Food Network - Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are not for those living at high altitude! If you like them thin and crispy and live near sea level, here's a rich chocolate chip cookie recipe for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 3/4 cup super-fine sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•  1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, to make a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3-inches apart, (a standard pan can accommodate about 6 cookies). 
5. Bake the cookies until brown around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Pancakes, anyone?

The Food Network's Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies

I got sucked into this recipe by a tweet from the Food Network promising the best chocolate chip cookies EVER and you know what? This recipe rocked! The second batch turned out flatter than the first (even though I closely followed directions) still - these cookies were so good I ate three for breakfast. :) To learn more about cooking you can take 'online classes'

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes (use the paddle attachment for a stand mixer). 
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. 
4. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the middle, about 12 minutes. 
5. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies made with Crisco

There are a couple are a couple of advantages to making cookies with shortening rather than butter.

1. It's cheaper. (Butter is usually $3.00 per lb versus $4 for a large container of Crisco)
2. The cookies bake up well even at a higher altitude. (No chocolate chip pancakes here!)

This recipe comes from Food.com and I recommend using 1/2 teaspoon of salt rather than 1 teaspoon. The larger amount made the cookies kind of salty.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shortening
• ¾ cup brown sugar , firmly packed
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups quick oats

Preparations:

1. In a mixer, combine shortening, sugars, vanilla and eggs.
2. Separately, mix flour, water, baking soda and salt. 
3. Combine both sets of ingredients. Mix well. 
4. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips.
5. Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Crisco

This is a very tasty recipe especially if you are low on butter. The cookie is a littler richer, chewy and softer than ones baked strictly with butter.

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• ½ cup real butter, at room temperature 
• ½ cup shortening 
• 1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips  

Preparations:

1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and shortening until creamy.
3. Add sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well.
5. Add flour mixture, and beat slowly to incorporate, then beat to blend well.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
7. Drop batter in 2-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
8. Bake in a 375°F preheated oven until edges of cookies are brown but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, about 10 minutes.

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chip cookies

I bought these chips because they were on sale for $1.79. (Not a bad price for Hershey's chocolate chips!) The recipe really isn't any different than their regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. The chocolate is touted as being "mildly sweet chocolate". I prefer milk chocolate chips but if you like dark chocolate - you'll like these cookies.

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of butter, softened (it's best to leave it out for a couple of hours so it can become room temperature)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Combine eggs, sugars, vanilla and butter. Beat well.
2. Separately, mix flour, baking soda and salt. 
3. Mix both sets of ingredients together. Blend well. 
4. Add chocolate chips. 
5. Drop batter (around a tablespoon for each cookie) on to non-greased sheet. 
6. Bake at 375 for approximately 10 minutes (or more depending on how big you make them!)