Today's Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Although I bake all year long, there is nothing like baking at Christmas time. Even with all of the fancy-schmancy confections Brad and I create during the holidays, nothing beats the simple chocolate chip cookie.

I gurantee you, it's the first cookie to go and I always wished I had baked more.

I spent the afternoon baking Chocolate Chippers . It is a simple recipe but tried and very true. Bake and then just add milk.

Don't you love simple pleasures?

Suzie's Chocolate Chipper Cookies

Preheat oven to 375degreesF

Ingredients

1/2 cup softened Butter (not Margarine)

1/2 cup Crisco Butter-flavored Shortening

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

2 Eggs

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 20 oz pkg Jumbo Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (or regular sized chips)

3/4 cup chopped Walnuts

Directions:

1. Cream together brown sugar, white sugar, butter and Crisco.

2. Add vanilla and both eggs, mix.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Add flour mixture a little at a time to sugar/butter mixture and slowly mix.

5. Once all flour is incorporated, add chocolate chips and nuts. Stir in to mixture.

6. Spoon uniform-sized drops of cookie batter onto ungreased cookie sheets.

7. Bake 9-11 minutes, watching for doneness. For chewier cookies, underbake and remove from oven when just turning brown. For crunchy cookies, bake until golden brown. Be sure to keep a close watch, as they can bake quickly.

*Hint. The butter gives the cookies a nice brown color and rich flavor, while the shortening keeps the cookies from baking too quickly and becoming overly crisp and brown. If you prefer very crisp and brown cookies, you may want to use all butter.