions: Our Best Basic, Thin-and-Crispy, and Soft-and-Cakelike." By Jeanne Ambrose, BH&G Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Prep: 25 min Bake 8-10 min per batch"
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Yields:
-
60 cookies
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup shortening
- 1⁄2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts or 1 cup pecans, chopped
directions
- Thin-and-Crispy: Bake 10-12 min per batch.
- 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Soft-and-Cake-like Bake 9-11 minutes per batch.
- 1/2 cup shortening, 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 8 oz sour cream, 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- FOR BASIC OR THIN COOKIES: in a bowl beat shortening and/or butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
- Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; beat until combined.
- Beat in egg or eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Beat in as much of the flour as you can with a mixer.
- With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour.
- Notes: If you use the beaters on your electric mixer, you can skip the wooden spoon.) Stir in chocolate pieces and nuts.
- Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake Basic cookies 8-10 minutes, and Thin cookies 10-12 minutes or until edges are browned.
- Cool on wire rack.
- FOR CAKELIKE COOKIES: In a bowl, beat shortening and brown sugar on medium to high speed until combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla; bean until combined.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to shortening mixture, beating after each addition.
- With a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate pieces and nuts.
- Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are browned.
- Cool on wire rack.
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Reviews
-
These were really good! I made the "basic" (not thin or cakelike) recipe and, sure enough: they were neither thin nor cakelike. Just good traditional chocolate chip cookies. I got about 3 dozen medium-sized cookies out of this recipe. -
These cookies were AMAZING!!! I made the cakelike version. These are very much cookies NOT cake. But very soft and full and tall. No flattening out here! My hubby came home from work and ate so many he got a stomach ache!! lol Ive never made cookies with sour cream in them so was a little sceptical but wowww. These are in my forever cookbook. -
I had the cake-like version and they are GREAT! I was skeptical because I have never made cookies with sour cream, but they are just insanely good. I left out the nuts but did everything else as written. I'll definately make them again!! -
EXCELLENT! I used 2 cups of chocolate chips, and 1 t of baking soda, but followed the recipe besides that. Love this cookie!
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I tried the recipe combining butter and shortening. I didn't like them at all. Kids ate them.
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