Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is an old, old recipe from my old, old Betty Crocker's Cooky Book ( ©1963)! I like it for a couple reasons - first, because it isn't attached to any one brand of chocolate chips, and second, because it makes about 3 dozen, using a 6 oz bag of chocolate chips.  Which just happens to be the size of the bags of the Scharffenberger chocolate chips, and is plenty of cookies for Ian and me.  You should double this recipe if you are using a regular (12-14 oz) bag of chips.

2/3 cup shortening (part butter or margarine) -- I use 1/2 cup plain Crisco, plus 2-2/3 tablespoons of butter.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 six-oz package semi-sweet chocolate pieces (1 cup)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually omit these - Ian doesn't like them and I don't care)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (quick mod).  (use 350º if you have a convection oven combo)
2. Mix shortening, sugars, egg, and vanilla thoroughly.
3. Stir dry ingredients together (add 1/4 cup more of flour for a more rounded, softer cooky) and blend in.
4. Mix the nuts (if using) and chocolate pieces in.
5. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough about 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until delicately browned (cookies should still be soft)
7. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheets.
8. Makes 4 to 5 dozen 2" cookies (I only get 3 dozen, but I think they are bigger than this)

Thanks to Susannah Skyer Gupta for the lovely photo (above) she took of the cookies she made (with nuts) using this recipe.