I wanted to share with you my chocolate chip cookie recipe. This recipe makes these traditional cookies just the way I like them, soft in the middle, crispy on the edge and not terribly sweet. You can use this recipe, minus the chips, as a great base cookie recipe and add in your own favorites–nuts, dried fruit, chips or whatever you like –and perhaps the best idea for the day after Halloween–chopped up leftover Halloween Candy! Make these today-they are simple, delicious and if you take them to work with you tomorrow your coworkers who might NOT eat more candy will probably eat some cookies!
Chocolate Chip Cookies The Way I Like Them
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt*
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening (butter flavored or traditional)
½ cup salted butter
2 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)**
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover 4 large baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone baking mats or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, kosher salt* and baking soda and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together shortening, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This is what “light and fluffy” looks like:
On high speed, add eggs, one at a time and vanilla until well incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture. When incorporated, add chocolate chips and beat until combined.
Using a small ice cream scoop, dish out cookie dough on to prepared pan, 12 to a sheet.
Place sheets in oven, two at a time, and bake for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn cookie sheets around, front to back and move top sheet to bottom and vice versa. Bake for another 5 minutes until brown around the edges and puffed in the center. Allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes and remove to a rack to cool.
*I use kosher for baking because I like that hit of salt in my cookies. Use table salt if desired.
**I used semisweet in this recipe but try out different mix ins. You could use 1 cup white chocolate chips, one cup dried cranberries and one cup chopped pecans. This is a great base recipe so use your imagination to make it your own.
This recipe makes 9 dozen cookies. It can easily be halved.
Good Morning Gloucester 
what can you use instead of shortening?
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Hi Jon. You can use all butter. The cookies will be flatter. I think if you chill the dough after you put them on the sheet but before you bake them you will have a similar result as I did with the shortening.
I also found this from Cooks Thesaurus:
Substitutes: butter (1 cup shortening = 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter; butter is better tasting than shortening but more expensive and has cholesterol and a higher level of saturated fat; makes cookies less crunchy, bread crusts more crispy) OR margarine (1 cup shortening = 1 cup + 2 tablespoons margarine; margarine is better tasting than shortening, but more expensive; makes cookies less crunchy, bread crusts tougher) OR lard (1 C shortening = 1 C – 2 tablespoons lard; lard has cholesterol and a higher level of saturated fat)
Please let me know how they turn out if try the recipe and use one of these suggestions. Thanks for asking!
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Thanks for sharing the possible ways to experiment with butter vs. shortening vs. margarine. I’m going to have to try out some changes on my favorite cookie recipes.
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