Nana's Good, Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

To add to the Chocolate Chip Cookie collection is of course Nana's recipe that she made all the time. She loved to bake and would always have some kind of treat around for snacking on. I know Papa loves these cookies too.

In the K-5 bowl with the batter or whipping attachment cream together:

1 C. (2 sticks) butter

1 C. shortening

2 C. brown sugar packed

1 C. sugar

4 eggs (add one at a time)

3 T. corn syrup (light Karo)

4 T. water

2 t. vanilla

In a separate bowl whisk together:

5 1/2 C. flour (bread flour can be used as the high gluten content makes for softer cookies).

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

Change attachment to the dough hook and gradually add in the flour mixture until all is just moist.

Fold in:

6 C. (3 12oz. packages total) Chocolate Chips (Nana liked the milk chocolate kind) or part Chocolate Chunks.

1-2 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

Drop by a small ice cream scoop (cookie scoop) and flatten a little onto ungreased baking sheets. Nana favored baking parchment so cookies never stuck. Silpats work well too. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheets for a couple of minutes and then remove to a wire cooling rack. When just cool, put in ziplock gallon bags, or other airtight container to keep fresh. 

Yeild: about 6 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies–Ghirardelli Style

I am posting the tried and true recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies from the makers of our favorite chocolate chips. Ghirardelli, Nestle, Hershey, they are all good. Some of us like semi-sweet, some milk chocolate, some white chocolate, but they all make great cookies. 

Here is the Ghirardelli recipe for cookies:

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dry

2 1/4 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Mix together in a bowl and set aside

Wet

Cream together on medium speed:

1 C. butter, softened

3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar, packed

Add to mixture on low speed:

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla

Change to dough hook, or cookie paddles and gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture.

Stir in:

2 C. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 C. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Drop by tablespoon or cookie scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets. Parchment or silpats are a good choice too. 

Preheat oven to 375º (I don't bake my cookies that high, usually 360º as I like the middles done and not doughy.)

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. 

Yeild: about 4 dozen

Chocolate Chip Cookies–Nestle Toll House Style

This recipe is almost exactly like the Ghirardelli one. This is the one I grew up making and love, love, love it. Nana later refined and perfected her Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but this one works well too. She always made her cookies in her KitchenAid K-5, so the instructions are for that method.

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dry ingredients:

2 1/4 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Whisk together in a bowl and set aside.

With the batter or whipping attachment cream together on medium speed:

1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 C. granulated sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar (packed)

On low speed add:

2 large eggs (one at a time)

1 t. vanilla extract

Change the attachment to the dough hook and gradually add in the dry ingredients until all mixed together.

Stir in:

2 C. (12 oz.) Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Parchment or silpats work wonderfully for never stick to the pan cookies.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Yeild: about 5 dozen.

For high altitude (5,200 feet); increase flour to 2 1/2 C. Add 2 t. water with flour and reduce both granulated and brown sugar to 2/3 C. each. Bake drop cookies for 8-10 minutes.

Valentine Sugar Cookies

Such a good recipe. A great find on the the internet. Nana did not have a tried and true sugar cookie recipe in her file, but had one from the food network, so I will post that one also. Meanwhile this recipe makes soft, moist sugar cookies that are so good. The dough holds its shape well too, so if you are using big cookie cutters, they don't break trying to put them on the cookie sheet to bake. I did use a spatula to help and it worked great. 

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 C. Sour Cream

2 C. Sugar

1 C. Shortening

4 Eggs

1 t. Vanilla

6 C. Flour

3 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Baking Soda

1 t. Salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients until everything is well mixed. Let the dough chill for about 15 minutes.

Form dough into small balls, or use fun cookie cutters. When rolling dough, use a floured surface and dough should be rolled to about a 1/4" thick. 

Bake until LIGHT golden brown - no more than about 10 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, they may seem underdone, but they aren't. Just let them cool on the pan and you will find that they are perfectly soft and moist. I baked mine on a silpat for 11 minutes as they were on the large side. If you prefer sugar cookies that are a little crunchier, just bake them a little longer and maybe roll your dough a tad thinner.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

This recipe is one Nana found from the Food Network. She had a great eye for good recipes, so this one will not disappoint I'm sure. 

1 C. Butter (unsalted)

1 C. White Sugar

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 t. Vanilla

3 C. Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Salt

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla. In a second bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture about a cup at a time. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.

Roll out dough to about 1/4" thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. You might want to leave out this process if you are going to frost your cookies. Bake on parchment lined sheet pans, or on a silpat. Oven should be preheated to 350º. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Remove from sheet pans to a rack to cool completely. 

Ali's Pumpkin Spice Cookies...

These cookies are great and I got the recipe from my cousin Ali. Thanks Ali! I doubled the recipe, because I always do when I make any kind of cookies. I figure if you're gonna go to all of the effort to bake you might as well bake extra and spread the wealth!!! It made about 3 1/2 dozen cookies. I also ran short of time so I didn't make the drizzle for the top. I cheated and opened up a Betty Crocker vanilla frosting, opened it and put it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds then spread a little on the top of each. Cream cheese frosting would be yummy on top also!



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbls milk
1 Tbls melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; set aside

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by Tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly

3. Bake for 15-20 mins in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork

4. To make glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 Tablespoon melted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. Add milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.