Love Those Big Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Diane Taylor

Sunday, October 25, 2009

My father always regretted that his family missed their invention opportunity. His mother didn’t use a handkerchief when she had a cold. She blew her nose using, ahem…toilet tissue. “She was so close; she could have invented Kleenex!” he often said.

My own regret? Mrs. Fields cookies. I knew the world liked chocolate chip cookies. God knows, I always sought out the chocolate chip cookies on any tray of cookies. Even bad homemade chocolate chip cookies tasted good to me. So where was I when the idea to sell freshly made chocolate chip cookies was born?

The way to a man's stomach? Oh yeah.
Photo by Diane Taylor

But I did follow up. A lady at work, Dorothy Lindgren, made great chocolate chip cookies. She made them big – way before super-sized cookies became trendy. When a complaint was issued that our annual Credit Union meetings were sparsely attended, mention was made of the bland store-bought cookies served during the meeting. Someone suggested asking Dorothy to make cookies for future meetings. She agreed, and though attendance didn’t immediately shoot up, loyal attendees always mentioned how they loved those cookies. Leftovers were never a problem.

I was a writer for the company magazine, so I interviewed Dorothy and learned her secrets. Then Dorothy, always proud of her appearance, had a face peel. Apparently, her face became forever sensitive to heat (oven heat included), and she announced she could no longer make cookies. Having flawless skin myself AND having documented Dorothy’s secrets, I bravely stepped in. I made the cookies…and again, leftovers were not a problem.

With help from Albertsons and Sam's Club, we're ready to bake.
Photo by Diane Taylor

Though I once took Home Economics classes and am generally not a good cook, I do have a good recipe for big chocolate chip cookies. At the Wynn Las Vegas Zoozacrackers deli, their large wrapped chocolate chip cookies cost $3.50 each. I wrap my cookies, too; they don’t cost $3.50 each, and according to my hungry brothers who visit every holiday, mine are better. Mine are better cookies IF you like hardy chocolate chip cookies with big chocolate centers and either shaved chocolate or pecans on top.

Why make cookies at home instead of buying them from Mrs. Fields or others? Because the house smells delicious for days…not to mention how lovely it is to sneak a little of that cookie dough from the beaters.

Incidentally, don’t think of counting calories if you make these cookies. If you’re on a diet, just give up a meal or two, and you can have a cookie. Here’s the recipe:

(On baking day for my holiday cookies, as gifts, etc., I usually quadruple this recipe. I’m busy for hours; it’s fun!)

Makes: 16 large cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips (I sometimes use less.)
64 pecan halves (four to a cookie if every cookie has pecans)
One package of 8 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Squares

Cream together shortening, butter and brown sugar. Blend in eggs, salt, soda and vanilla; mix in flour then chips. Prepare the surprise center by cutting six baking chocolate squares into fourths. (I put mine in the microwave for just 10 seconds to make the squares easy to cut.) Take the other two squares and “shave” the chocolate for use as a topping.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop six mounds of cookie dough onto each ungreased cookie sheet. Make a hole in the dough and insert one of the quarter chocolate squares. Close the hole. (You can do this while the dough is in the ice cream scoop, too.) Top each cookie with pecan halves or shaved chocolate.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. (Remember, these cookies keep baking after you remove them from the oven.)

Wrap each finished cookie in plastic wrap. The plastic wrap makes cookies stay fresh and the cookies become great travelers. If cookies are frozen, unwrap the cookies and reheat for 20 seconds in the microwave – the cookies will taste as if they just came from the oven.

Enjoy!

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