Nothing beats a warm chocolate chip cookie. Whether you like them soft and chewy or crisp and crunchy, chocolate chip cookies are a staple in every household. Some people prefer to elevate their recipes by chopping chocolate bars or browning their butter, but this easy recipe is so good you will be more than delighted to eat it as is.
This is my mother’s recipe, with a rather unique but incredibly simple twist to the classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe: a butter substitute. Beware, though, the substitute is Crisco, which isn’t the most healthy option.
Crisco is a brand of shortening made of vegetable oils. Shortening includes any fats that are solid at room temperature, such as butter, lard and margarine. Crisco is made out of vegetable oils, so they undergo a process called hydrogenation to become solid at room temperature. This process used to make Crisco high in trans fat, but in 2020 the United States banned trans fat, so the oils now undergo the complete hydrogenation process.
The best part about Crisco is that it has an incredibly long shelf life. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated and comes in one cup containers or large tubs. It’s perfect for a college student.
The Crisco gives the dough more structure so the cookies hold their shape better, but they are still soft and chewy. Butter makes a crisper cookie. However, be careful to not over mix, or risk over-activating the gluten in the flour.
The ingredients are as follows:
- 1 cup Crisco
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chocolate chips
To begin, set an oven to bake at 375 F. Let it heat up while you make the dough.
In a bowl, add in the Crisco, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix and mash with a fork to ensure it is all mixed thoroughly. Next, crack in the eggs and mix.
Next, add in the vanilla extract, giving a small stir to incorporate it. Then add in the baking soda and salt, followed by another stir.
Then add in the flour ¾ cup at a time, stirring to just get the flour incorporated enough to not spill everywhere. After you finish mixing in the flour ¾ at a time, mix the dough until there’s no sugar clumps.
Add in the chocolate chips. You can add in pecans, walnuts or even raisins at this point if you want. Mix until fully incorporated, but be cautious about overmixing!
If you like soft cookies, the key to this recipe is keeping a keen eye on the cookies while baking. The recipe gives a cook time of 10-12 minutes. Instead, set a timer to go off at nine minutes. Check the cookies and their color. They should be a nice gold color, with a slightly hardened exterior. When they are cooked to your liking, pull them out of the oven and let them rest for two minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack, or any plate or bowl you plan to store them in.
This recipe guarantees a delicious, soft cookie that is the perfect chocolate chip cookie to pair with milk.
