Monday, May 07, 2007

Results

Aw, thanks. That was almost like a hug.

I tried really hard to make sure to send some positive feedback to those who stuck their necks out ... but Betsey and Vanessa, you're profiles are unavailable - and li'l mil (so weird to call you that), your blog is not available from your profile page, so no danger of me reading it. But if I could have I would have loved to have found a way to send you all some cyber-love!


Down to business.

When I first moved here, I spent three weeks trying to make a cookie recipe work. I started working on this before I was finished unpacking, somehow my nursing body knew that cookies were going to become a very important source of calories for me....

But none of my old Utah recipes were working very well. So one day I was delivering a batch of some very mediocre cookies to a nice neighbor named Lindsey. She laughed at my plight and gave me her recipe. I don't know where she got it, so I can't properly credit the originator, but with a tweak or two these have been a marvelous success every time. (Lindsey if you're still out there reading, please take a moment to pat yourself on the back).


And you know what the secret seems to be? Shortening. I myself am a total butter-head. Blame it on Julia, but it was really difficult for me to believe that something could be better made with shortening than with butter. But after a few test batches, I can confirm that it's true, at least for my altitude.


So, here goes:


-Wet stuff-


Beat the tar out of 1 stick Crisco butter-flavored shortening (I've also used 1/2 cup regular shortening and had success)


add 3tsp water


Cream 3/4 cup non-lumpy brown sugar, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar into the shortening.


Once shortening has lightened in color, and stops looking grainy, add 1 (generous) teaspoon vanilla and 2 eggs. I'm nearly always generous with vanilla, but don't add so much you double it to 2tsp, I did that once and it was too much.


In a separate, dry bowl, sift together 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt with 2 1/4Cups flour. (Lindsey said between 2 1/4 and 2 1/2, but I've never needed to add more)
Add the flour mixture to the wet stuff in about 4 shifts and be careful not to over-beat. Add 1 package of chocolate chips and any other good stuff you like in your cookies. Mix until just evenly incorporated.
I use a 1" spring-loaded scoop to form my cookies. I am in love with this scoop. I got it at Target in the Christmas-baking seasonal display a few years ago, but any such scoop would do. Makes gorgeous cookies, and since all your cookies are the same shape and size, they bake evenly. I now remember my mom using two teaspoons and scraping each against the other to make cookies on the sheet and it seems almost archaic. This is so fast, easy, efficient, pretty... good stuff.
Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. My fabulous high quality apartment oven doesn't do the best job of actually being the temperature I set it at, or at maintaining a constant temperature over time, so I use a thermometer instead of my oven thermostat. The actual dial ends up set right around 360 degrees.
Make sure you remove the cookies from the sheet and put them on a cooling rack as soon as they are out of the oven. Otherwise they continue to bake from the heat of the cookie sheet.
Unlike my brownies, I strongly believe that all chocolate chip cookies are best eaten warm, or at least while the chocolate chips are still soft. Even a pretty pathetic cookie tastes good when it's still hot! I know some people like to freeze chocolate chip cookies and eat them really cold. Heidi Swapp has a great recipe for that, although I don't really care for her cookies at room temperature.
Um, that's about enough information for one post, right?

7 comments:

Deena said...

Those cookies look so luscious. I can't wait to try the recipe! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I would think that all those coments would make you think of a better reward than that. But maybe it's because I havent tride the recipe. I bet it will be great. Thanks for the recipe. Love ya tons.
*/Chloe

Em said...

Not to worry Chloe, I have something else up my sleeve.

It's just taking a while to get Sir O to cooperate with my plans. Give me another 24 hours and I'll have the best reward I could think of!

hairyshoefairy said...

I'm so excited to try this recipe. I'm so glad you were willing to share!

hairyshoefairy said...

Ooh! And SO with you on the spring loaded scoop thing. It's way easier than using two spoons.

Aubrey said...

So here I am, copying the recipe down and everything when it occurs to me that I do live anywhere even CLOSE to the 100-400 foot altitude dwelling people. Hmm. wonder if that extra 4000 or so feet will hinder the cookies. probably. I might have to take a trip just to try these out.

Guinevere said...

So what's your favorite cookie recipe for those of us still in Utah's lofty heights?

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