Chocolate Chip Cookies...Lightened Up!

I'm all about the classics. 
Nail the brownie, the chocolate cake, the chocolate chip cookies...
and then you can pretty much do a play on anything and it will come out yummy. 

Even though you can tweak this recipe every-which way you like,
my hubby and the family love it old school.

The twist here...it's a lighter version.

I cancel out a whole stick of butter
and convert all the eggs to egg substitute.

The result? 

A darn tasty cookie! 
Yes, the texture is different than my classic recipe,
there's no denying that.

But the kiddos and hubby are too busy gobbling
them down to take notice!

A cookie and a glass of milk...

need I say more?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Give or take 4-dozen large cookies
or
6-7 dozen small cookies

Ingredients

5 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. (1 sticks) un-salted butter, softened
1 c. (1-stick) Crisco Butter-flavored Shortening

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

1 1/2 c packed brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract
1 c of egg substitute-
I do it all the time!

4-6 c. Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels 

{Note}

This is a hard one to quantify, 

because I literally dump the chips in until the batter is a sea of chocolate...

it's beautiful, really.

2 1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions

 Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a medium bowl & a whisk:
Combine the flour, baking soda, & salt and set aside.

Using a mixer and the paddle attachment at medium speed:
Cream the butter and shortening until combined and then add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and the eggs.

It should smell amazing at this point,
but resist the urge to lick.  

Why?!?

Because you haven't added the chocolate chips yet!

Patience, patience.

At low speed:
Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until incorporated.
Finally add the morsels & nuts...and then taste!

Yum!

Scoop golf-ball size mounds of cookie dough onto a large un-greased cookie sheet-I use my ice cream scoop.  Place the mounds 2-inches apart, which is usually six cookies to one large baking sheet.  If you're making smaller cookies, you can place about 8-9 cookies per baking sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Do not over bake!

This is the secret for moist, chewy cookies.
Remember, all ovens times vary, but look for cookies with only the slightest browning on top.
They will NOT look done, but they are.
 Once out of the oven, they'll continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet and will set nicely.

Let the cookies rest for at least 3-minutes on the baking sheet before even attempting to move them.  If you don't, you'll tear your cookies, and then you'll just have to eat them all, won't you? 

If your aim is to serve these bad boys, wait, and then move them to a cooling rack for approximately 7-10 minutes.  Be forewarned, they'll still be very soft, but with a large enough spatula to support them while you move them, they'll be just fine.

Once firm, you can stack the cookies in an air-tight container and they'll keep for 3-4 days.  Personally, I think they're best right out of the oven-but you can also keep them on hand in the pantry for a lunch treat or a quick snack. 

Other options: 
Bake, freeze, and thaw before serving. 
I love doing this when I have to run a treat up to the school.
 
Whatever you do...

Make...Eat...Eat...Eat,
and  yes:

 Exercise!

I'm not going to lie,
these are wickedly good and they'll will show it!

{Notes}

You can cut this recipe in half, but I find that the cookies are not quite the same!  Try making the whole batch and just freezing the dough for later.  You'll always need cookie dough!

Also, if you prefer smaller cookies, just adjust the baking time to 5-6 minutes and keep a close eye on them.

Keep in mind, the sky's the limit!
Substitute like crazy with whatever you want:
M&Ms, White Chocolate Chips,
Macadamia Nuts.

Make this cookie yours!

Enjoy!