Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

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On snowy days growing up, my younger brother would ask me to make him chocolate chip cookies. He would drag a chair across the kitchen and stand next to me as I would make these. Taste testing the chocolate chips, and always asking for a spoonful of cookie dough. It was the first recipe I ever prepared on my own without my mom’s help, and the first recipe I ever committed to memory.

These days, I make cookies for my children and still whip of a batch for my brother every once in a while. Now it is my youngest, Michael, who is standing on the chair next to me, sampling the chocolate chips and trying to swipe the cookie dough before I’ve had a chance to bake the cookies (and being a really good distraction as David & Emily swoop in to steal a spoonful of cookie dough).

My mom only had a hand mixer so I made single batches of cookies almost weekly. I am lucky enough to have a 6qt Kitchen Aid (a wedding gift 10 years ago & nowhere near burning out) so now I prepare these by the double batch, bake off 2-3 dz, and then freeze the rest as dough balls so that we have fresh cookies anytime we want them (or you can eat the frozen dough balls if you need a cookie dough fix like Steve & I do from time to time).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/2 sticks of softened butter
1/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
4 extra large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp of vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp kosher salt
4 cups of chocolate chips 

Preheat your oven to 375º.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt & baking soda. Use a whisk to blend together. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter & shortening together, using a paddle attachment, until well incorporated. Add the sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs & vanilla, and continue to beat until well incorporated. At this point, you can not overwork the mixture and the addition of more air will make for a more tender cookie.

Next, add the flour mixture. I tend to dump it all in at once, and then turn the mixer on its lowest setting. Make sure most of the flour is incorporated before you turn the mixer on high or you will have a lot more cleaning to do as the flour will go flying everywhere.

Once the flour is fully incorporated, remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the chocolate chips, and stir in by hand using a wooden spoon or your spatula. 

Drop the dough onto baking sheets lined with either parchment or silpats, using a 1 tablespoon dough scooper, and place the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375º for 9-11 min.