Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following appeared in BH&G Feb. 99. I like it because I can make the variety preferred by whomever is visiting that day. "A few tweaks in the ingredients in chocolate chip cookies can dramatically change the outcome. Want a crispy thin cookie? Use an all-butter dough. Because butter melts more quickly than shortening in a hot oven, the dough spreads. For a puffy cookie, use shortening to keep the dough from flattening. Get a softer cookie by sweetening it only with brown sugar. Combine brown with granulated sugar for a crispier cookie. Our tinkering resulted in three versions: Our Best Basic, Thin-and-Crispy, and Soft-and-Cakelike." By Jeanne Ambrose, BH&G Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Prep: 25 min Bake 8-10 min per batch

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 60 cookies

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1  cup brown sugar, packed
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups  semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1  cup walnuts or 1  cup pecans, chopped

Directions

1. Thin-and-Crispy: Bake 10-12 min per batch.
2. 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
3. Soft-and-Cake-like Bake 9-11 minutes per batch.
4. 1/2 cup shortening, 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 8 oz sour cream, 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
5. Preheat oven to 375°.
6. FOR BASIC OR THIN COOKIES: in a bowl beat shortening and/or butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
7. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; beat until combined.
8. Beat in egg or eggs and vanilla until combined.
9. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with a mixer.
10. With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour.
11. Notes: If you use the beaters on your electric mixer, you can skip the wooden spoon.) Stir in chocolate pieces and nuts.
12. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake Basic cookies 8-10 minutes, and Thin cookies 10-12 minutes or until edges are browned.
13. Cool on wire rack.
14. FOR CAKELIKE COOKIES: In a bowl, beat shortening and brown sugar on medium to high speed until combined.
15. Add eggs and vanilla; bean until combined.
16. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to shortening mixture, beating after each addition.
17. With a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate pieces and nuts.
18. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are browned.
19. Cool on wire rack.