Chocolate Chip Cookies - The Torch Has Been Passed

     When I was growing up my mom's best friend made the world's best chocolate chip cookies.  She always gifted my mom a whole tin full of them for Christmas every year.  Sadly, my mother wasn't fond of sharing them, and as soon as they came in the house they were hidden away.  I get it, they were for my mom, but something that good needs to be shared!  I've never been able to duplicate those wonderful cookies, but I started a tradition of my own.
     From the time my daughter was old enough to stand on a chair at our kitchen counter we have made chocolate chip cookies together.  I think the first time we made those cookies together Kaysie was probably about three years old.  She loved to dump the ingredients into the bowl.  That was her first job.  When she was a little older she got to measure the ingredients and then dump them in the bowl.  Then there was the lessons on how to crack and egg and not get shell into the batter, quickly followed by the fractions of the measurements.  For the longest time she was good until it came time to spoon the dough on the cookie sheets.  She decided a long time ago that was a boring job so, she would do her thing and I would do the rest.
     Last night the torch was passed.  Last night my eleven year old daughter made her first batch of chocolate chip cookies from start to finish and I mean from start to finish.  She gathered her equipment, ingredients and went to town.  I have to say, those are some darn fine chocolate chip cookies.  They were a beautiful golden brown and the chocolate chips were melty and delicious.  Sheet after glorious sheet came out of the oven and our little apartment smelled wonderful.  I only acted as the clean up crew and surprisingly enough, she even helped clean up.  I was so proud of my girl.  This has been something that we have enjoyed doing together for a very long time.  She will be getting a little shrinky-dink cookie badge for her apron this week and we will move on to our next baking project.
     I wouldn't trade the hours we have spent baking cookies together for anything.  It has always been a happy time spent laughing and chatting and just enjoying each other's company.  I hope everyone out there reading tonight has a similar memory with their mom, grandmother or favorite aunt.  Hopefully when my daughter has children of her own she will teach them to bake chocolate chip cookies and enjoy that time together.  Below is the recipe that we like to use.  I hope you can make a batch and enjoy them with your children!  Cheers!
     Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe:

1 stick of Margerine                       2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup of shortening                      1 tsp. baking soda

¾  cup packed brown sugar           ½ tsp. salt

¾ cup  granulated sugar                1 bag Hershey’s Milk Choc. Chips

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1.   Pre-heat oven to 335 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with heavy duty foil.

2.   Beat margarine, shortening, sugars and vanilla together with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time. Beating well in between each egg.

3.   Combine flour, baking soda & salt in separate bowl.

4.   Gradually add flour mixture to shortening and sugar mixture until well combined. 

5.   Add chocolate chips and stir by hand. 

6.   Drop cookie dough by rounded tsp. onto ungreased foil lined cookie sheets.  Very carefully place cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven.  Use your potholders or oven mitts to prevent burning yourself.

7.   Bake cookies for 12 -13 minutes or until golden brown.  Set your oven timer so your cookies don’t burn. Using potholders or oven mitts, very carefully remove cookie sheets from the oven and place on a hot plate or kitchen towel.  Get an adult to help you if you need to, burns are no fun!

8.   Cool cookies on cookie sheet for approximately 5 minutes to allow them to firm up a bit. Moved cooled cookies to wire rack. 

9.   Refill cookie sheets with more dough and keep baking!

10.                 Store completely cooled cookies in a cookie jar or plastic container.  Enjoy!