On Sep 24, 6:18*pm, (Judy Haffner) wrote:
> For many years I would only use the "original" Chocolate Chip Cookie
> recipe on the Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chip package, and thought
> they were near perfect. However, the original recipe called for 1/4 tsp,
> water and I don't recall it using 1 cup of all butter, and the cookies
> were thicker and chewy, but I used 1 cup of Crisco shortening in place
> of butter, as found that made them flat and crisp, and I don't like thin
> crisp cookies.
>
> Over the years I have tried other recipes, that said they were "the
> best". Some used half butter and half shortening, and some used brown
> AND white sugar both. I was pleased with them the day I baked them, as
> seemed chewy and exactly what I wanted, but then after I stored them in
> a airtight container (usually Tupperware) they would get soft and break,
> and no longer chewy and solid. I get one I think is the "perfect one"
> only to be disappointed after they sit awhile.
>
> If you have a recipe you think I might be looking for, please post it
> here...thanks! It's my hubby's favorite cookie, although it has never
> been mine. Oatmeal Raisin are my favorite cookies, or a soft (but firm)
> raisin spice cookie.
>
> Judy

Judy, in my personal experience (I'm almost as old as you are - less
than a year's difference, actually ;-) - butter makes them crispy;
baking margerine makes them chewier and/or softer; putting in more
brown sugar than white will also make them chewier. The 1/4 tsp. or
1/2 tsp. of water in the old recipe wasn't there to make any kind of a
difference, it just made the recipe seem more "special."

Try these - I use 1/3 baking oleo and 2/3 butter, but you should use
all margarine if you want chewy. Then store them as you usually do
and see how they fare. They are our favorites, hands down, but I
should say any recipe likely will be the best when they are freshly
made. Be sure to note not to put raw dough on hot cookie sheets -
wait until the sheets are cool to reuse them.

Big Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (my recipe)

1 stick oleo, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
(Here, use all oleo for chewier cookies)
1 C. light brown sugar
½ C. white sugar
1 extra large or jumbo egg, plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla (I used a scant T.)
2 C. plus 2 T. flour (white, bleached, all-purpose)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. soda
1 12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, regular or “mega.” (I always
put in more chips than this - usually 1 1/2 bags of chocolate
"chunks.")

Put the melted shortening and the sugars in a mixing bowl. Mix until
thoroughly blended. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix
thoroughly. Put the flour, salt and soda in a bowl and whisk or sift
once. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix
thoroughly. Stir in chips by hand.

Line cookie sheets with baking parchment. Drop cookie dough on cookie
sheets. (I use a regular cookie scoop - holds about 3 level T. of
dough.) Cover unbaked dough with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out.
Bake at 325 deg. for 13 minutes (check at 11 minutes). (Adjust your
check-up time for your hot oven.) Cookies should be slightly brown on
the peaks and edges, and light colored and soft in the center.

Remove from oven, leave on cookie sheets until about half-way cool and
then move to brown paper or newspaper to finish cooling. Do not put
new batches on hot cookie sheets; make sure sheets have cooled before
reusing. This recipe makes about 30 big (3 - 3 1/2") cookies.

Store in airtight container with waxed paper between layers; (I just
use the parchment that the cookies were baked on) the baked cookies
can be frozen if individually wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed
tightly. The raw dough can be frozen in an airtight container for up
to two weeks. Thaw it in the refrigerator. Thaw baked cookies at
room temperature.
The baked cookies are best eaten within two days.

Variations: Instead of chocolate chips, use chunks of white
chocolate (6 oz.) and macadamia nuts (about 3/4 cup, cut into coarse
bits) (or use proportions of chocolate and nuts to taste).

For the choc. chips, you can substitute 1 C. quick-cooking oatmeal and
1 C. raisins, plumped 5 minutes in boiling water.

You can also substitute 1 ½ pkg. (about 18 oz.) of brickle bits and
3/4 C. coarsely chopped pecans for the choc. chips.

Enjoy experimenting!

N.