Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is from the mom of one of my good friends from high school. His sister and I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. I was impressed that she used a recipe from a cookbook rather than the recipe printed on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. Anyway, in the course of making cookies, I spilled about two pounds of flour all over their kitchen floor. Cleaning up flour is messy: first, flour dust goes everywhere; second, you can't use water because it makes everything gunky. After vacuuming up the flour, I soon forgot my mortification because as I was going down to the basement with the freshly baked cookies, I tripped down the stairs. So embarrassing! There was one redeeming part of the night: remembering this recipe which I have used ever since for baking chocolate chip cookies. Another memory is that this is the first recipe I attempted when I moved away from home for the first time to Dallas. I owned no kitchen accoutrements, so I will always remember that that first batch of cookies cost me about $75 by the time I bought a bowl, mixer, cookie sheet, and the ingredients.

2/3 C. shortening
2/3 C. butter, softened
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 C. flour
1 bag (12 oz.) chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk

Blend shortening, butter, and sugars until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not overbake; the cookies will harden as they set.

Variations: For double chocolate chip cookies, add 2/3 C. cocoa and reduce flour to 2-1/3 C. Also, this recipe works well with either M&M candies or the mini-sized M&M baking bits.