I’ll never forget the first time I tasted these cookies.  I was in high school and on the dance team.  As a fundraiser, we were working at the local firework stand.  A fellow teammate (and good friend!) was visited by her mother, who came bearing chocolate chip cookies…

Audrey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

They were the best I had ever (and STILL have ever) tasted.

You can make or break a batch of cookies, simply by how you mix them together.  I hope these tips help every cookie recipe you make even better!

First, bring all of your ingredients to room temperature, like butter and eggs.  Here’s what you will need for Audrey’s Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients

Cream together the butter, shortening…

Cream Together

And sugars.  This mixture will become very light and fluffy.

Light and Fluffy

Add the eggs and vanilla.  Mix these in really well.

Add Eggs and Vanilla

Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add these to the bowl, and mix just until blended.  Do NOT overmix here!  In fact, since I’m stirring in chocolate chips by hand after this, I usually undermix it slightly.

Undermixed

Add the chocolate chips and stir it by hand just until they are blended in.

Almost There

I like to use a medium cookie scoop to make the cookies uniform in size.  They also bake more evenly.  Plus, it’s a lot less messy.  Get one.  You’ll love it!

Scoop

Scooped

Bake the cookies until they reach your desired outcome.  I like chewy, soft cookies, so I take them out of the oven when they look slightly doughy.  If you like crisp, crunchy cookies, wait until they look done, then remove them.

Baked

Leave the cookies on the pan for about 2 minutes or so.  Then, remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Cooling

This recipe makes a lot… usually about 4 1/2 dozen with the cookie scoop I use.  But we can’t eat that many cookies before they get stale, so here’s a tip:  Freeze the dough.  Don’t even bake the cookies.  Just roll the dough into balls and freeze.  This allows you to bake as many cookies as you desire, whenever you want!  Just take them out of the freezer, place on a cookie sheet, and bake!  You don’t even need to defrost them.  They will take slightly longer to bake, but they will taste as if you just mixed together the dough.  Write on the bag what type of cookie they are, and the temperature and time for baking.  It’s a huge timesaver!

Ready to Freeze

Of course you could always just make a half-batch to begin with, but it sure it handy to be able to just bake a few when the mood strikes!

Audrey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Course Dessert, Snack
Servings 4 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 2/3 cup shortening
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Beat together shortening, butter, and sugars.  Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.  Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in to butter/sugar mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips. 
  • For even better flavor, refrigerate dough for several hours or up to 2 days.
  • Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake.
Keyword Cookies