Chocolate Chip Cookies

A chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie that originated in the United States and features chocolate chips as its distinguishing ingredient. The traditional recipe combines a dough composed of butter and both brown and white sugar with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Variations include recipes with other types of chocolate or additional ingredients, such as nuts or oatmeal. Depending on the ratio of ingredients, mixing and cooking times, some recipes are optimized to produce a softer, chewy style cookie while others will produce a crunchy/crispy style.

Common variants:

Replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter chips.
- The macadamia chip cookie has macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. It is a signature cookie of Mrs. Fields bakeries.
The M&M cookie, or party cookie, replaces the chocolate chips with M&M's. For the holidays, use the M&Ms colored for that holiday
dried cranberries and white chocolate chips
Almond Joy Cookies - besides the chocolate chips, use sliced almonds and some shredded coconut
The "chocolate chocolate chip" cookie uses a dough that is chocolate flavored by the addition of cocoa or melted chocolate. White chocolate chips make a nice contrast with the dough
The chocolate chip peanut butter cookie replaces the vanilla flavored dough with a peanut butter flavored one.

Also see https://handletheheat.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-chocolate-chip-cookies/ (tests adding more flour, more/less egg, etc. to see how the change affects Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Note: I have made these and found they were not as tall as Mom made them or myself in the past. I have read that vegetable shortening melts more slowly than butter so cookies baked with it will stay taller than those made with butter which liquefies more quickly making the cookies spread out more. This last time I made them, I used butter and they were fine. I did let the dough sit a bit on the counter while the oven heated. I found when making Brian’s sour cream cookies that letting the dough rest gave me taller cookies.

Note: These cookies are best eaten with a glass of milk to dip them in after a few days.

Bon Appetite’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies recpes is very similar to this one in terms of the butter and sugar used, except they use only 1 1/2 cup flour. The Nestle Tollhouse recipe uses more butter than either recipe.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening (not butter)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 package (12 oz.) chocolate chips = 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375° F. (Baking cookies at 375-400° F prevents cookies from spreading too far because the higher temperature sets them faster.)

Cream the sugars and shortening together until fluffy and light in color. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, then add the chocolate chips and nuts.

Try refrigerating the dough for 30 - 60 minutes to see if they don't spread as much and are puffier. The butter will harden (and will melt slower in the oven) and the sugar will absorb some of the liquid, thus the cookie spread will be less.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly browned. Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack.

When cooled, store in a covered container.

Makes about 3 dozen

Jane's Chocolate Chip Cookies

This looks like the Nestle Tollhouse cookie, except the current recipe on their web site uses 1 teaspoon vanilla not 1 1/2 and a full teaspoon of salt. Otherwise they are the same. Perhaps Nestle modified their recipe a bit.

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add sifted, dry ingredients to creamed mixture; mix well. Add chocolate chips and nuts; mix well.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place each ball 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 3 1/2 doz cookies