Chocolate Chip Cookies, Not Re-Inventing The Wheel And A Garden
Chocolate chip cookies are iconic, delicious and probably the most made cookie in the US. There are probably as many recipes as there are cookies made, well maybe not but close. I have a couple of recipes that I like to use and they always produce a great cookie. The other day I got an email from King Arthur flour, The Bakers Catalog disecting, demystifying and decoding the chocolate chip cookie.
It is actually a great article with suggestions for different types of cookies from chewy and soft to crisp and crunchy. I decided that I would make her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and see what all the hype is about. I was a little put off that it contains some shortening, mind you I have nothing against vegetable shortening but really like my cookies made using only butter for the most part. This uses butter and shortening. The method is also very different,creaming the butter straight from the fridge (love not having to bring to room temp) with shortening, vinegar, baking soda, sugars and vanilla.
The cookies are really fantastic crispy edges with a soft middle. You know that the butter is there but using some shortening gives the cookies a wonderful texture. All in all a really good recipe that I will add to my favorites and will be making again.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe by PJ Hamel for King Arthur Flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup, 1 stick, 8 tbs or 4 oz butter straight from the refrigerator
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 tsp salt or 1/2 tsp if you used salted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups chocolate chunks or chips (I mixed milk and dark chocolate)
In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment mix the butter, sugars, shortening, salt, vanilla. baking soda, and vinegar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and contine mixing until combined. Add the flour and mix gently only until the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients. Remove bowl from stand and mix in chocolate by hand. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour before baking. Pre heat oven to 375 degree’s while dough chills and line baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
Scoop onto baking sheet using a 1 1/4 inch scoop placing each ball about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes edges will be golden brown.
In closing I wanted to share photo’s of the garden which right now is in full bloom. The flowers are just beautiful and I have hundreds of beautiful fragrant roses, peonies and the annuals that I bought. I am also very excited that my tomato plants are doing well and already have those yellow blossoms.
apuginthekitchen 
I don’t bake cookies to speak of. But I would eat these. Which is why Idon’t bake cookies. Love those peonies!!!
I know the cookies are dangerous. I give them away and of course for quality control purposes I must taste a couple. LOL. Thank you so much Mimi.
Suzanne,
Those cookies with crispy edges and soft chewy centers look divine! I also like to ‘study’ recipes to see what gives them that precise texture etc.. I am going to save your recipe.
Your garden looks gorgeous and that green chair is so inviting! The peonies are just about to bloom here in my garden and I love them.What are the orange flowers? Love that color!
Your tomato plants are doing so well too. So rewarding to see the hard work pay off, right?
We have our first 80 degree weather day today! So I better get out there and do some gardening myself:)
These are pretty much perfect Chocolate Chip cookies. Have to admit I really like the recipe a lot. The orange flower is a rose bush. The color is spectacular. I bought 3 bare root English rose bushes about 12 years ago, 2 are a beautiful pale pale pink and the orange. They are so amazing. I hate gardening, hate it. Don’t like to mess around in the dirt but I do like to enjoy the beauty of nature sipping something cold and relaxing. Thank you so much Sandhya!!
I am with you in enjoying nature while I can sit, eat and drink! I enjoy being on the patio too- finally that we have this warm weather! Have a great memorial day weekend!
You too, have a wonderful weekend.:o)
Can’t wait to see your garden next week! Maria
Sent from my iPhone
Yes looking forward to seeing you next week!!
I would do anything to be able to grow peonies – yours are gorgeous! We don’t have frost where we live in San Diego – that’s the problem – same with tulips…
I have 3 peonies plants. One if the front of my house that does well, 2 in my back yard right next to each other. One does great and the other not at all. It is about 1/4 of the size of the other plant and most years does not get any flowers. This year there is one bud. I wish I understood why. I didn’t know that tulips and peonies needed a frost. Hmmm… I cannot grow tulips because the squirrels eat the bulbs. A few years ago I planted 50 tulip bulbs in the back yard and the next morning my yard looked like a mine field the squirrels had eaten every single bulb. Thanks so much Liz, Happy Memorial Day to you and Larry!!
…and a happy memorial werkend to you…
The sun shines once again 🌞
Yes it does and Happy Memorial Day to you also.
Love such cookies. A tasty classic! 🙂
Thanks Ronit, yes they are classic and delicious.
I am so glad you posted these cookies Suzanne, because I only glanced at the recipe when I received the email . I’m intrigued on how this recipe is put together and I am going to try it.
I love peonies but they don’t love California because like Liz said , they need frost.
Thanks Gerlinde, it is a really good recipe. The cookies are pretty much perfect. I had no idea about peonies and frost, I thought frost was the enemy of plants. Learn something new every day. Thank you so much.
I have yet to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe made at home – so thank you Suzanne! I have pinned the article and your post today in hopes of making the perfect chocolate chip cookie! 🙂
It’s a really good recipe Linda, I will most likely use this recipe instead of the other 2, it’s easy, and the results are terrific. Thank you so much.
You bet I love that the butter doesn’t have to be brought to room temp either! These cookies rose beautifully – thanks so much for sharing this recipe Suzanne! And your garden is indeed gorgeous!
The cookies are really good thank you so much, they really are a pretty perfect cookie. My garden is always a work in progress and very hard for me since I am the worlds worst gardener.
These look fabulous, Suzanne! The recipe is very intriguing…cold butter and vinegar are new concepts for me. Crispy edges and a soft center are my favorite kind…looks like I have a new chocolate chip cookie recipe to try! Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂
Yes it really got my curiosity going when I read the recipe, vinegar, cold butter hmmmm…. well must say the sum of all the parts worked beautifully. Thanks so much Nancy.
Sigh… Suzanne your garden looks so beautiful and inviting… so relaxing. Thanks for sharing the photos of it.
And the picture of milk and cookies! Such a homey, comforting, favorite thing to me. The cookies sound perfectly delectable. Mega midweek hugs!
Thanks Teagan, at the moment my garden looks inviting but it is continuously a source of stress for me throughout the summer. I am not a gardener, never have been never will be it requires way more work than I care do. I like container gardens, easy peasy no pulling weeds. Hope you have a great memorial weekend planned. I think I will do absolutely nothing, maybe invite a few friends over and relax and eat.
Wow gorgeous garden, yummy cookies
Thank you so much Lynn, have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday.
You too!
Everything is TOO PERFECT ! Do have a nice time,dear Suzanne, enjoying your flowers, a glass of fresh milk … some cookies in the other hand !
Amitiés et bises 🙂
Thank you so much France, je ne suis pas un bon jardinier, LOL, this time of year the garden always looks good and it’s downhill from here. Thank you so much and have a lovely weekend.
Looks great Suzanne! Didn’t know vinegar could be used in cookies too! Quite intriguing! Even I don’t like to use any kind of shortening for cookies, but this looks like a great recipe ! Love your garden 🙂
I didn’t either Freda, I knew you could use in pastry, pie crust but not cookies. It works though the cookies are fantastic. Thank you so much and have a wonderful weekend.
You too Suzanne 🙂
– I can count how many times I made cookies in my life. I had read in a cookbook I brought from Europe that it is the shortening that gives the crispiness to the cookies and not over baking. Crispy all around the edges and soft/chewy in the center/inside is the goal/hope of almost all cookie baking. Thank you for introducing the recipe. I like to test this recipe with nuts.
– I remember your post on when you had your backyard revamped. Your garden looks beautiful with colorful flowers, and inviting with the green chair placed in the midst. Spring has done its job and now summer will give you some harvest. 🙂
These cookies are wonderful Fae, I make cookies often, since I always offer fresh homemade cookies to my air bnb guests. I want to enjoy my garden now because very soon it won’t be so wonderful but right now it’s very nice. Thank you so much Fae and have a great weekend.
There’s nothing to beat a crispy/chewy chocolate chip cookie. Your garden is so pretty – the peonies are very impressive… Enjoy your lounge chair. Does Percy have one too? 🙂
LOL, he does not have a lounge chair but I am getting him a kiddie pool so he can cool off in the back yard and I always lay a towel for him to lay on. Thank you so much.
Your garden looks like a great spot to chill out in! And of course a nice spot to eat lovely chocolate chip cookies! 🙂
Thank you Petra, yes the garden nice and I am lucky to have outdoor space. I love to be outside when it’s cool, light up the fire pit and make s’mores. LOL.
I love my fire pit! Have never made s’moores! Hmm am feeling I lost out 🙂
I can smell them baking from here! My daughter is the cookie-master in this house, I’ll have to pass this along to her. I only wish we would get warmer here! I am so tired of covering the tomatoes and hauling in all my potted flowers each night. Your garden is looking gorgeous, for sure!
Today is 90 degree’s. Now I want cooler weather, can’t make me happy, LOL. Thanks Kathryn, it’s a great recipe. Love how the cookies turn out. I am so psyched that I will have tomatoes this year and hoping for zucchini but not sure whether or not the plants are doing good. I have them in a pot.
I do container gardening too but have never tried zucchini in a pot. My husband did build me an above-ground container to plant my pepper plants and tomatillos into, but I’m waiting for the soil to reach 65 degrees before I do that. Hubby plants all our tomato plants upside down in pots, and we don’t have anywhere to hang them inside which is why we are having to cover them each night. But hope is on the way, it’s supposed to start getting into the low 70s next week!
The cookies look and sound perfect… crisp edges and chewy centers? It’s the best of both worlds! Your garden is bloom is just stunning; thank you for sharing those lovely pics.
Thank you so much. Wanted to document the garden while it still looks good, another month and it won’t. LOL.
Those cookies look super yummy and your garden very inviting! I could hang out there all day !!!
I would love to hang out in the garden with you, thank you so much.
I am sure we would have lots of yummy food to enjoy 🙂
:o)
Your garden looks very promising Suzanne, and these cookies look divine. I would love to sit in the sunshine in your garden with a plate of these cookies and a cup of coffee. Nice post 😉
Thank you so much Jess, it’s nice in the garden when everything is in bloom. Love sitting back there. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Nothing really beats a chocolate chip cookie! Garden looks great.
Thanks so much Michelle. Hope you have a great long weekend.
These chippies look delicious! I’d love to have a couple while enjoying your garden.
Thanks so much Julie. I love sitting in the garden and have a short window before the mosquitoes arrive. Have to enjoy now.
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
I have a collection of chocolate chip cookie recipes as they were my children’s favorites so will add this one because those cookies look good. So glad spring has finally found you. Your garden is lovely. Mine not planted yet but I have had some daffodils and my periwinkle are in bloom so we are getting there.
Thank you Dyanna, you can never have too many cookie recipes, I love trying out something new. My daffodils were up a month ago now they are gone, love how it all blooms in cycles. Thank you so much for the reblog and have a great weekend.
Hey Suzzane, the vinegar really surprised me 🙂 i have used it in cakes but never in cookies.. 🙂 looks yum!
The vinegar surprised me also, maybe it gave the baking soda boost, it also gave the cookies a tiny bit of flakiness, just a touch. It is a wonderful recipe. Thank you so much.
That’s right 🙂
You never can go wrong with Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Yummy Suzanne, I like warming them in the microwave for few seconds…LOL…Oh and your garden is looking great!!! Enjoy my friend!!! 🙂
Thank you so much Amy, yep for sure never go wrong with chocolate chip cookies. Hope you have a really great Memorial Day weekend.
Thank you, you as well Suzanne, no real plans here, I have to work the weekend, but Monday I think I am going to go see a Movie then have my folks over for a grill out…of course I think its going to rain…but oh well…Enjoy what ever you do, Oh and I know someone that lives in Brooklyn and he Periscopes all the time, that area is so Beautiful, but he bikes to and from work and he talked about the whole Bike lane thing 🙂
Sounds like fun Amy, I am having friends over and I will grill on Monday as well. Hope it doesn’t rain and is a bit cooler. Really you know someone here, small world. Many of my neighbors and friends bike to and from work as well. It’s a real hot button issue here hotly contested on both sides. Its funny even many people that bike all the time denounce the plan seeing it’s major flaws. Hoping there is a solution that is good for both sides.
Your garden looks beautiful Suzanne! Wow, these cookies! I am such a sucker for chocolate chip cookies. What an interesting process…creaming straight from the fridge. I have heard of shortening and butter together in a pie crust, but not cookies. It’s almost as if they are using the cold fat and fat mixture of a pie crust. This is so interesting! I love unique recipes! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Antonia, I was intrigued by the method used in making the cookies and was particularly intrigued by using cold butter rather than room temperature, it worked and worked well. The cookies are delicious. I don’t like to post a much loved and used recipe like chocolate chip cookies again unless there is something that makes them stand out.
It really is fascinating! I am going to give these a try sometime. I am with you, and these really stand out.
These cookies look absolutely delicious and delightful, Suzanne and your garden looks splendid with all the pretty blooms! 🙂
Thank you so much Linda, I love late Spring and early summer the garden is at it’s best.
I have one word for Chocolate Chip Cookies and me…..Dangerous !!! I love them so much and one is just never ever enough. I have now taken to putting some in a sealed container and freezing them, just to try and not pig out on them all day….It sort of works, but honestly not really, the stalling is just waiting for them to thaw a bit, otherwise I will be a dentist’s best friend.
I will be trying your tried and tested recipe Suzanne, and I know I won’t be disappointed. 🙂
Your garden with everything in full bloom is absolutely gorgeous !!!
Danger, danger is correct for sure. I only make 1 dozen at a time freezing the dough. Out of the dozen I give away at least half and try to eat only 3. It’s hard though because I love chocolate chip cookies. so much. This is a terrific recipe thanks so much Lynne.
Love that you can use the butter straight out of the fridge with this recipe. Your garden looks beautiful!
I was skeptical I also used veg shortening straight out of the fridge but when I put everything together as directed it whipped up so easily and nicely. Shocking!! Thank you so much.
Now I’m craving cookies! LOL They look great and the garden is lovely too. 🙂
Thank you so much, unfortunately I always crave cookies. LOL!
And what a lovely garden xx
Thanks so much Elaine.
So much yum! Love reading King Arthur books, articles, etc. They are the Experts. Your new (new to me) gravatar photo is lovely. And the cookies look good, too 🙂
Me too Liz, love their recipes and I have used their flours exclusively for many years. Thanks so much.
Yay-love it all Suzanne!!!
Thanks so much Cheryl.
xx
Yum, I would love on of those cookies. Right now. Your garden looks lovely, filled as it is with glorious colours. 😉
Thank you so much, My roses are especially prolific this year. I have never seen so many bloom at one time before.
Look great Suzanne– my mom always used butter & shortening in chocolate chip cookies, but i don’t use it anymore– even in pie crusts. So thanks for being brave and bringing it back! It makes me want to go buy a tub of Crisco! AND- fun fun to see the pictures of your garden! I’m a a terrible rose grower and no peonies grown here in So California (too dry? too warm?). I read a really interesting article in the current Sunset magazine about peony farms in Alaska. Anyway, loved seeing yours!
Thank you so much Rhonda, I always use butter and shortening in pie crust but never in chocolate chip cookies. They really are exceptional I have to say. I imagine everything grows better in California but I guess not, I thought the mild climate would be great for just about anything. My roses this year are amazing, I literally have hundreds of blooms and the peonies on one plant is amazing as well. Sometimes I get lucky. LOL. Happy Memorial Day!!
Seriously Suzanne, I’m going to go get a can of shortening– y pie crust just hasn’t been as good with just butter. — and yep, So. Cal is basically a dessert, but irrigated thanks to the Colorado river and water from up north. hugs form here…
Yes I think a little shortening makes pie crust so much better. Julia uses less shortening than butter so you still know it’s a butter pastry but the shortening even though a relatively small amount in comparison gives the pie crust a wonderful light flakiness. Happy Memorial Day Rhonda.
These cookies sound just perfect for me & Peter. I will make them this week. Perfect with a café latte,…yum! Your garden is looking beautiful & cosy too!
It really is a fantastic recipe Sophie, thank you so much.
I absolutely love chocolate chip cookies. They are one of my very favorite things. Yours look absolutely perfect! I love them soft, but thick and not flat. I have never seen a recipe with vinegar in the ingredients. That is so interesting! Do you know what that does for the cookies? Just curious. Your flowers are so pretty! I can’t believe you have peonies – how wonderful! I hardly ever see those.
These were pretty much the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Maybe the vinegar amps up the baking soda or maybe like pie crust it helps with the texture. It is so odd but the sum of all the parts works great. Thank you so much Shari.