Today is the official last day of summer and my recipe for chocolate chip cookies is one of my favorite summer treats. When I was a kid, summers were hot and humid here in the Ohio River Valley of Kentuckiana. No one had air conditioning back then and the most we could hope for was a noisy old fan to move the hot, sticky air around to try and make it at least a couple of degrees cooler. I remember a particularly hot summer where the temperature soared to near 100°F, and I happened to be spending a couple of days with my Aunt Lucia and my cousins who lived in the city. Even though it was especially hot there in her tiny kitchen, she fired up the oven and made a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies for us. It was so hot that the chocolate chips melted and swirled in the dough before she could scoop the batter onto the baking sheet. Eating those cookies and spending time with my aunt and cousins is one of my favorite memories from my childhood. I remember Aunt Lucia making huge bowls of popcorn after dinner and we would all gather round the TV in the living room and drink Kool Aid. The floor in the living room was a bit cooler than the bedrooms upstairs and eventually we would all fall asleep there, very satisfied after watching our favorite TV programs and eating popcorn.

After taking a Home Economics Class in ninth grade, I began baking cookies at home. Of course, chocolate chip cookies were a favorite. As I baked them and they were cooling, I liked to see the cookies pile up. I didn’t want any to be eaten until the entire batch was baked. My two younger brothers would sit at the kitchen table with a glass of milk waiting for me to announce the completion of the baking session so they could dig in. The cookies disappeared so quickly, it was unbelievable. I still like to see the entire batch of cookies stack up after they have cooled. But there’s nothing like a warm chocolate chip cookie, fresh from the oven.

Now I bake chocolate chip cookies year-round, regardless of the season. I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe and create some wonderful memories with your family and friends. I’m sure you’ll get their seal of approval after the first bite. These cookies freeze well too, that is, if they don’t get eaten first!

Making good food with gratitude,

Becky

Becky’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield:

• approximately 5 dozen cookies

Prep Time:

• 10 minutes

Cook Time:

• 12-15 minutes (temperatures vary from oven to oven)

Total Time: 45

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup unsalted butter or margarine (room temperature)

• ⅔ cup vegetable shortening

• 1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs (room temperature)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 3½ cups self-rising flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the shortening and butter or margarine until completely blended. Add the sugars and mix until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until well incorporated. Next, measure the baking soda into the self rising flour and whisk to mix, then slowly add it to the batter. Make sure it is well incorporated into the dough, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets by tablespoons. Leave about 2 inches between scoops of dough because they will spread.

The scoop I use is approximately 2 Tbsp.

Bake approximately 12-15 minutes depending on your own oven. Remove from the oven when the cookies are just starting to brown. The cookies will puff up a bit because of the self rising flour, however, they will flatten and crinkle a bit as they cool. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing from tray to cooling rack.

These chocolate chip cookies have become my favorite over the years. They get rave reviews from friends and neighbors, too.

Tips and Tricks:

You may add your favorite chopped nuts to this dough. Toasting the nuts before adding them to the dough will bring out more of their flavor.

You can also substitute other flavor chips or chopped chocolate chunks to equal 12 ounces.