Repeat after me- Butter is NOT evil! Holiday Cookies Wk 4

Last night I had a dream that Richard Simmons and Jillian Michaels came to perform an exorcism on me  because my head was spinning around and I had butter shooting out of my ears. I also think I was ranting something about baking soda will be my savior.. 

Yes people, the Holiday season has begun. And I am literally as stuffed as that 20 lb turkey I slathered in butter and roasted on Thursday. Yet somehow, I continue to polish of the last piece of pumpkin pie as I write this. 

Don't get my wrong, Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday and I really enjoy the meal prep, but I totally have my fat pants on right now. Tomorrow calls for a whole grain and fruit detox.  And hopefully no one will be in the sharing mood and bring in left overs to work. 

Here's the irony. After all that cooking and eating, I still wanted to continue my weekly ritual and prepare the cookies for week 4.

The cookie of choice?  Chocolate Chip of course. I actually struggle with this one a bit, because there is part of me that feels as if it really should not be part of the line up. I guess because it's a pretty common cookie. But who am I to look down on most coveted comfort food?  I love these cookies, and they are the best for this project for a number of reasons.

1) There are a million great Chocolate Chip varieties and recipes out there to choose from.

2) Everyone loves these. A sure winner.

3) The recipe makes a butt load and it makes a great filler so you can give people a lot of these and only a few of the pricier or special cookies.

My choice? Good old fashion Toll House cookies. With a bit of a twist of course;)  You can choose to follow my adaptation or theirs.

Couple of tips on this one. A small ice cream scooper comes in really handy here. I have a #70, whatever that means, but it makes it really easy to dose out, and less messy. Also, I like my cookies soft, so once they are baked, if you store them in an airtight container with a slice of bread, they will soften up. If you like them crunchy, skip the bread.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted by Nestle Toll House

Prep: 10 mins

Cook Time: 12-15 mins per batch.

Makes 36-48 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup shortening like Crisco. * I like butter flavored. This makes the cookies puff a bit.
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 package chocolate chips, or chunks

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine butter, shortening, and sugars in mixer until pale and fluffy.
3. Add baking soda, salt and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time until well combined.
5. Add flour a bit a a time until just combined.
6. Add Chocolate chips 
7. At this point you can bake or freeze until ready to use
8. Scoop on greased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden brown.
9. Lay on wire rack to cool and then devour.

Enjoy!  I am off to take a Tums and make some Mama's Oatmeal for tomorrow.