Chocolate Chip Cookies with Crisco
Norma Jean made the best Chocolate Chip Cookies with Crisco. Mom’s recipe is pretty indulgent but is full of memories for me. She loved freezing “cookie dough balls” and baking them fresh for us. So good!
Grandma Norma’s Famous Cookies
There is ONE cookie recipe that immediately comes to mind when I remember Mom’s cookie baking. If you asked any one of my siblings or the grandchildren, they’d agree that this one is it.
These chocolate chip cookies weren’t just ANY old chocolate chip cookies. They were special because of the secret ingredients: 1) Butter-flavored Crisco, 2) Nestle white chocolate chips, and 3) Watkins Vanilla
Mom used to keep bunches of cookie balls in her freezer. When we came home to visit, she’d take some out and bake them fresh.
Our boys loved getting to enjoy Grandma’s special cookies fresh out of the oven. And Mom especially loved watching her grandkids eat her homemade cookies.
Why We Love These Cookies:
- A FAMILY FAVORITE – As mentioned above, Grandma’s cookies have always had a special place in our family. So many memories of eating warm cookies in our childhood home.
- INDULGENT – Crisco is a brand of vegetable shortening that contains 100% fat and has no water or milk solids (while butter has about 20% water and milk solids). This recipe contains half butter and half Crisco.
- SOFT AND CHEWY COOKIES – These homemade chocolate chip cookies have soft centers and crispy edges. The best cookies!
Ingredients Used:
The following simple ingredients and our step-by-step instructions will help you make the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
- Unsalted Butter
- Crisco
- Sugar – A combo of granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt (or sea salt is fine too)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Chips – A combo of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.
NOTE: Instead of milk chocolate chips (as the recipe states), feel free to use any combo of semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, and dark chocolate chips.
How to make Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Step 1
Cream the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a large standing mixer, combine butter, Crisco, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Use a paddle attachment and then start mixer on medium speed. For best results, mix until the mixture becomes light and creamy.
Step 2
Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until well combined.
Step 3
Add remaining ingredients. Then add the baking soda, salt, and flour and mix until the ingredients are just combined. Don’t over-mix. Add the chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and stir again. (I normally use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to mix the chips into the dough.)
Step 4
Roll into cookie dough balls. Use a cookie scoop to divide the cookie dough into portions. Add the cookie balls to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 5
Chill. Chill the dough for at least two hours in the refrigerator.
Step 6
Bake cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Add six cookie balls to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top.
NOTE: I prefer to remove the cookies a few minutes early, add a few extra chips to the top, and then finish baking.
Step 7
Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and add an extra sprinkle of salt. Then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Step 8
Serve cookies. Serve warm cookies with a tall glass of milk or one of the following.
Storing and Freezing
- STORE the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- FREEZE the baked cookies in a freezer bag for 3-4 months.
- You can also freeze the cookie balls and bring them out to bake fresh whenever the craving arises.
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs to up your cookie game. This allows the ingredients to form an emulsion that traps air. While baking, this trapped air expands to produce a fluffier cookie. Using cold ingredients will prevent this magic from happening.
- CAREFULLY MEASURE THE FLOUR! Either use the spoon and level method or a digital scale to measure your flour. Scooping flour will lead to TOO MUCH flour and the cookies will not turn out as well.
- Chill your dough. This will allow the fat in the cookies to chill and firm up. When baking, this chilled fat will prevent an over-spreading of the cookies. The resting time will also allow the flour to soak up the liquids in the dough. When the cookies are fully-hydrated, they brown better, bake more evenly, and have a more complex flavor.
- Bake your cookies to YOUR preference. If you like your cookies darker, bake them longer. If you like them gooey, then slightly under-bake them. You do you!
- Bake one batch at a time. If using a regular oven, baking one batch at a time is recommended for the best results. If using a convection oven, you can bake two batches at a time.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, butter or shortening can be used interchangeably in baked goods. They can be used as a one-to-one swap.
Shortening is entirely composed of fat with no water content. As a result, when baking with shortening, there is no steam generated, which leads to reduced gluten production and, in turn, produces softer and more tender cookies. Additionally, compared to butter, shortening has a higher melting point, contributing to taller cookies.
Crisco stays safe at room temperature both before and after opening. No need to refrigerate.
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes:
- Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies
- Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Crisco
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter – at room temperature
- 1 cup Crisco
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (330 grams)
- 3 large eggs – at room temp
- 3 Tablespoons Watkins vanilla
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (600 grams)
- 12 oz. milk chocolate chips – or chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips
- 12 oz. white chocolate chips
- more chips for the top of the cookies – optional
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a large standing mixer, combine butter, Crisco, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Use a paddle attachment and then start mixer on medium speed. For best results, mix until the mixture becomes light and creamy.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until well combined.
- Add remaining ingredients. Then add the baking soda, salt, and flour and mix until the ingredients are just combined. Don’t over-mix. Add the chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and stir again. (I normally use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to mix the chips into the dough.)
- Roll into cookie dough balls. Use a cookie scoop to divide the cookie dough into portions. Add the cookie balls to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill. Chill the dough for at least two hours in the refrigerator.
- Bake cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Add six cookie balls to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and add an extra sprinkle of salt. Then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack.
- Serve cookies. Serve warm cookies with a tall glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Notes
Storing and Freezing:
- STORE the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- FREEZE the baked cookies in a freezer bag for 3-4 months.
- You can also freeze the cookie balls and bring them out to bake fresh whenever the craving arises.
Nutrition
Love me some Crisco! Why not splurge!
LOL yes!
Isaac will be happy to see that you’ve “finally” posted this recipe. Cassie already commented about it, to me. Best EVER cookie recipe! 🙂 Thanks for sharing it, and for all the LOVE you are putting into your blog, SueBee. All those memories are mine too, and it feels good to share them again.
I’m so glad that Isaac can finally make Grandma’s special cookies! Tell him that if he comes to visit me, I’ll make them fresh for him. 🙂 Mwah!
Those look exactly like Mom’s, you are doing a remarkable job keeping our memories alive. It’s so vivid to me, brings tears to my eyes!! That pic of Z is precious!! Mom’s cookies could “fix” anything.
Thanks Shari! I’ll bake them for you when you come to visit next!! ?