Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

You may not have considered adding a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe to your recipe collection, but you really should. Because soft chocolate chip cookies are absolutely delicious.

They still retain all the taste and flavor of ordinary chocolate chip cookies, but instead of being thin and crispy, they are soft and chewy.

What are the secrets of a soft chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Fat is what determines whether a cookie is soft, chewy or crisp. So using shortening instead of butter means your cookies will not spread too much, but remain soft and cakey.

Brown sugar not only adds extra flavor to cookies but also extra moisture. The molasses in the brown sugar produces lovely soft chocolate chip cookies.

A great way of adding moisture to soft cookie recipes is to add sour cream, apple sauce or banana. But remember, if doing so, you will need to add baking soda as well.

Baking the cookies at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time retains the moisture in the cookies and prevents them drying out. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the edges start to brown.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup shortening
• 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 225 g / 8 oz sour cream
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose / plain flour
• 1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F.

2. In a large bowl beat the shortening with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Continue beating until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla remembering to scrape down the bowl occasionally.

5. Add the sour cream and beat until just combined.

6. Stir in the flour either by hand or turn the mixer down low and use the paddle attachment. Mix until almost combined.

7. Then add the chocolate chips and mix together until the ingredients are combined and there are no streaks of flour.

8. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto baking sheets that have been lined with baking parchment. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie.

9. Bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges are turning brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for a few minutes then lift them off with a spatula. Leave to cool on wire racks.

Makes about 60

Storing your Cookies

• Your cookies will store for up to 3 days in an airtight container layered between sheets of waxed paper.

• These cookies are suitable to freeze and will keep for up to 3 months frozen.

Variation

• To make great big soft chocolate chip cookies, use a large cookie scoop to drop rounds of dough onto the cookie trays.

• Space them about 4 inches apart and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes.

• You may need to flatten the dough slightly before you bake them.