Deluxe Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

alligirl's Note:

This recipe was featured in my local paper, The Virginian-Pilot, on October 7, 2009. These cookies won 2nd place in the chocolate chip cookie division during the 2009 Virginia State Fair. They were submitted by Francie Rayburn of Virginia Beach, Va.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 48

Yield: 4.0 dozen c ...

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup solid Crisco shortening
• 1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar (half light-brown sugar and half dark-brown sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 -4 drops texas pete hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 24 ounces nestle toll house semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup chopped pecans , toasted and broken by hand

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine Crisco and brown sugar; beat until light and creamy. Add eggs, hot sauce and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy.
4. Gradually blend in flour mixture.
5. Stir in morsels and pecans; drop by well-rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Allow to stand 2 to 3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets; cool.

Reviews

[ladyfingers]

While these are good cookies, nothing really distinguishes them from other chocolate chip cookie recipes, and I actually prefer my old tried and true recipe. Not sure why it won second place at a state fair or why Texas Pete sauce was a necessary ingredient. It added no flavor that I could detect. Still a good tasting cookie, just not as unique as I had hoped.