This recipe for my Grandma’s Cookies came to me through my mother and was made by her for me as I was growing up. My grandmother passed away before I was born, so I cherish this recipe. I made these chocolate chip cookies a lot once I learned to bake. Please do not judge the ingredients. I know shortening is not the best for anyone’s health, but I keep to the original recipe. Since my mother was one of five children, it’s a large recipe. My grandmother used the ingredients on the chocolate chip package originally, but modified it over many years to be even better!
My mother said that her mother perfected this recipe over a long period of time. Once I came across someone else I knew whose cookies tasted almost identical to these, and I marveled! It is something that has been a big part of my life and, since I do not cook much, still enjoy making. I was told a story about my grandfather once finding the cookie jar empty and asking, “What? Are we poor now?” I thought that was funny! He loved them as much as I do. ♥
My Grandmother’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4 eggs
2 cubes butter (1 cup), room temperature (please use real butter – I use salted)
1 cup shortening (butter flavor works too)
2 cups granulated (white) sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp. vanilla (imitation works fine too)
Mix all of the above ingredients in your mixer or by hand. (much easier with a mixer!)
Then, mix together:
4 cups and 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. salt
Add the above to the egg and butter mixture and then add:
12 oz. or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Be careful while putting flour into a running mixer. A small amount at a time is best, or you will have a flour cloud!
If desired, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans, broken up or chopped. I like big pieces, but you do what you like. (If not adding nuts, the cookies may need more flour.) The texture should be solid, but easy to break up into small pieces. The batter should not be too sticky or runny!
Assembly
When you get everything all mixed, use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon. Drop balls or hunks of dough onto a cookie sheet. They don’t have to be perfect or round, but should be approximately 1″ in diameter. (We always made them a bit bigger, and I liked the edges if they were touching when done!) Spacing should be about 2 or 3 inches apart, as these cookies will flatten out and expand while cooking. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 10-13 minutes. The edges should be turning brown and you will know they are done!
Enjoy warm with milk if you like! Get creative and make this recipe your own. Adding cranberries, raisins, or other types of nuts like cashews is going to make this taste different of course, but I have added peanut butter chips to these cookies and they came out great!
Cooking Show
This recipe is featured on The Wine and Dine Show on December 7, 2022. The YouTube link can no longer be found, unfortunately. Desserts with chocolate (especially dark chocolate) go great with red wine! Merlots, Pinot Noirs, and just let your imagination go wild as you Discover what pairs best with the dinner of your choice and/or just these chocolate chip cookies. In this show, I used mini chips. I might be weird, and I do love chocolate, but I like these cookies more than the chocolate! I do not overload the chips. (Except this one time – I used 2 bags of mini chips to take the place of the nuts I usually use. Someone I was sharing with was allergic to nuts.)
To find the exclusive premium fine wines featured on The Wine and Dine Show, just visit this page.
A friend recently shared they used peanut butter instead of the shortening ingredient. I will have to try that!
