Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

I owed my husband pretty big after last week when I may have made our chipotle venison chili a bit too spicy for his liking. Like a trooper, he smothered each bowl of leftovers with cheddar and tortilla chips to cover up the heat, but I knew I had to make it up to him. Nothing says ‘I’m sorry I made the chili too spicy’ quite like a batch of simple homemade chocolate chip cookies.

When we were dating, I used to love to bake Jay cookies. I’d package them in a cute container and drive them to his boat so he’d have a treat while he was fishing.

The first cookies I brought him were my variation of Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip cookies. After that, I tried to switch it up with snickerdoodles, blueberry oat bars and sugar cookies but it was clear the chocolate chip cookies were the undisputed favorite.

Everyone has their own twist on the Nestlé Toll House classic and what sets mine apart is swapping out the baking soda for baking powder and using a mix of butter and shortening. I also add an additional quarter cup of brown sugar and use milk chocolate chocolate chips instead of semi sweet. These are very sweet cookies. Some people might say ‘too sweet,’ but we don’t talk to those people because this is dessert and it’s supposed to be sweet.

The key is the blend of equal parts butter and shortening. These cookies come out so fluffy and the texture is perfectly chewy. I’ve tried it with only shortening and the cookies come out extra puffy but they don’t flatten out and come out a little too raw in the center.

Before baking, I like to shape the cookies using a tablespoon scoop, place them on a cookie sheet, and pop them in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. Cold dough makes a big difference and stops the cookies from flattening out too much in the oven. After the dough has chilled, it can also be frozen and baked at a later time. Or eaten because raw cookie dough is just so, so good.

Now Jay and I like to bake cookies together. It’s not unusual to find us in the kitchen at any hour, day or night, mixing up a batch of cookie dough. Jay mixes the dry ingredients while I blend the sugars, shortening, butter, and eggs. Then we carefully mix everything together. And if we’re lucky, we can actually get some cookies in the oven instead of just giving up and eating the delicious cookie dough.

Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Cup Butter, Softened
• 1/2 Cup Shortening
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups (12-oz. pkg.) Milk Chocolate Chips

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, shortening and sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix thoroughly. With the mixer running, slowly add flour mixture. Once combined, use a large spoon to mix the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon scoop or your hands, shape the dough into round balls and place on a cookie sheet. Pop the sheet in the fridge and allow the dough to chill for at least an hour or overnight. The dough can also be frozen and saved for later use.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Place the cookies on a pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. Bake just until the tops are no longer shiny. They will continue to bake once they are removed from the oven.

Let the cookies rest for 3-4 minutes, then remove from the pan and enjoy!